水產成精：功能食物、方便禮物及養殖產業的匯流

When Fish Becomes Essence: The Intersection of Functional Foods, Convenient Gifts, and Aquaculture

在臺灣，水產除了作為日常餐桌的一部分外，也有調理身體的功能。因含有豐富的蛋白質，鱸魚、虱目魚等皆是手術動刀後的病人恢復元氣的食物之一。水產消費也涉及階級，過去勞工階級能享用鱸魚湯、虱目魚湯的機會，多是在生病時、手術後等。人工繁殖成功後，漁民得以大量生產此類魚種，其價格更為大眾化，對消費者而言是福音，對養殖漁民來說則是產銷失衡下，生計變得不穩定的痛。近年，在友善環境生產、食物安全、健康飲食等條件的結合下，生產者及加工業者開始發展更多樣化的產品，迎合市場大眾所需，並進行全魚利用，開拓更多收入來源。其中，滿足都市人對健康、高價值及美味的方便食物（convenience food）的要求，是一個新興的方向。本文將透過對水產成為滴魚精此類功能食品的商品化進行探討，透過對生產者、加工業者的訪談，以及在市場及廣告進行觀察，檢視此一趨勢的發展情況。筆者認為，看似簡單的魚精，承載了臺灣飲食文化的意義及小資本家對技術深造熟練的特性。

In Taiwan, seafood is not only part of daily consumption, but also plays a role as a functional food with other uses. Milkfish and seabass, rich in animal protein, are two major farmed fish species consumed by post-surgery patients for nourishment. Seafood consumption has been a class issue for a long time. In the past, the labouring class could only afford to have seabass or milkfish soup when recovering from illness or injury. Technological breakthroughs in artificial propagation have facilitated the intensification of fish farming. Fish prices have become more affordable to consumers, while fish farmers have experienced a reduction in profit margins. In recent years, the pursuit of eco-friendly production processes, food safety, and health food have caused producers and processors to develop more diversified kinds of seafood products. The full use of different parts of a fish leads to more possibilities for making a profit. One major direction of product development is convenience food that is functional, high-value, and tasty. This paper explores the commodification of fish essence. My research methods include in-depth interviews, market observation, and content analysis of advertisements. I argue that fish essence is a convenient yet complex product because the liquid contains both the traditional culinary meaning of fish in Taiwanese food culture and the tech-savvy petty capitalism in aquaculture and the seafood industry.