Dubai: A video showing a fish with plastic eyes pushed Kuwaiti authorities to close a shop that was trying to fraud people by hiding its rotting eyes. The state of a fish's eyes indicates its freshness.
The video posted on Facebook was shared on WhatsApp groups and then was posted on the Twitter account of Kuwaiti newspaper Al Bayan — it then went viral.
وزارة التجارة تغلق محلا لبيع الأسماك يضع عدسات مزيفة للأسماك لتبدو على انها طازجة! pic.twitter.com/RCj7roilWT
— جريدة بيان الكويتية (@Bayan_kw) September 1, 2018
Yellow, cloudy and sunken-into-the-head eyes are signs that the fish is more than two days old.
One Twitter user mockingly tweeted: "Never judge the freshness of fish by the googliness of their eyes."
Never judge the freshness of fish by the googliness of their eyes. https://t.co/hW50lwpwCz
— Matthew Dalby, PhD (@MatthewJDalby) September 1, 2018
Kuwaitis were angered by the apparently fraudulent way of keeping fish fresh.
A few weeks ago, one seller was caught stuffing fish with metal nails to increase its weight.
One tweep posted: “One time nail, the next fake eyes, next time they will sell us fake fish toys, lack of honesty and cheating is mastered by a lot of people looking for quick profits.”
قويه بصراحه مره مسامير مره عيون المره الجايه سمك ألعاب 😂
— ماجد الجابري (@MAXz93) September 2, 2018
عدم الامانه و الغش يتقنه الكثير ممن يبحث عن الربح السريع كان من كان 👍☺
Others have called on the government to heighten inspections over the fish market to curb dishonest practices.
“Inspections should be increased and cheaters should be punished with the strongest penalities to make them learn their lesson.”
المفروض الرقابة تزيد اكتر علي الفاسدين والغشاشين ويتم معاقبتهم باشد عقاب حتي يكونو عبرة لمن لا يعتبر
— ➰Ahmed Marzouk ➰ (@AmkTorres) August 31, 2018
Meanwhile, rival hawkers updated their slogans when calling customers, such as: “Fish with no plastic surgery” and “Fish without contact lenses”.
شركة أسماك في الكويت تضرب "بوتيكات فاشنيستا السمك" وتعلن عن بيع "سمك بلا عمليات تجميل".. بعد قيام أحد المحال ببيع أسماك بعدسات مزيفة لتبدو طازجة! pic.twitter.com/FjmyG0rLP5
— جريدة بيان الكويتية (@Bayan_kw) September 2, 2018
Other social media users have poked fun at the images, associating the fishy take with the increasing popularity of fashionistas and plastic surgeries in the Kuwait society.
A Kuwaiti tweeted: “A lasik surgery would have been better than lenses.”
لو مسوي ليزك احسن له من العدسات
— وليد السالم (@walllleeeed) September 1, 2018
Another tweeted: “Soon with fake eyelashes”
باجر يركبون لها رموش🤣
— أنفـــ الشمري ــال ⚖ (@anfal_88) August 31, 2018
Still another user played on words expressing his concern that gills can be manipulated to trick buyers, saying “I am afraid the gills are extensions.”
اخااف زعانف اكستنشن بعدددد !
—  (@5yal__7) August 31, 2018