>>88184248Live stickfish is a popular survival food in Morijigoku! The reason they're live is that dead animals tend to decompose into skeletons very quickly in Moriji, even in the freezing cold, due to the nature of the local microbiomes. So travelers will often pack stickfish, a slender, silvery fish who takes well to hibernating while frozen solid. Keeping it alive allows it to prevent decomposition, but the fact it is frozen solid slows down its metabolism enough that it can hibernate in that state for months without dying, and it convenient to pack.
