With a switch to a small, sharp knife, he carefully deboned one side of the fish ribs, with movements so delicate it was as if he was conducting a piece of art.
The other side was the same, each fish rib falling away without a trace.
He spread the fish belly to its fullest, with the fish's stomach facing up, securely laying it on the chopping board, and precisely severing the connection between the fish head and spine with the tip of a kitchen knife.
Next, he picked up a narrow, long deboning knife, slowly cutting in from behind the fish head, closely following the spine, skillfully removing the entire spine, stopping only when he reached the fish's tail.
When the spine on both sides was completely removed, he carefully extracted it from the fish belly. At this point, apart from the fish's head and tail, there were no bones or pieces of fishbone left in the entire carp.
This series of fluid and precise operations left others present dumbfounded, casting admiring glances.
