This is something I've not noted before, but it's something that spun out of something I noticed; Zahrah is vegan. She's not eaten any meat in the story, and has just held on to it out of courtesy. There's no reason for this other than cultural. Zahrah doesn't believe meat is murder, and she doesn't have dietary restrictions. It's just a part of where she's from.
Depends on if you're a shark person or not. Also, as it turns out, raw fish is a good source of Vitamin C; Inuits and other Arctic Circle People don't suffer from scurvy despite the lack of fruit in their region because of raw fish.