Posts Tagged ‘authenticity’
The Surprising History of Tuna in Japan
Today, bluefin tuna is considered the pinnacle of fine sushi, especially bluefin toro–the fatty belly cuts of the fish. This is kind of funny, because just a few decades ago the Japanese considered toro such a disgusting part of the tuna that the only people who would eat it were impoverished manual laborers. And prior…
Read MoreWhat’s With the Mean Sushi Chefs?
Some days I think the most influential Japanese chef in America might actually have been John Belushi. If you’ve seen Belushi’s “Samurai Delicatessen” skit, originally performed on Saturday Night Live in 1976, you’ll remember him channeling a touchy Japanese chef, perpetually on the verge of violence, who screamed out loud while slicing ingredients with a…
Read MoreSmarter Sushi = More Authentic Sushi
Big things are happening this summer for a big fish. If conservationists get their way, the Atlantic bluefin tuna, a majestic swimmer that’s long been overharvested for the sushi trade, may soon receive protection as an endangered species. Many sushi lovers are understandably upset, because they don’t want to give up their favorite meal. But…
Read MoreWhat Do You Mean, No Tuna?
Last night I asked the attendees of my Sushi Concierge dinner class to examine the platters of traditional sushi I’d had specially prepared for them, then tell me what was missing. They noticed several things: no wasabi (more on that here) and no rolls (which I’ll get to in a future post). And then they…
Read MoreWhy There Are So Few Women Sushi Chefs
In Japan, sushi is a man’s world. Male chefs use all manner of excuses to defend their sushi bars against women who want to work there. Women can’t be sushi chefs, they say, because makeup, body lotion, and perfume destroy the flavor of the fish and rice. Some male chefs claim that the area behind…
Read More“Normal” Sushi vs. “Authentic” Sushi
A reader of The Story of Sushi wrote in to ask whether I could recommend a place to eat sushi in Chicago. After reading my book, this person had started to wonder whether their local sushi joint was up to snuff. I receive these sorts of comments a lot. After reading the book people realize…
Read MoreNew York Times Features My Article on American Sushi Chefs
Illustration by Craig Phillips for The Atlantic. A nice surprise reading the Times with breakfast this morning and discovering that the Week in Review section featured an excerpt from my article in the June issue of the Atlantic on how American sushi chefs are helping to bring the cuisine back to its Japanese roots.
Read MoreWhat If Your Sushi Chef Isn’t Japanese, or Even Asian?
Photo: Danish sushi chef Fie Kruse, who is depicted in Trevor Corson’s book The Story of Sushi, prepares dinner for a customer. Photo by Trevor Corson. Say you walk into a sushi bar in America hungry for an authentic Japanese meal and you’re faced with a choice. There’s an empty seat in front of a chef…
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