Archive for the ‘General Information’ Category

And we have a new winner! As is usual, on the first auction for the new year at the Tsukiji fish market, a new record was set for the most expensive tuna sold. Selling for $736,000 (56.49 million Yen), the 593 pound (269 kilogram) bluefin tuna came out around $1,238 per pound. That price likely does not reflect real market prices, which are still quite high, but more the celebratory feeling that permeates the Tsukiji fish market on the first auction day of the year.

Every year, a new record seems to be set for the bluefin tuna, which should come as no surprise as these fish are becoming more and more scarce every year. While the fish has already been prepared and sold as nigiri sushi and sashimi for under cost (no doubt as 1 piece would normally have have retailed for $96 per, if you do the math on the size of the fish), there will be more to come. But doubtfully not at the same incredible price.

Atlantic and Pacific Bluefin tuna are primarily eaten in japan (which purchases about 80% of the global catch of these species). They face growing calls to reduce their catches due to the incredible decline in the number of bluefin tuna in the oceans over the past 25 years. Probably every year for a few more I will be able to make a post like this, but there will come a time, when the fish are commercially extinct, when I won’t. And that will be a sad day.

Just eating fish is not enough, apparently. Studies show that the omega 3 benefit from different fish is not the same, and some fish high in omega 3 fatty acids aren’t as beneficial as other fish high in omega 3s. So if you are looking for your daily DHA boost, some fish offer higher quality bio availability omega 3 fatty acids than others. From the Omega 3 FAQ, here is a post that describes the source of omega 3 fatty acids.

Due to the load of spam that was insurmountable, I had to take down the sushi-ya-pedia. But the good news is that I’m working on a much, much better version now. It will allow anyone to search for sushi restaurants anywhere in the world (in theory) and comment, rate, and generally discuss how they feel after visiting one. Maps, directions, reviews, everything you might get in a million places, yes, but since it will be attended by sushi aficionados (why else would you visit sushifaq.com) you know the information will be spot on. Stay tuned, it’s a lot of work, but it will be worth it!

Well, we’ve launched the new design for The Sushi FAQ. While it’s not 100% complete, we’re trying to make it more reader friendly and we’re adding more and more content now as time goes on. So everybody please come and visit, and drop us a line to tell us what you think!

The Sushi FAQ

We’ve spent the better part of the last few weeks re-designing the entire sushifaq.com website and we launched the almost complete version last night. We’d love to hear what people think. In addition to making it more navigation friendly we are trying to add new features as well, and hopefully you will also see the launch of our new sushi-ya-pedia, the online sushi restaurant locator with reviews.

So please be patient with us as we continue to fix any bugs and tweak pages, and keep watching for new features as we launch them.

Cheers!

Warren
wembaster

http://www.sushifaq.com

Sustainable Seafood

A few days ago McDonald’s announced that, under an agreement with the Marine Stewardship Council, they would be serving sustainable seafood in their fish sandwiches in Europe soon. While I have never been a fan of processed food and corporations who value profits over people, this is certainly a step in the right direction. Europeans are, by nature, much more concerned than Americans about food sustainability and other environmental issues, hence the pilot program for sustainable seafood beginning there. It would be nice if the idea caught on and spread globally to all restaurants, including sushi restaurants, as with some pelagic species being fished to near extinction, following a program of sustainable seafood may be the only way to keep sushi and other seafood dishes on our plates.

Interestingly, Wal-Mart also has a plan to require all if it’s seafood suppliers to their stores, as well as their Sam’s Club stores, to obtain certification from the MSC for their products, and Costco, Korger, and Supervalu are also jumping on the bandwagon. While this is a pleasant step in the right direction for sustainable seafood, many organizations take issue with the MSC and their certification practices, as they still allow certain types of seafood harvesting including trawling of the seafloor, which is very destructive, and there are some venues that refuse to work with them due to their allowing certain practices to remain in place, which can destroy the seabeds, even if catches are limited and monitored.

Ultimately, while this seems like a good idea for corporate interests, and possibly for the longevity of the many pelagic species, this is just a blip in the radar in the drive for sustainable seafood. It’s great marketing for the aforementioned corporations, though. If we want to save our most revered seafood species, the onus is truly on the consumer as our seafood choices are more important than we realize. If we continue to eat threatened species, they will be with us no longer, so the only way change will ever happen is is we vote with our wallets and refuse to eat the fish that are considered endangered.

Sustainable seafood is not an impossible dream, and organizations such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium are working to educate consumers as to which seafood choices are the best to make when fish is on the menu. Wild caught, fish farming, and conservation are among the many topics that must be continually reviewed to determine the sustainability of the seafood market, and if future generations want to enjoy sushi, a sea change is needed in the way we view our ocean herds. Make a difference yourself when you go out for sushi and educate yourself to ensure that you are part of the sustainable seafood solution, rather than part of the problem.

I have recently set up a wiki that I have entitled the “Sushi-ya-pedia” that I would like to turn into a community powered sushi bar finder and restaurant review resource. In my opinion, there is no better reviewer than diners ourselves, so I’m working hard to get every restaurant in the US (and eventually the world) into the database, but I encourage anyone who may be interested in participating to head on over and check it out. Feel free to create an account and make your voice heard. If you don’t know how to create a wiki page, you are always welcome to email me and I would be happy to update your favorite restaurant with your description and review. For starters, you please visit:

http://www.sushifaq.com/sushiyapedia/
http://www.sushifaq.com/sushiyapedia/index.php/Formatting
http://www.sushifaq.com/sushiyapedia/index.php/Help:Contents

Please join and help make the Sushi-Ya-Pedia the most useful place for sushi lovers on the ‘net to find their food!

Meshi agare!
Warren

Every once in a while I read something about the restaurant business that makes me so incredibly happy that I am a regular at a few sushi places and trust them implicitly. I walk in, they know I am a regular and I am treated as such. There is a reason that I am a regular too, I trust their practices and I love their food. And most especially, they are nothing like Sushi World.

I don’t think it takes a brain surgeon to realize that making sushi in a place used for pigeons and cats is not a good idea. Especially when your customers are starting to suffer from food poisoning. I can only wonder why it took the Australian authorities so long to shut them down. Places like this are certainly not limited to Australia, and I have heard my share of horror stories about places in North America, but I’ve always associated Australia with fresh seafood (perhaps a stereotype, but at least a good one). I’ll have to get myself over there to test the waters, so to speak. And maintain my status as a ‘regular’ at my local places, so when I’m in the kitchen talking to the chefs, I can be sure that there are no critters present, be they furry or flying.

This article has been moved to the How to Eat Sushi page on The Sushi FAQ. Please follow the aforementioned link to an expanded version of this article.

I pretty much always go to a pure sushi-ya when I’m going out to eat sushi. If sushi is their core competency, then I know I’m probably in for a good meal. There are, however, Japanese steakhouses (the places with all the fancy foodwork at the table) that also have a sushi bar somewhere on premises. And I can’t say that I’m a big fan of the concept.

The one benefit of a sushi bar in a steakhouse is that, often enough, its not particularly busy and you may get an attentive itamae (chef). And sometimes the food is good. There was one in particular near where I lived a few years ago that was actually quite good. It wasn’t my number one choice, but I always knew I could get in and sit at the bar if my usual places were too full. The itamae was nice and the sushi was good. But I think I was lucky. I don’t mean to disparage the sushi bars at steakhouses, but in my overall experience, they have been sub par. Again, it’s not something they focus on and they may not do the volume of business necessary to keep their items in peak condition. They may not have a particularly diverse selection of items. No specials, no seasonal items. They also may not be able to hire a top itamae.

For high quality sushi I look for a restaurant that specializes in sushi. I don’t want my experience to feel tacked on to another one. That said, you might get lucky at a steakhouse (I have), but you also may not (and I have not). Sushi is something special, even if you eat it frequently, and deserves to be treated as an art, not just a meal. It is best appreciated, instead of being “also available,” lowering itself to merely a fad. I want my sushi to be more than adequate. I’m not convinced that the steakhouse sushi can be that. But if I’m not looking for sushi, I’ll definitely go to one for dinner and a show.

Warren
The Sushi Guy