"sashimi" news and stories

If ever you found yourself craving, eating, and worshiping sushi as if in some strange cult-like manor, you might not be far off.

Many may know about Reverend Sun Myung Moon, the self-proclaimed Messiah who claimed he was destined to be the savior of humanity. Reverend Moon founded the controversial Unification Church, popularly known as a religious group called the "Moonies." Don't recall? Then remember his large-scale mass weddings in Madison Square Garden and other locations in Asia? That was the Moonies. Many have called it a cult.

Well, those who have alleged that Reverend Moon and his "Moonies" are a cult have been indirectly supporting the movement if Moon and his followers every time they indulge in sushi. That's right. Reverend Moon, unbeknownst most people, has created an empire of seafood, integrating themselves into almost every facet of the seafood industry from fishing to putting those two pieces of fatty, buttery, melt-in-you-mouth toro on you plate.

The True World Group comprises fleets of boats, operates distribution centers and supplies fish and seafood to most of the 9,000 sushi restaurants around the US. The True World Group is controlled by a non-profit company called Unification Church International Inc., or UCI.

The Chicago Tribune did a full investigative story, even going so far as to listing restaurants in the Chicago area that are supplied by True World.

The question is, does this bother people enough to change their sushi eating habits? Does it even matter?

[photo: The Delicious Life]

We've been making our tour around the sushi bar these days, covering different kinds of fish. Though most of us adore the silky smooth raw fish, let's not forget that the word "sushi" actually refers to the sweet, vinegared rice. It's not about the fish (that's technically, but I too, would cry a Pacific Ocean if I had to eat sushi without the fish).

Since it's not just about the fish, that means there are some vegetarian-ish options available at the sushi bar. I learned all about these, as well as the "cooked" fish in sushi during my sister's pregnancy. One of the most common non-fish options is tamago, which is a sweetened egg omelet. The omelet is cut into the same shape and size as sushi fish, and placed on the rice.

We've already talked about cucumber rolls, kappa maki, in a previous post. However, the use of vegetables in rolls doesn't stop there. A sushi chef can basically make a roll with any one or combination of vegetables, though it seems the big three are asparagus, cucumber, avocado. However, I have also seen more interesting vegetables. Kanpyo is dried gourd, shiso are the leaves that look like large mint leaves (often used for garnish as well), and ume, a Japanese plum that is sometimes pickled or salted.

A study done by the Sea Turtle Restoration Project looked at tuna samples from 6 of the most popular sushi restaurants in Los Angeles and found average mercury levels of 0.721 parts per million. The group is claiming that these mercury levels are dangerously high and describing the risk of eating it as a “new Russian roulette.”

However, other sources, like the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom, say that the group’s study is deeply flawed. For example, the FDA’s maximum allowable level of mercury in tuna is 1 part per million, a level that is above the average found in the study.

Not only was most of the tuna below the federal mercury standard, but the standard is based on a number that is 10 times less than the amount that is associated with health risks. Mercury does, however, remain in the body and builds up over time. While the risk of eating a piece of sashimi may not be as high as the Sea Turtle Restoration Project claims, it is still fact that consuming a lot of tuna can increase your risk for mercury related health problems, which can include memory loss and damage to the nervous system. Other concerns about the study stem from the possible ulterior motives of the Sea Turtle group. Because it is not a consumer health group but an environmentalist organization, they may be hoping to stop certain areas from being fished rather than actually looking out for the safety of sushi eaters.

Source

We've been making our way around the sushi bar here at slashfood, and preparation for Valentine's Day simply begs for a study in bivalves - clams, scallops, and those ever-so-aphrodisiac-al oysters.

"Gai" is a general Japanese term that refer to most of the clams. I very rarely see the kind of smaller clams that we put into chowders or batter and fry on a sushi menu. However, mirugai and hokkigai are regular offerings. Oysters are called "kaki."

Tired of tuna yet? I'm not. I could eat maguro and toro every day for a month. Okay, then I might need a little break because that's a lot of raw tuna, but I'd get back right on it, especially if you throw seared ahi into the mix and...shiro maguro.

"Shiro" translates into "white" in English. It's also called bincho maguro, but let's just focus on one thing at a time here. Shiro maguro is tuna, just like those ruby red tunas you see in the case, but the flesh is much much lighter, ranging from a pale peach to almost ivory white, thus the name "shiro."

Shiro maguro is one of my sister's favorite fish for sushi and she and I both get a little crazy when we see it on the menu or in the glass case. In sushi bars, it is often served as a specialty. Sometimes it is seared (like ahi), placed in its own special little dish, garnished with own special little sauce, and garnished with its own special chives. Now here's the thing. Shiro maguro is...albacore tuna. That's albacore tuna, as in the same stuff that Starkist slings in pull top cans at the supermarket!

An order of shiro maguro is $8. Eight dollars of albacore tuna could make tuna salad sandwiches for Mrs. Stanton's entire third grade class. For a week.

Eh. But you can't dip a tuna salad sandwich in soy sauce.