The Zen of Fish
Reading all this manga and watching all this anime makes you hungry for some Japanese food, especially sushi. I’ve had my fill lately. And it’s great, but I wanted more. So I decided to read Trevor Corson’s book on the sushi, The Zen of Fish.
It is an accounting of the history of this delicious cuisine. It starts in medieval Japan and winds its way up to the present United States where we are crazy for it. The book describes the origins as a simple meal to preserve fish and ends with crazy American rolls.
It also tells the tale of apprentice sushi chefs being trained in the California Sushi Academy. They learn to fine art of sushi making. And in true American style, they become sushi masters in a week whereas in Japan it would’ve taken them a lifetime. The students are all interesting to meet, but I was in it for the fish.
For the most part, Corson weaves the history of sushi with episodes of the students learning, but he also adds in chapters devoted to the fish of sushi. There’s chapters on squid (ika) and octopus (tako), fresh water (unagi) and salt water eel (anego, mmmm), and of course tuna. The chicken of the sea if it’s white, but the most delectable if its otoro. These are the chapters that I found most fascinating. And I had to try each of these at least. So far in my sushi eating I’ve played it safe, but I need to eat more. This book does well for a guide on what is what.
Overall, it was a fined read, a good summertime, lazy sunday page turner. I took longer than expected to read, but all that manga gets in the way. I recommend it as it teaches lots about sushi culture in Japan and in America.
B-