"Sushi Police" comes to America (LA)

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/400998

just don't know what to think of this... i personally hate eating sushi @ korean operated / owned restaurants much like i hate eating kalbi @ Chicago kalbi but...

discuss amongst yourselves?

I don't see the big deal. If you take it at face value, I think it serves a purpose from an educational standpoint. And in the end, it's up to the diner whether or not to base a value judgement on the certification, not up to the Japanese government.

I think it's funny!

The implication is that Japanese cuisine is static and unchanging, which isn't terribly fair to Japanese chefs. While I'd agree that I find the word "authentic" in a restaurant annoying anytime, policing the use of that word seems a little silly.

It was interesting that the article compared this effort to French cuisine - so far as I know, this doesn't involve coming to the US and ordering the removal of French Fries and French Toast from "authentic" french restaurants. Isn't the authentication process to do with specific ingredients or artensional processes? (eg. champagne and baguettes) On another note, have you ever seen the original Iron Chefs cook French? Physicians, heal thyselves.

It's also worth noting that the Italians do the same with with Neapolitan pizza... at least I think that's the Italian government. I know Spacca Napoli sports a couple of "certifications".

See Jonathan Gold's newest column in LAWeekly for more hilarity in the same key.

http://www.laweekly.com/eat+drink/count ... ior/16025/

If you've ever been to L.A. sushi establishments like Nozawa, Hiko, etc., you know that whatever "sushi police" force is coming from Japan will pale in comparison to the one that is already in place.



E.M.

I like sushi/sashimi, but I do not claim to know what counts as authentic...however, few nights ago, at Ninefish, I was served quite excellent sashimi, but only one dish came with (what I thought was) the traditional wasabi and ginger. After that opening salvo, we had white tuna in truffle oil, some jack in a watercress sauce, and toro with a dab of kiwi. The sushi man told us this was "European style," which was a new one on me. Whatever, we liked.

David Hammond wrote:The sushi man told us this was "European style," which was a new one on me. Whatever, we liked.

Did that cause you to eat the sushi with fork & spoon?

stevez wrote:

David Hammond wrote:The sushi man told us this was "European style," which was a new one on me. Whatever, we liked.

Did that cause you to eat the sushi with fork & spoon?

No, but I'll tell you, eating the fish with truffle oil was a slippery challenge, and I had to commit the sashimi faux pas of harpooning the bastard with a chopstick. I don't think the chef noticed.

TonyC wrote:just don't know what to think of this... i personally hate eating sushi @ korean operated / owned restaurants much like i hate eating kalbi @ Chicago kalbi but...

Educate the gringo what's the problem here - I mean, I understand the Japan vs Korea history, but what's food got to do with it?

Or am I oversimplifying a major sore spot?