Cover story:
Surprise! Endangered bluefin tuna is not a traditional Japanese sushi ingredient:
“Trevor Corson is an East Asia scholar turned popular nonfiction writer and author of the 2007 book The Story of Sushi, and for select groups he will act as a "sushi concierge," hosting dinners often at the Jewel Bako Japanese restaurant in Manhattan's East Village, one of which I attended this past winter. A Corson-guided meal aims to reveal the historical truth of tuna and to represent the very different fish that were the staples of sushi in earlier times. Plate by plate I watched as Corson walked a group of Manhattan professionals through a traditional Edo-period meal of snappers, jacks and other white-fleshed, smaller fish that most definitely did not include ‘red’ tuna. ...” Link
June, 2010
Eating fish instead of meat doesn’t necessarily solve any problems:
“Trevor Corson, author of best-selling books The Story of Sushi and The Secret Life of Lobsters, argues that the production of meat and poultry is fraught with environmental, economic and health problems, but so is most fish farming. ‘Wild populations of fish are being wiped out,’ he writes, ‘some scientific studies estimate that we’ll remove the last fish from the sea within 50 years.’” Link
June 20, 2010
Lobster porn? Nasty!:
“Lunch is winding down at Pearl Oyster Bar, and Trevor Corson, the Brooklyn-based author of the definitive pop-lobster book, The Secret Life of Lobsters, sets a MacBook on our table and cues up a video. Corson, 40, worked as a sternman on a Maine lobster boat for two years. Today, he has come to the West Village to talk lobsters and play me an unusual sex tape, featuring rare footage captured by a German documentary team. …
“Owner Rebecca Charles comes out of the kitchen in chef’s whites, and Corson nods at his laptop: ‘Lobster porn. Want to see it?’
“‘Lobster porn?’ Charles says, as she settles in for a viewing. ‘Nasty.’
“‘If it weren’t for all these lobsters having all this sex,’ Corson says, in a game attempt to justify our gratuitous viewing, ‘we wouldn’t be having all these lobster rolls in New York.’” Link
June 18, 2010
Lobster shift! A celebration of maritime culture:
“The waterfront has long been a source of inspiration for Brooklyn writers, and this festival will feature eight authors who’ve written about topics ranging from lobsters—Trevor Corson, The Secret Life of Lobsters—to tugboats.” Link
May 11, 2010
Me and sushi go way back:
“During a trip to Tokyo and Kyoto a few months ago, I got to eat sushi and sashimi to my heart’s content. I had just finished up Trevor Corson’s The Story of Sushi when I was invited to lunch at Gohan.” Link
April 20, 2010
Trevor Corson lets you see that sushi roll:
“If it were up to Trevor Corson, bluefin tuna would be a hotter topic than the KFC Double Down. The sushi educator and author is on a mission to revamp American sushi palates, banishing overharvested, endangered fish in favor of sustainable, often local alternatives. ...” Link
April 13, 2010
Food writers discuss the history of the world:
“How did a country that thrives on cheeseburgers and mashed potatoes become so obsessed with eating raw fish and rice? Trevor Corson, in The Story of Sushi, follows students at the California Sushi Academy while also providing a history of the Japanese staple, its unlikely rise to stardom in the U.S. over the last decade and the biology of the scaley, slippery suckers themselves.” Link
April 6, 2010
Top Ten books includes The Secret Life of Lobsters:
“I’ve been reading a book every week, and with a lot of effort, I’ve picked my favorites to recommend: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, Numbers in the Dark by Italo Calvino, How to Travel with a Salmon by Umberto Eco, Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke, The Secret Life of Lobsters by Trevor Corson, Chimera by John Barth, Annapurna by Maurice Herzog, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, and The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan.” Link
March 25, 2010
“How to be a NYC Insider”—tips for eating better at sushi joints:
“You’re likely to get the highest-grade fish if you request it unadulterated, in the form of simple sushi or sashimi. Many sushi restaurants mask less-than-fresh stock by putting it in overpriced ‘special’ rolls. ‘I’ve witnessed the tricks some places use to unload lower-quality or older fish at fancy prices,’ explains Trevor Corson, author of The Story of Sushi. ‘That generally happens via all those rolls filled with chili pepper, wasabi and mayonnaise, and of course anything that’s deep-fried.’ If you want more details on ordering like an expert, Corson hosts a weekly sushi class at Jewel Bako.” Link
March 10, 2010
Surprising sushi facts:
“Trevor Corson is best known for his fascinating bestseller, The Secret Life of Lobsters; he also authored another great book called The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice, a must-read for anyone who loves sushi. Along with curious cocktail party trivia, the book is filled with interesting tidbits about sushi, ranging from proper etiquette to preparation to its origin. The book also delves into America’s love affair with sushi as a healthful option—it’s not.” Link
February 25, 2010
The Sushi Concierge hosts dinner events in Washington:
“Trevor Corson began to jokingly refer to himself as a "sushi concierge," but the moniker stuck even as it led to serious work. Today, he hosts sushi-themed banquets, events and a regular dinner class in New York City. He'll bring that experience to a five-course dinner at Washington's Zentan, as well as Wednesday night classes at the restaurant throughout the spring.” Link
January/February 2010
Conversation with a Sushi Concierge:
“Trevor Corson gives Plate the skinny on all things sushi. What’s the biggest sushi faux pas?” Link
January 22, 2010
Lobster romance coming to the aquarium:
“Trevor Corson, author, former commercial fisherman, lobster comedy guy, sometimes Iron Chef America judge, and, apparently, America's only Sushi Concierge, will be performing—well, giving a talk—at the Aquarium of the Pacific next Wednesday.” Link
January 15, 2010
Sushi-loving Japan fears ban on bluefin tuna:
“A ban would also likely raise prices for bluefin in the U.S. But the biggest impact would be consumer awareness: People would be prompted to avoid ordering bluefin, said Trevor Corson, the New York-based author of The Story of Sushi. ‘If (Atlantic) bluefin tuna becomes an endangered species, that’s big news. That will wake a lot of people up,’ Corson said.” Link
November 30, 2009
Eating sushi with a concierge:
“Think you're a big man for saturating your soy sauce with wasabi? Wrong. Still believe tuna belly is the best piece of fish on the menu? Think again. As America's only Sushi Concierge, Trevor Corson can set you straight. His weekly classes on sushi etiquette, history, and mastery will ensure that you don't embarrass yourself at your next omakase. Plus, you'll discover that eating sushi doesn't have to mean devouring endangered species. Kampai to that..” Link
November 16, 2009
What college football and lobster combat have in common:
“The book The Secret Life of Lobsters has more sex and violence in it that most episodes of True Blood, and has the added benefit of being slightly less embarrassing to trot out in conversation. ... The researchers profiled in the book observe what happens in their lab when they arrive one morning to find their biggest lobster gone, and the remaining smaller lobsters suddenly strutting around the tank like prize peacocks. The videotape from the night before told the tale: it showed the biggest lobster molting, and then waiting helplessly at the end of the tank while the smaller, bullied lobsters crept along the bottom with murder on their mind. If you haven't watched the fourth quarter of the Stanford/USC game, you're missing some quality lobster vengeance. USC, wracked with injuries on defense, inexperience on offense, and an ungelled offensive coaching staff, lay crippled at the end of the tank, and lobster Harbaugh was all too happy to take advantage.” Link
November 4, 2009
Lessons in sushi etiquette:
“Using chopsticks to eat sushi? Wrong, wrong, wrong, says Trevor Corson, the author of The Story of Sushi. Mr. Corson, who calls himself a sushi concierge, is holding classes at Jewel Bako in the East Village to show Americans how to navigate the sushi bar as Japanese connoisseurs do.” Link
November 2, 2009
Alternatives to bluefin tuna:
‘Sushi Concierge Trevor Corson teaches Americans about sushi ingredients and proper etiquette, and suggests alternatives to endangered bluefin tuna among the more traditional sushi fish and shellfish.’ Link
October 29, 2009
Women sushi chefs on the rise:
“‘There have been a few female sushi chefs who are starting to get noticed,’ said Trevor Corson, sushi concierge and author of The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice. One of the main characters in his book is a woman of Irish-Italian background. That wouldn’t fly in Japan. Male sushi chefs there say women don’t have the reflexes to slice and dice raw fish; female hands are warmer and wipe away the fish’s freshness, just as perfume and lotion disrupt the flavors, they say.” Link
October 23, 2009
L.L. Bean heiress declares war on Canada’s “impostor lobsters”:
Linda Bean told The Boston Globe: “We want to engender in people's minds a sense of trust about the product that our fish is authentic from Maine, handled professionally and safely, wild caught and sustainable.” “Bestselling author of The Secret Life of Lobsters Trevor Corson, himself a former lobster fisherman, says she is on to something. ‘The big challenge for the seafood industry in achieving sustainability is figuring out how to brand and source seafood. The main issue for consumers is: How do you know where your fish came from? In that sense, her idea is quite visionary.’” Link
October 15, 2009
Interview with the Sushi Concierge:
“There are definitive sushi experts out there and Trevor Corson is at the top of that esteemed list. Corson is the author of a Zagat best-food-book-of-the-year pick The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice, an occasional judge on Iron Chef America, and the only ‘Sushi Concierge’ in the U.S. We caught up with Corson recently and he was kind enough to share his insights on the state of sushi in America and the little differences that can help you win over a sushi chef.” Link
October, 2009
The Sushi Concierge:
“My date tonight, Trevor Corson, arrives early at Washington, D.C.’s Sushiko to have a little talk with the chef. There will be a few rules for our dinner. Specifically, no eel. No salmon. And definitely no tuna. The chef is puzzled. Those are the Big Three. Tuna, salmon and eel are the most popular items at every sushi bar. But then, Corson isn’t your average diner. He’s a sushi concierge, a personal valet for aficionados who want an authentic sushi experience, and I’ve asked him to help me navigate the waters of what’s known as sustainable sushi.” Link
September 23, 2009
Lobster love:
“Love does play a factor in why the female lobster loses its shell. Just ask Trevor Corson, aka 'The Lobster Sex Guy.' The New York-based author of The Secret Life of Lobsters tells funny stories about lobsters to teach marine science and conservation without the usual doom and gloom. 'In lobster mating, the male always keeps his clothes on, while the female always gets completely undressed,' Corson said.” Link
July 17, 2009
MRI scans of sushi:
“Seen above and below are MRI scans of sushi. Uhei Naruse scanned the rolls at a hospital in a personal research project to tease out the secret of good sushi. Trevor Corson, author of The Story of Sushi, has the details of this experiment on his Sushi Concierge blog.” Link
July 2, 2009
The mystery of cheap lobster:
Trevor Corson, author of The Secret Life of Lobsters, explains how the economic meltdown in Iceland has affected lobstermen in Maine, and in turn, the market price of your lobster. Link
June 22, 2009
Mr. Omakase:
“It's conventional wisdom that you should never eat sushi on Mondays. But that's the thing about conventional wisdom: It's not always right. Some of the most delicious raw fish in the city is available every Monday at the East Village sushi den Jewel Bako. There, the group dinner classes taught by ‘sushi concierge’ Trevor Corson will make sure your fish—and sushi knowledge—is as fresh as it gets.” Read more ...
June 21, 2009
American sushi chefs:
“Week in Review Reading File: Trevor Corson, writing in The Atlantic, about how some American chefs are returning to sushi’s roots: ‘During the pleasant years I spent in Japan, friends would take me to neighborhood sushi joints. Most of the customers would sit around the counter, while the chef, a convivial character who knew many of his patrons, would suggest dishes based on the seasonal and local delicacies he had purchased that morning.’” Read more ...
May 19, 2009
American sushi chefs are making traditional sushi:
“Trevor Corson, who also wrote The Story of Sushi, recounts that when he came back to the US after living in Japan, he was perturbed to find that, even when he sat at the sushi counter, Japanese sushi chefs in America didn't really chat with their customers about what was available and seasonal, which he says is an integral part of the authentic sushi experience in Japan. Not only that, but the fish served was totally unsustainable.’” Read more ...
April 21, 2009
The sad state of sushi:
“Perhaps diners should simply heed the advice of Trevor Corson, author of The Story of Sushi, and ‘refuse to sit at table or look at menu. [Sit] at the bar and ask the chef questions about everything—what he wants to make us and how we should eat it. … A trip to the neighborhood sushi bar should be a social exchange that celebrates, with a sense of balance and moderation, the wondrous variety of the sea.’” Read more ...
December 9, 2008
Luxury on sale—the lobster glut:
“Before I could cook my lobsters, I needed to end their watery lives as quickly and humanely as possible. In the past, I would always drop them into a pot of boiling water and clamp the lid on tight. Trevor Corson had another suggestion. ‘The best way to kill them, according to animal welfare agencies, is to put them in the freezer first for 15 minutes,’ he said. ‘It slows their metabolism.’ After that, Mr. Corson suggested, put the lobster on its back and slice lengthwise through its soft underbelly.” Read more ...
Fall 2008
The training of a sushi chef:
“‘The first two years or so are basically like a hazing process,’ says Trevor Corson, author of The Story of Sushi, a book detailing the history of the cuisine. ‘If you can make it past that, then you earn the right to cook rice but still have to do the menial tasks.’ An apprentice might spend as many as five years perfecting the technique of cleaning rice grains and using the right amount of sugar, salt and vinegar to season them. ... Experts such as Corson and the chefs themselves say that the longer route involves the fine-tuning of certain skills which can’t be acquired with a condensed path. ...”
October 23, 2008
A new guide to ocean-friendly fish helps you play conscientious selector at the sushi bar:
“There are ways to tweak your sushi habits that benefit the oceans. So says Trevor Corson, author of The Story of Sushi and contributor to Ocean Friendly Sushi, a new pamphlet designed to help diners make sea-friendly choices.’” Read more ...
October 9, 2008
New sushi guides address sustainability:
“Tips on ocean-friendly sushi are now available in pocket guides that are being published this month by three conservation groups. The sustainability guides are the first specifically for sushi, listing fish by their Japanese and English names. ‘The sushi industry as a whole is probably pretty far behind the curve,’ said Trevor Corson, the author of The Story of Sushi and a contributor to one of the guides, produced by the Blue Ocean Institute.” Read more ...
September 30, 2008
New on menus and pocket guides—sustainable sushi:
“While many diners are used to referencing the ‘Seafood Watch’ guide whenever they see ‘grilled Alaskan halibut’ or ‘roasted Chilean sea bass’ on a Western menu, those same diners have often left those eco-sensibilities at the doorstep when entering a Japanese restaurant. ‘Sushi menus feel more authentic if they feature only the Japanese word for a type of fish—a word that in most cases reveals nothing about what that fish actually is and where it comes from,’ Trevor Corson, author of The Story of Sushi, wrote in an e-mail. ‘Morsels of sushi also are tiny, artistic abstractions, far removed from their natural forms, which makes the origins of the seafood seem even more distant, so we think about it less.’ Cultural and language differences also play a role.” Read more ...
September 2008
Getting the most from you sushi meal:
“‘I sincerely believe that the most important aspect of the sushi-dining experience is a customer’s personal chemistry with a chef,’ Trevor Corson said, noting that rule No. 1 is to always sit at the sushi counter and project a desire to learn. ‘Over time, their sushi-eating experience will evolve as the customer and chef feel more comfortable with each other.’” Read more ...
August 20, 2008
The Japanese condiment that will make you give up soy sauce forever:
“Trevor Corson, as part of his new Sushi Concierge service, has put in a request for me at Sushi-Ko. He has arranged for [Chef] Terano to demonstrate the art and interplay of nikiri with traditional nigiri sushi. By the time I arrive at the restaurant, Terano has created not just his standard nikiri—one part mirin, two parts sake, and seven parts soy—but three specialty nikiri sauces as well.” Read more ...
July 6, 2008
She’s out of her shell over him—but is he really her lobster?
“After Nicola Kraus kissed David Wheir for the first time, her mother had a question for her: ‘Is he your lobster?’ The crustacean reference came from the television show ‘Friends.’ On one of the many episodes when Ross and Rachel got back together, Phoebe declared, ‘He’s her lobster.’ According to Phoebe, ‘It’s a known fact that lobsters fall in love and mate for life.’ ... Actually, male lobsters in particular are rather promiscuous. ‘Lobsters do have a monogamous bond, but it only lasts for two weeks,’ said Trevor Corson, the author of The Secret Life of Lobsters. ‘Essentially what happens is that the alpha male in the neighborhood mates successively with each of the females for two weeks each.’ Read more ...
May 2, 2008
Corson’s book as relevant as Fast Food Nation and Omnivore’s Dilemma:
“Since sushi has become so popular in America, [Trevor Corson’s book] The Zen of Fish [now titled The Story of Sushi] is now as relevant to the average American diner as other popular works of food-related journalism like Eric Schlosser’s Fast Food Nation or Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma.”
March 13, 2008
Kids going crazy for sushi:
“‘I don’t find it surprising kids gravitate to sushi,’ says Trevor Corson, ‘considering how sushi isn’t necessarily raw fish but sweet and sour rice, and often loaded with sugar, which is incredibly kid-friendly.” Read more ...
Feb. 27, 2008
The “Crustastun”:
“‘Killing a lobster yourself is one of the last reminders in our modern lives of the personal connection we all have to the animals we eat,’ says Trevor Corson, author of The Secret Life of Lobsters. ‘If we hand that moment over to the Crustastun, what we're really doing gets whitewashed.’ Corson prefers to use the old-fashioned, low-tech lobster-killing method: a sharp knife through the front of the lobster's thorax before boiling.” Read more ...
Nov. 21, 2007
Honor sushi before it’s all gone:
“[In his book The Story of Sushi,] Trevor Corson [makes] the point that ... America’s (and the world’s) sushi craze might very well be short-lived, a quick, gluttonous blip on the radar screen of hot culinary trends as increasing demand far outstrips global supply and meager international measures to protect the oceans do little to stop overfishing. ... Sushi should not nearly be so cheap nor so ubiquitous. Like beef, we should actually be eating far less of it, honor it when we do, treat it like the precious delicacy it is.” Read more ...
Nov. 2007
There’s no such thing as authentic sushi:
“Trevor Corson sees serendipity in the global economy in The Zen of Fish [now titled The Story of Sushi]. ... Chowhounders who fret about lost authenticity or lament the commercialization of cuisine should think again. There is no such thing as authentic sushi, and there never has been. There was no moment when sushi was purely traditional. And tuna and avocado rolls taste a heck of lot better than a cask of semi-rotten whitefish packed with rice.” Read more ...
Sep. 4, 2007
Female chefs are bringing something new to sushi:
“It's an unspoken but understood rule in Japanese culture: Sushi is a boys club. A tight-knit fraternity of sorts, centuries old. ... The problem is that the national work force's ability to meet the demand for all things sushi just isn't there, said Trevor Corson, author of The Zen of Fish [now titled The Story of Sushi]. ‘A lot of women are bringing something new to sushi,’ said Corson, whose book features female sushi chefs across the country. ‘They’re filling a void.’” Read more ...
August 7, 2007
Beware 30-foot tapeworms as sushi conquers planet:
“Culinary techniques and the rationale behind them form the major point of The Story of Sushi by Trevor Corson, including why farmed salmon needs pigment-laced feed to stay orange and why sushi chefs leave certain kinds of fish off the menu: ‘A museum in Tokyo dedicated to parasites houses a tapeworm that was extracted from a man who’d eaten a raw trout, a freshwater relative of salmon,’ Corson explains. ‘The worm in the museum is nearly 30 feet long.’ Corson, who has worked on commercial fishing boats off Maine, displays an almost encyclopedic knowledge of fish. Did you know that a tuna can cook its own flesh by struggling too hard against a fisherman's hook?” Read more ...
June 27, 2007
Why sushi is like cherry blossoms, and other musings:
“An almost mystical intensity suffuses Trevor Corson’s face as he takes a bite of madai (red sea bream) sushi. He closes his eyes to concentrate. Then he reaches for a curl of toro over vinegared rice. ‘It’s like the cherry blossoms falling,” he says, “so transient that you just want to capture that moment.’ ... Lithe and athletic-looking, Corson flirts with the waitress as she describes each dish.” Read more ...
June 6, 2007
Sushi is about placing your trust in the chef:
“When I accompanied Trevor Corson to four of Washington’s top sushi restaurants, the first lesson was in what defines sushi. ‘Sushi is not about the food per se, but the experience,’ he says. Especially if you ask for omakase, or the chef’s choice, ‘what makes sushi unique is the relationship with the chef. We are relinquishing control. We place our trust in him.’” Read more ...
May 30, 2007
Lose the chopsticks and skip the wasabi:
“Trevor Corson’s The Zen of Fish [now titled The Story of Sushi] will have you contemplating whether you’ve ever tasted real wasabi (the answer is probably no) and why you’d better learn to like squid. ... Lose the chopsticks: nigiri, vinegared rice topped with a slice of fish, should be eaten with your fingers. This is because the rice is meant to be packed so loosely that it falls apart in your mouth (and disintegrates on chopsticks). ‘Pick it up like a computer mouse, then turn it upside down and dip it into the soy sauce, fish side first,’ explains Corson. ‘And eat it in one bite.’ Forgo the murky sauce: ‘Adding wasabi to soy sauce is a disaster,’ laments Corson. ‘It reduces the spiciness dramatically and masks the taste of the fish.’” Read more ...
June 2, 2004
Skip the butter, and the bib:
“Mr. Corson, the author of The Secret Life of Lobsters, said that eating a whole lobster is a way of communing with nature. ‘You may have even killed it first,’ he said. ‘It’s an intimate experience.’ It's particularly intimate for Mr. Corson, who spent two years working on a lobster boat in Maine, handling dozens of lobsters every day. ‘After working on the boat, I thought I knew about lobsters,’ he said. ‘But then I started talking to the scientists who were studying them and learned some surprising stuff.’” Read more ...
Also check out television, video, and radio shows featuring Trevor Corson.
Press
For press kit, click here. For book-review blurbs about The Story of Sushi (previously titled The Zen of Fish) click here, and about The Secret Life of Lobsters click here.
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