Drop Those Chopsticks! Sushi Is Finger Food, He Says

Drop Those Chopsticks! Sushi Is Finger Food, He Says The New York Times Dining Section has run a little feature with photo today about my “Sushi Concierge” dinner class series at Jewel Bako restaurant in Manhattan’s East Village. I’m pleased, of course, though I wish the blurb had mentioned a bit more about all the…

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L.L. Bean heiress declares war on Canada’s “impostor lobsters”

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. From the Globe & Mail article: Bestselling author of The Secret Life of…

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Smarter Sushi = More Authentic Sushi

Big things are happening this summer for a big fish. If conservationists get their way, the Atlantic bluefin tuna, a majestic swimmer that’s long been overharvested for the sushi trade, may soon receive protection as an endangered species. Many sushi lovers are understandably upset, because they don’t want to give up their favorite meal. But…

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Good Reasons to Skip the Hamachi

According to some insider info I received recently from a Japanese fish distributor, we can expect the price of hamachi—farmed yellowtail, a sushi favorite—to rise in the near future. The cause: a massive epidemic of red tide that is ravaging Japanese hamachi farms. Details on the red tide epidemic below. (Red tide is scary stuff—a…

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Why Pickled Ginger Is Like Ice Cream

That mound of pinkish pickled ginger on the plate next to your sushi isn’t an appetizer, nor is it a garnish to be added to the sushi. Believe it or not, it’s more like a serving of ice cream. But it’s not dessert, either. It has a much more specific purpose. In the traditional style…

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How to Kill a Lobster Humanely

In my previous post I walk you through the step-by-step instructions for killing a lobster humanely (with pictures); I’ve also posted an essay on the same topic today on The Atlantic, in which I talk more about the context of the issue.

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How to Cook a Lobster Humanely

Debate is raging over in Europe (and in the pages of New Scientist magazine) about whether crustaceans should have legal rights, like cows and pigs. The animal-rights crowd frets that these underwater bugs might feel pain when we boil them alive. Here is my tried-and-true solution to this question: As the author of the definitive…

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What Do You Mean, No Tuna?

Last night I asked the attendees of my Sushi Concierge dinner class to examine the platters of traditional sushi I’d had specially prepared for them, then tell me what was missing. They noticed several things: no wasabi (more on that here) and no rolls (which I’ll get to in a future post). And then they…

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