November 18, 2008

• Deadly Sushi & High Heeled Goats

  

  We went to Blowfish Sushi To Die For for dinner tonight and had a decent (if overpriced) meal.  The name of the restaurant is a take on Fugu, a  type of pufferfish that, if not prepared properly, will kill you instantly.  From Wikipedia:

  Pufferfish contains lethal amounts of the poison tetrodotoxin in the internal organs, especially the liver and gonads, and also the skin. Therefore, only specially licensed chefs are allowed to prepare and sell fugu to the public, and the consumption of the liver and ovaries is forbidden. However, a number of people die every year from consuming improperly prepared fugu. The poison, a sodium channel blocker, paralyzes the muscles while the victim stays fully conscious, and eventually dies from asphyxiation. There is currently no antidote, and the standard medical approach is to try to support the respiratory and circulatory system until the effect of the poison wears off. Non-lethal quantities of the poison remain in the flesh of the fish and give a special desired tingling sensation on the tongue.

  I’ve never been a huge fan of this place.  It’s overpriced and too loud, but it’s where a couple of friends were meeting, so I went since it’s so close to my house.  Coincidentally I’ve been reading this book on the history of sushi called The Sushi Economy by Sasha Issenberg.  He’s a bit of a sushi snob, but the book is fascinating as it traces the provenance of different types of sushi and how they affect the global economy, especially in light of the popularity explosion of sushi in in the West in the past 20 years.  It educates consumers on the effects of overfishing and the individual bacteriology of different types of sushi.  I just finished reading about how tuna fish are really too smart to be farm raised.  Who knew that tuna was so smart? 

  Another thing I learned from the book is just how endangered Tuna are.  In fact:

  

  A study released last year found that all seafood populations face collapse by 2048 (Science), meaning “clambakes, crabcakes, swordfish steaks and even humble fish sticks could be little more than a fond memory” (WashPost).  Read more…

  So I may not be having any big sushi parties any more at my house, like this one.  Daniel and Beate were our sushi chefs extraordinaire, and amazingly, they created this entire feast for 21 people, in my tiny little kitchen.  I hope we can do it again before too long you guys!!!  Love ya’ all

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Can you believe they made enough sushi to feed this motley crew?  And that my house held this many people!!??

  I find these cultural shifts in tastes and trends fascinating.  Last year there was an excellent series of reports in the Chicago Tribune called “China’s Great Grab” about how China’s exploding appetite for natural resources is reshaping the the world.  In one feature, “Your Cheap Sweaters Real Cost“, we learn that America’s desire for cashmere has increased exponentially in the past 10 years.  The effect of this cashmere demand has produced dust storms that travel to the United States.  In fact some estimates say that up to 60% of the dust in Los Angeles originated in China from high heeled goats with “stiletto like” hooves, trampling the land:

  The country’s enormous herds of cashmere-producing goats have slashed the price of sweaters. But they also have helped graze Chinese grasslands down to a moonscape, unleashing some of the worst dust storms on record. This in turn fuels a plume of pollution heavy enough to reach the skies over North America.  

  

  • 2:41 am
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