wine tip

The sushi craze is bigger than ever in America right now
with new sushi joints popping up all over the place. Yes
sushi is quite “in.” Of course I realize this isn’t news to anyone
as at this point it might even be on the verge of “out.” But
irregardless of your opinion of sushi
it may not be around for too much longer. Or
at least
sushi as we know it.

You see
America’s growing interest (along with China’s and Russia’s) in the artful Japanese creation has led to a shortage of the most common ingredient used in sushi: bluefin tuna. Not only are bluefin tuna fisheries already being depleted by their original and most frequent consumer (Japan
of course) but global demand for the raw fish is adding quite the insult to injury.

What’s ironic about the situation is that the spreading of culinary traditions across the globe is usually seen as a form of flattery and an extension of cultural influence
but for Japan and its economy
the global sushi “trend” has been nothing short of a detriment. The NYTimes article that reports on Japan’s crisis analogizes that tuna in Japan is as important as steak in America.

Imagine America without steak! Even if you don’t like red meat
there is no doubt that steak is a sun around which the American economy’s planets revolve (but of course
we have multiple “suns.”) I mean really
what would America do? Well
actually
chef Gordon Ramsay has recommended horse meat as a healthier and better tasting steak substitute. America is fortunate enough to not have to resort to any backups (yet)
but even if that weren’t the case
Japan may beat us in the horse races (pun entirely intended).

Yes
you guessed it! Horse meat is Japan’s backup plan!

To keep the sushi economy alive
some Japanese chefs have decided to use raw horse meat or deer to make their sushi. Forgive me if I’m wrong
but the thought of this in America would likely turn stomachs away from sushi for good (and maybe that is their intention!) But in Japan
both raw horse meat and deer are considered delicacies for natives. They just haven’t been placed inside a jacket of seaweed and rice before (not that maki is the only way to enjoy sushi.)

So
a thought on globalization
if you’re still reading:

Do we want to continue spreading our culinary traditions? Often food
no matter where you come from
is based on local resources
which means that sharing the traditions with the rest of the world seems to mean sharing the resources too. At some point
you’d think
a country would have to be selfish
because people in other parts of the world may not appreciate or need a food the way that country does. In fact
one person’s food adventure is another person’s staple
so where does the boundary lie?

I’m not naive as I realize that my comments and thoughts are entirely based on my being American. I know I come from the melting pot world where I’m fortunate enough to have food influences from all around the world readily available to me. And further
I know that this isn’t the case in the rest of the world.

Run for the hills horses! You’re next!