Japan to certify cuisine but no 'sushi police'
This is the main point of the story:

"Our objective is to promote Japanese food, not eliminate Japanese restaurants."

The campaign when first announced was mocked by some Western media as a futile effort at a time when Japanese food is growing in popularity across the world.

To qualify for certification, applicants are required to use Japanese rice and seasoning along with traditional ingredients. Restaurants must also show knowledge of Japanese recipes and proper hygiene.

[...]

Japanese officials and tourists have voiced growing alarm at what they see as vile imitations of their cuisine overseas, fearing that Japanese food will go the way of Chinese cuisine in North America and Europe.


Fine, whatever (ps did I ever tell you about that documentary I wanted to see about Chinese restaurants outside China? I still haven't seen it.). People who care will look for the symbol, and people who don't won't be affected.

Here are the two points I am going to comment on, with my comments:

1. The ubiquitous California roll is a case in point. The vegetarian sushi dish, which replaces sushi with avocado or cucumbers and may include cream cheese, is unrecognisable to most Japanese.
My comment is: Most california rolls I have seen seem to include crab or imitation crab or something in addition to the avocado/cuke and so are not vegetarian. Too bad. Or am I wrong?


2. "It's important to share the heart that goes into authentic Japanese food with chefs around the world, but we can't force them," said Yukio Hattori, a board member of the certification body and president of Hattori Nutrition College.
My comment is: Dude! That's the guy from Iron Chef! The expert commentator and sometimes challenger who must douse announcer Kenji Fukui's excited flames of ignorance of with the extinguisher of knowledge and perspective. I can't believe that wasn't mentioned in the article.

Speaking of TV, why is Family Guy on at 6 or 7 when it's supposed to be the Simpsons? Boo.

Labels: food, intercultural interaction, Iron chef, simpsons, tv, yahoo news

- posted by k @ 6:13 PM