my dorkiness in full force
here's a journal entry i did for my honors class. i thought it was interesting and funny at the same time. eh..i'm a nerd
Abby Wolf
“The Globalization of Sushi”
February 1, 2006
Bestor begins his article by narrating the bluefin tuna market in Bath, Maine. He then goes on to explain how it became such a popular part of the sushi epidemic in American society. Sushi has always been popular in Japan and was slowly introduced into America after World War II. When limits were placed upon Japanese fishermen they began to look overseas for bluefin tuna, the most popular fish used to make sushi. Japan paid lots of money for good quality tuna, which created a “gold-rush mentality on fishing grounds across the globe” (14). Many countries began supplying bluefin tuna to the Japanese, especially America. When the Japanese economy collapsed in the 1990’s, America didn’t lose too badly because sushi had suddenly become the new craze in Americanized cuisine. Bestor then explains the transatlantic techniques for catching these giant fish. Because there is such a large market for bluefin tuna, fishermen use the most advanced technologies to catch the best quality tuna possible. Bestor then elaborates on the “Americanized” version of sushi by explaining (in a round about way) that American sushi is not really Japanese, per say, but really just an attempt to (poorly) replicate Japanese culture (similar to the U.S. version of Mexican food).
According to Bestor’s article, I have to agree that “Japanese cultural control of sushi remains unquestioned” (27). I have had an experience involving sushi that seemed anything but Japanese. I had my first taste of sushi on a date with a, dare I say, Japan-o-phile. This guy loved absolutely everything about Japan and its culture, which put me under tremendous pressure to enjoy my sushi experience (but I didn’t). The restaurant didn’t strike me as overly Japanese and I could have sworn I heard the chef speaking Spanish. My experience reminded me a lot of Bestor describing the “Texan Chinese-American restaurateur” and has led me to believe that American sushi is the kind that is not Japanese. I think that sushi is very much a Japanese cuisine and its globalization hasn’t changed that. However, the classic American attempt at sushi belittles the actual cultural value of the taste sensation. I don’t consider my taste of sushi to be the real sushi; I believe that real sushi remains purely Japanese.
Abby Wolf
“The Globalization of Sushi”
February 1, 2006
Bestor begins his article by narrating the bluefin tuna market in Bath, Maine. He then goes on to explain how it became such a popular part of the sushi epidemic in American society. Sushi has always been popular in Japan and was slowly introduced into America after World War II. When limits were placed upon Japanese fishermen they began to look overseas for bluefin tuna, the most popular fish used to make sushi. Japan paid lots of money for good quality tuna, which created a “gold-rush mentality on fishing grounds across the globe” (14). Many countries began supplying bluefin tuna to the Japanese, especially America. When the Japanese economy collapsed in the 1990’s, America didn’t lose too badly because sushi had suddenly become the new craze in Americanized cuisine. Bestor then explains the transatlantic techniques for catching these giant fish. Because there is such a large market for bluefin tuna, fishermen use the most advanced technologies to catch the best quality tuna possible. Bestor then elaborates on the “Americanized” version of sushi by explaining (in a round about way) that American sushi is not really Japanese, per say, but really just an attempt to (poorly) replicate Japanese culture (similar to the U.S. version of Mexican food).
According to Bestor’s article, I have to agree that “Japanese cultural control of sushi remains unquestioned” (27). I have had an experience involving sushi that seemed anything but Japanese. I had my first taste of sushi on a date with a, dare I say, Japan-o-phile. This guy loved absolutely everything about Japan and its culture, which put me under tremendous pressure to enjoy my sushi experience (but I didn’t). The restaurant didn’t strike me as overly Japanese and I could have sworn I heard the chef speaking Spanish. My experience reminded me a lot of Bestor describing the “Texan Chinese-American restaurateur” and has led me to believe that American sushi is the kind that is not Japanese. I think that sushi is very much a Japanese cuisine and its globalization hasn’t changed that. However, the classic American attempt at sushi belittles the actual cultural value of the taste sensation. I don’t consider my taste of sushi to be the real sushi; I believe that real sushi remains purely Japanese.