Product Description

Everything you never knew about sushi—its surprising origins, the colorful lives of its chefs, the bizarre behavior of the creatures that compose it—is revealed in this entertaining documentary account by the author of the highly acclaimed The Secret Life of Lobsters.

When a twenty-year-old woman arrives at America's first sushi-chef training academy in Los Angeles, she is unprepared for the challenges ahead: knives like swords, instructors like samurai, prejudice against female chefs, demanding Hollywood customers—and that's just the first two weeks.

In this richly reported story, journalist Trevor Corson shadows several American sushi novices and a master Japanese chef, taking the reader behind the scenes as the students strive to master the elusive art of cooking without cooking. With the same eye for drama and humor that Corson brings to the exploits of the chefs, he delves into the biology and natural history of the creatures of the sea. He illuminates sushi's beginnings as an Indo-Chinese meal akin to cheese, describes its reinvention in bustling nineteenth-century Tokyo as a cheap fast food, and tells the story of the pioneers who brought it to America. He shows how this unlikely meal is now exploding into the American heartland just as the long-term future of sushi may be unraveling.

The Zen of Fish is a compelling tale of human determination as well as a delectable smorgasbord of surprising food science, intrepid reporting, and provocative cultural history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #308928 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-17
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 1.25" h x 6.60" w x 9.32" l, 1.45 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Corson (The Secret Life of Lobsters) spent months at a "sushi school" run out of a Japanese restaurant in Hermosa Beach, Calif., observing the students as they learned how to prepare a seemingly endless variety of fish. Although the reporting focuses primarily on Kate, a young woman who struggles to overcome her lack of confidence, many of the other students get a turn in the spotlight, as do the restaurant's owner and the head instructor. This would make for a riveting enough story on its own, but Corson beautifully intersperses the drama with lessons about the history and science of each fish the class encounters, along with the rice and wasabi. He also reveals that just about everything Americans know about eating sushi is wrong, down to using chopsticks to dunk their fish in soy sauce. Foodies will find dozens of useful tips to enhance their appreciation of "the fast food of old Tokyo," especially if they entrust an experienced chef to prepare an omakase meal for them. The combination of culinary insights and personal drama makes for one of the more compelling food-themed books in recent years.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Americans from as recently as 20 years ago would be astounded to learn that the present generation would regularly sit down to a meal consisting principally of raw fish. Today, it's hard to find an American city that does not host at least one thriving sushi bar, and even some supermarkets feature a take-home sushi section. Following a student through the program of the decade-old California Sushi Academy, Corson uncovers the history of sushi, from its humble beginnings in Japan to its present worldwide ubiquity. Starting from Los Angeles' Little Tokyo, sushi initially attracted a celebrity following intrigued by sushi's novelty and minimalism. Stateside sushi chefs invented new varieties keyed to American proclivities and ingredients and, in a wanton affront to tradition, began to violate the inflexible male-only order of skilled sushi chefs. Americans may still drench their rice with too much soy sauce, but their hunger for more and better-quality sushi keeps on growing. Knoblauch, Mark
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
“Rarely has a Westerner written so knowledgeably, or entertainingly, about the subject. . . . an expert’s command of the subject. . . . The reader emerges not only enlightened but a much better sushi eater. (New York Times )

Editor’s Choice; “An often amusing history.” (New York Times Book Review )

Illuminating new book... (Time Out New York )

“The Zen of Fish” tells us everything we could possibly want to know about every aspect of sushi. (Boston Globe )

“Lively. . . . vivid mixture of history, science, and personal anecdotes.” (Los Angeles Times )

“Corson garnishes the tale with plenty of interesting tidbits. . . . Sushi fans may devour the information in The Zen of Fish.” (Wall Street Journal )

“A quirky, humanistic and mostly non-linear approach to the story of sushi. . . . poetic . . . beautiful.” (San Francisco Chronicle )

Corson leaves no detail unexplained, and true food nerds will appreciate his rigor....fascinating....you’ll still be lining up to order your favorite snack, but with renewed appreciation. (Penthouse )

“A fascinating story, blending science, politics and history . . . the writing is vivid.” (USA Today on The Secret Life of Lobsters )

“One of the best things you can enjoy without melted butter.” (Natural History magazine )

“Corson serves up a savory blend of history and science along with a satisfying course of lobster and human behavior.” (Boston Herald on The Secret Life of Lobsters )

“Trevor Corson’s reverence for all things from the sea is palpable. In his new book The Zen of Fish he takes you on a fascinating journey into the world of sushi. The story he relates is rich in detail, thoroughly engaging, simply a pleasure to get lost in.” (Eric Ripert, executive chef and co-owner of Le Bernardin, and author of “A Return to Cooking” and “Le Bernardin Cookbook: Four-Star Simplicity.” )

“The Zen of Fish is a pleasure to read, entertaining and informative, with compelling characters and fascinating history, all told in an easy and natural voice. Excellent food journalism.” (Michael Ruhlman, author of The Soul of a Chef )

“Rarely has a Westerner written so knowledgeably, or entertainingly, about the subject. . . . The reader emerges not only enlightened but a much better sushi eater. (New York Times )

“A meticulously reported account. . . . Corson proves a master at providing a non-stop banquet of tasty morsels sure to delight anyone who has taken a seat at a sushi bar.” (Seattle Post-Intelligencer )

“Riveting . . . Corson beautifully intersperses the drama with lessons about the history and science of each fish . . . along with the rice and wasabi. . . . The combination of culinary insights and personal drama makes for one of the more compelling food-themed books in recent years.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review) )

“[The reporting] technique creates an immediate (and lasting) respect for the author’s narrative purity. . . . Corson also possesses a touch of the poetic.” (San Francisco Chronicle Book Review )

“Since sushi has become so popular in America, [Trevor Corson’s book] The Zen of Fish is now as relevant to the average American diner as other popular works of food-related journalism like Eric Schlosser’s ‘Fast Food Nation’ or Michael Pollan’s ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma.’” (Solares Hill Key West )

“Modest, unpretentious, and personal—it offers the familiar comfort of an omakase lunch…” (Entertainment Weekly )

“Authoritative, often amusing, chapters on sushi history, marine biology and the physiognomy of taste. While the students hack away at mackerel, Corson serves up bite-size explanations. . . . His chapter on rice, a subject that Americans take for granted, is itself worth the price of the book.” (New York Times Book Review )