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2011-05-06
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Tonight I found myself in the presence of a group of food journalists, bloggers and foodies in general... so what else is new? Well, I had called for this gathering with the sole purpose of supporting Hong Kong's Japanese restaurants as well as the Japanese agribusiness. We all noticed how Japanese restaurants in town had been suffering since disaster struck Japan last month. There seems to be fear among the general population - totally unfounded and uneducated - that food from Japan just isn't
We all noticed how Japanese restaurants in town had been suffering since disaster struck Japan last month. There seems to be fear among the general population - totally unfounded and uneducated - that food from Japan just isn't safe anymore. Well, the general population is uninformed - or rather misinformed - and are acting like a flock of sheep. Their ignorance is putting hard working people - who had been providing delicious Japanese food to them all these years - out of business. Japan doesn't need our "charitable donations". What the Japanese people really need - and want from us - is for us to support them economically by buying their products, so they can stand on their own feet.
With that in mind, we decided to have dinner at Sushi Fuku-suke (鮨 福助). I hadn't been here before, but was eager to try it once I had been informed that the owner comes from Sendai (仙台), and was still importing fish from Japan. We also decided to bring out bottles of sake from the Tohoku region, and hope that our continued consumption will help the people of the stricken region.
We took the more expensive of the two omakase sets, while I asked the manager to substitute something else for all the toro (トロ) items for me.
We started with some marinated rapeseed flowers (菜の花) sprinkled with bonito (鰹) flakes.
There was a long pause as the chef prepared the sashimi selection for the eight of us. Here's what we had:
Young yellowtail (ハマチ) - pretty gorgeous pieces.
Horse mackerel (鯵) - it's been a while since I last enjoyed the lovely fattiness of this fish...
Scallop (帆立) - lovely, plump and sweet.
Sweet shrimp (甘エビ) - nice.
Tuna (マグロ) - I guess I wasn't very specific in my instructions about not having my tuna... I haven't had maguro in a long time, and I must say this was pretty tasty... and the color was beautiful, too.
Spanish mackerel (鰆)
Japanese whelk (つぶ貝)
for pictures and remainder of food review please visit: http://www.diarygrowingboy.com/2011/04/ganbare-nippon.html
The evening was as much about the sake as the fresh fish from Japan. We had deliberately chosen a selection from the Tohoku region to toast the evening.
Towards the end of dinner, the manager came to inquire whether we were celebrating someone's birthday or some special occasion. I told her in no uncertain words that our purpose tonight was to come and support a Japanese restaurant as well the people of Japan. She was a little taken aback, but clearly appreciated our efforts as the 8 of us we were the only customers during the entire evening.
We were introduced to Chef Sugawara (菅原), and we toasted him with some Zankyo "Super 9". The chef is from Sendai (仙台), not far from Ozaki (大崎) where the sake was made. He mentioned that he has just spent a few days back in his hometown, as his elder brother did not survive the recent diaster... I was at a lost for words, as my Japanese wasn't good enough for me to convey my condolences. I could see clearly that - ever the stoic Japanese - he was trying to keep his emotions under control while talking of the loss of a sibling. Even in my inebriated and happy state, my heart went out to him and to all those who are suffering.
I didn't have any expectations before coming tonight, but I thought the quality of the food was high, especially considering the current environment. I think the small group of us - in our own, limited fashion - tried to help sustain a small but vital part of the Japanese economy.
To paraphrase the owner of a Japanese sake brewery, let us not (economically) victimize the Japanese people yet again by refusing to buy their products and withholding income from them when they truly need it. I urge everyone who is reading this to go out and support Japan. Eat at your local Japanese restaurants and make sure they can survive to serve you delicious food for another day. Buy Japanese produce, especially those from the Tohoku region, so that the people can use the income to rebuild their shattered homeland. The produce which you see in the stores has either been exported long ago or have been deemed safe by both the Japanese and your local authorities. Do not fear them. Let's work together and help our brothers and sisters in Japan!
張貼