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Title: The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi, from Samurai to Supermarket
ISBN: 0060883502
Author:
Trevor Corson
Publicate Date: 2007-05-29
Publish: 2007-05-29
List Price: $24.95
Average Customer Rating: 4.5
Format: Hardcover
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Amazon Lowest New Price: $5.75
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $5.59
Amazon Merchant Price: $16.47
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| Customer Review: |
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1: Put Your Maki Where Your Mouth Is
After reading "The Secret Life of Lobsters," I looked forward to this book's publication and for the most part, it did not disappoint. Corson follows Kate, a young woman trying to enter the world of sushi in America (not always a friendly place). This story is interwoven with copious research about the history of sushi and all of its main ingredients. Never again will you look at the green blob restaurants call wasabi the same way, but I will say that this book has not curtailed my sushi consumption.
Although this book got a little caught up in the details and the research at times - an easy thing to do - this was a pretty easy read. It is part history, part biology, part economy, part cuisine and a healthy dose of narrative. Especially interesting to me was how sushi made the geographical jump from Japan to America where it became a culinary fad. This book will make you think about each piece of sushi you put into your mouth and you will undoubtedly pity the octopus. Corson brings the fish behind the cellophane to life and demonstrates how many contributors there have been to our current relationship with sushi.
Note: The paperback edition of this book is called "The Story of Sushi."
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2: Like Sushi....Not a book reader...you will like this book
This is a must read for any sushi lover. The book is very easy to read and is not dry. Warning! Reading this book will make you crave sushi :)
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3: Informative, but with some annoying passages.
After hearing Trevor Corson speak on the radio about sushi, I picked up his book because I wanted to learn more about one of my favorite foods. The Zen of Fish follows a new student through a sushi course at the California Sushi Academy. Mixed in with the story of the student and her classmates are historical facts and other information about things related to sushi such as fish, knives, rice, and etiquette.
While I was reading the book, I couldn't help feeling annoyed by the passages about Kate, the student going through the school. She's inept, clumsy, ditzy, and just not that interesting. I was more interested in the actual tidbits of information about sushi than Kate's classes.
I would have rated this book higher if it only contained the informational passages about the Japanese cuisine. Those parts were interesting and worth reading for anyone who likes sushi, but the other parts felt like a waste of time. Corson might have been trying to get readers to relate to Kate, but he would have been more successful if he had chosen a stronger student from the class to follow.
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4: Great book
You will never look the same way at Sushi again. Great Book. Highly recommended.
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5: Nice Blend of People, Fish & Sushi
Not sure what a few of these reviewers expected from this book. Certainly this is not a novel. What you have in this book is a means to learn more about sushi, rolls and sashimi; More about the sea creatures and vegetation that adorn sushi; more about the Sushi Academy in California; More about sushi chefs; and more about the environment of all of this blended together. This book met those needs for me. I feel what author Corson has done here, is wrapped a lot of potentially dry information about sushi and fish and etc. around people who brim with personality and fun. Sushi is a very traditional food...but it is also a very fun food. Corson shows us this. In the journey of doing so, all the potentially dry facts are brought to life by the stories he weaves together...most brilliantly in my opinion. If you are new to sushi or maybe even well versed in the front end of the sushi restaraunt...you will enjoy this book. I learned a LOT. Armed with this book and a great Ken Sushi DVD offered on Amazon and books like The Complete Book Of Sushi by Hideo Dekura, Brigid Treloar, and Ryuichi Yoshii...I now feel comfortable and inspired enough to sit in front of a sushi chef at a sushi bar and even try to make my own! Good job Trevor...and thank you. Now...on to Tsukiji...another intriguing book I see.
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