If you are not possessed of a palate capable of discerning the difference between fish varieties, what's the big deal?

I like sushi. I can tell if the fish is fresh or not. I can tell the difference between tuna, mackerel, and sea urchin. What they call the tuna, mackerel, or sea urchin on the menu is of no importance to me.

It's sort of like wine. Many people can tell the difference between a good wine and a bad wine. Few can really tell the difference between a great wine and a good wine. Mostly, people who order the most expensive wines on the list are doing so to impress...someone else or themselves.

This misrepresentation of food in restaurants has been going on for many years. And not just in Japanese sushi restaurants.

There was a restaurant in Santa Barbara, possibly the top Italian restaurant down there at the time, that was outted by the inspectors once for selling thin-sliced pork as veal scallopini. The owner finally admitted with the interview answer, "Veal has no taste; I've always used pork instead."

He lost a good many of his customers not because of "shame on him" but because the customers were too embarrassed that they couldn't tell the difference (the misrepresentation had gone on for many years).

I'm not sure if being able to discern the difference is what matters. When I order veal, I want veal. When I order unagi, I want unagi. There's a chance that something else might create an organic problem for me. I also certainly don't want to pay a premium price for a product and get a sub-premium substitute.

And sometimes, it's not the restaurant that is to blame. Fish mongers (and veal/pork mongers) will sell whatever they have to sell and they may call it whatever they want. I can remember when Atlantic swordfish was a politically-incorrect fish at the restaurant table. Fish mongers sold it under a dozen other names.

No matter what I buy, I'd like to know that what I'm getting is what I'm paying for.

Joe

It might not seem like a big deal to be served a different kind of fish if you really can't tell the difference between the two, but if you're paying for the more expensive fish and being served something else you're being cheated. That's not right.

Also, you may have noticed that one of the fishes that was served up was an endangered species. There are many fish species that are best avoided right now, due to either high levels of toxins or due to the impact that fishing/farming them has on the environment. It is important that we're able to decide for ourselves which species we're willing to consume. I personally would have never given my business to anyone knowingly serving up an endangered species just to make a buck.

Thanks for posting that article. What a great project for those girls.

I agree that even though I might not be able to tell the difference, I don't like being lied to. Even possessing the knowledge that I might be misled going in, somehow makes me feel better. I still might not be able to tell the difference, but now I've added a level of challenge to my sushi eating!

AM
The Dinner Chronicles

I don't like it because of the dishonesty involved. That type of substitution and covering up makes me wonder what else they are doing. But, generally, as that thought also applies to almost all restaurants, I try not to dwell on it.
Very interesting though!

Rachelellen - I have some "diamonds" I would sell you at 25% off rap sheet. I promise even the majority of jewelers would not know the difference! Seriously though, I am really surpised at your response.

Joe - Any idea what cut of pork I should buy to make fake veal? I have several veal recipes I would make more often were it not for the price. And chicken does not cut it.

This whole thing has me thinking about a bar around the corner from work. My palate knows for a fact they are pouring cheap liquor into their bottles. At least they are with gin. I have been thinking about reporting them for a while now but am not sure how, or whether I really want to get involved.

Boneless pork loin makes pretty good "veal". But I know the difference!
Linda C

Food, Pork Tenderloin is another good substitute for veal.

Rachelle, my guess is that there were many like you that thought that they knew the difference and were fooled too. Otherwise I would have thought that this practice would have been discovered sooner.

I don't think it is okay to cheat someone just because they don't know the difference.

Ann

I guess I'm not all that worked up about it because I'm not surprised at all. Of course, nobody likes to be cheated, and if a restaurant is caught cheating people that way, the responsible person (owner, chef, whoever) should be punished.

Having worked in the restaurant business most of my life though, I know how thin the line is between profit & loss and know that there's a constant need to watch expenses. So it doesn't surprise me that some sushi restaurant owners might succumb to the temptation of subbing one fish for another.

Also, there are other reasons they might do so. One is that a particular fish might not be available. It's amazing how nasty some people can be if told a desired item isn't available. As Joe pointed out, the restaurant owner might not even be the one responsible, his supplier might have subbed the fish.

Something else to note is that the samples the girls worked with were from only 4 restaurants and 10 grocery stores. The sushi sold in grocery stores tends to be fairly inexpensive (for sushi) and not made by a qualified, fully trained sushi chef. Generally, it is either provided by an outside vendor or prepared by a store employee.

There is a reason why a sushi chef in Japan goes through a training program that takes 5 years. They are trained not only to slice fish and make little balls of rice, but to recognize and judge the quality of fishes, clean and prepare them properly, and inspect the fishes for signs of disease or parasites.

In this country, anyone can open a sushi bar. When sushi first became the "in" thing to eat, cheap "sushi to go" type places started opening everywhere. I wouldn't eat in one of those on a bet. If the sushi is cheap, there's likely a reason for it. I want someone who knows what he is doing making my sushi.

I make my own sushi, having learned how to make the rice properly and handle the rolling mats etc. But I wouldn't go out and buy/catch a fish, filet it and use it. I buy fish only from reputable Japanese markets, who mark fish "sushi grade" for sushi at home and only go to restaurants that have trained sushi chefs making the food.

I don't know which restaurants the girls got samples from, but my guess would be that they weren't out looking for the more expensive places, and I would be willing to bet that the sushi they purchased was not made by a true sushi chef.

"If you are not possessed of a palate capable of discerning the difference between fish varieties, what's the big deal?"

The big deal for me would be if I'm paying top dollar for one fish, and it's advertised as the expensive fish, I expect to get what the heck I pay for, not a cheaper cut.

On it's face, it's fraud.

Many thanks for your replies.

I want my sushi or sashimi to be, not just exquisitely beautiful to look at, but as safe as possible. There is a risk to eating any uncooked fish, but more with some species. I will never knowingly eat cod, haddock, or scrod, fully cooked or not. If "they" (suppliers?, restauranters? ) are switching to whatever is cheaper, the consumer may be taking an increased risk they don't realize they are taking.

Here is a link that might be useful: cod parasite on YouTube

Add me to the legion of people who would be offended at the misrepresentation regarding what I was buying. I owned a bar and grille for years and although I'm exquisitely aware of the profit/loss issue, the customers who want a specific thing, etc., I would have never told them they were getting something and given them something else. It's just wrong, fraudulent misrepresentation.

As for the veal, I agree that it's mostly tasteless, but I won't eat it for other reasons. I know that "veal" can weigh up to 800 lbs., depending only on what it is being fed. Feeding an 800 lb. steer only that milk replacer is wrong and cruel and the veal facilities are some of the worst offenders in the feed lot industry, in my opinion. I'd never consider eating veal and regardless of whether or not I could "tell the difference", I'd be hugely angry if someone were to give me that under the guise of something else.

As for wine, I can't tell, I think it's all pretty nasty, LOL. I also can't tell the difference between Canadian Mist and Kessler's, if it's mixed with Coke, but if I'm paying for the CM, it's wrong to serve me the Kessler's, so shame on your local bar, cseim. Report them to your local Liquor Control agency.

As for those parasites in fish, I don't care as long as they aren't harmful to my health. If I cook the fish, I cook the parasites and insects are eaten regularly in many parts of the world. I even ate a cricket once, encased in a lollipop that a 3rd grader bought on a field trip. You can never let a 3rd grader see you flinch, so I ate it. (shrug) Lobsters are actually just big bugs, and people eat those all the time, but I'll bet if they were called "Ocean Insects" or something like that, fewer people would pay that much money for them, LOL.

Annie