With Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi, from Samurai to Supermarket [2007, Harper Collins, 386 pages with index], author Trevor Corson documents sushi from various angles and perspectives (historical, cultural, and industrial), with notes from home economic lessons and the traveling gourmand as well.

With all that, however, the heart of the book is told from the perspective of people in the industry; specifically, those people that love sushi and want to be part of its growth here in America. You can get good sushi in Iowa, even. That wasn't possible until recently.

Corson spends months following a group of students from the California School of Sushi, the first of its kind here in the U.S., if not the world. Told from their perspectives through 12 weeks of classes, studying, and internships, the book is much more than just rote facts about fish. It becomes a story of perseverance, cultural aesthetics, business ethics, and the desires of pipe dreamers everywhere.

The students are the usual motley crew, but amongst them Corson finds a few individuals to center the story around: instructors of great passion and knowledge, entrepreneurs, and the dreamers. Their stories add a lot of context and subtext within the larger whole. They are an interesting backdrop within all the restaurant information presented here.

His most important narrative centers around a young girl named Kate, who sees the sushi chef world as a ticket to better things in her young life and as a kind of personal trip of fate. She has the most to gain in some ways, and her pluckiness in the face of obstacles (women sushi chefs are very rare and the restaurant kitchen is not exactly an evolved environment no matter what’s cooking).

Kate is funny and neurotic, and ultimately, the reader can only pull in her corner as she aims to survive the very intensive and unforgiving training environment under the watchful eye of the instructors, owners, and other sushi chefs.

Into the mix falls a Danish beauty, a Japanese pop star, an Australian sushi chef/instructor, a sushi master and businessman, various business people, a teenager with hormones raging, and a small group of dedicated sushi fans and customers.

Corson examines the sushi world intensely. He discusses all types of fish, where they are form, how to eat them and how to eat them. He finds out about all the chemical and compound reactions found in the sushi world (natural and man-made) and how those compounds interact with our taste buds and food desires and wants. [There is much discussion of the food science here, some of it went right over my head but that’s to be expected. I have a mouth and a stomach for sushi but not a detailed mind.]

I especially enjoyed the tips on how to eat sushi properly and how to approach it. Americans, of course, do it all wrong, want too much sauce and salt, and generally miss out on the nuances behind traditional sushi. However, the American influence is growing within the sushi world; so much so, that our preferences are taking over in some respects from the sushi traditionalist ways.

It’s a fine line and Corson does not, necessarily, take sides, though he does caution Americans from being too annoying at the sushi bar.

This is a very fluid book, yet it is densely written. Reams of information bubble forth from Corson’s notebooks of his time spent documenting the students and the history of sushi here in America. [A small army of researchers assisted him.]

Corson somehow pulls it all together and writes a very engaging story, even with the side trips into “too much information land” on occasion. He dispels myths about eating raw fish, and the information is presented with style and flair. He is a very keen observer and technician, with an interesting perspective on sushi and Japanese culture as well.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Zen of Fish and recommend it for anyone interested in the art and history of great sushi. Eating it is optional. (four stars)

Sources
www.zenoffish.com [The book’s Web site includes much more information about Corson’s work and the people and stories found within the book.]

Recommended: Yes