TOKYO (AFP) – Japan on Friday approved a campaign to certify “real” Japanese food overseas, worried that a global sushi craze will bastardise its national cuisine.
The campaign comes despite international derision after a panel first made the recommendations last year, with some US restaurant owners and press reports mocking the creation of a “sushi police.”
And add one more to someone mocking the sushi police as well, besides the fact that I’m wondering if said “sushi police” would look like the Elite Beat Agents. (Actually, that would be pretty cool. There would be a lot of pointing AND USAGE OF MULTIPLE EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!)
But honestly though, why the fuss? It’s not like there’s no such thing as Korean sushi, and at least in Northern California, the majority of Japanese restaurants are owned by by Taiwanese and Korean families who are aware of the high demand for sushi restaurants. And in respects to the damaging of the Japanese “brand,” most people are intelligent to know that one bad restaurant that sells sashimi won’t spoil the image of Japan. Hey, you don’t see the nation of China tarnished because of P.F. Changs. (That’s SO for another blog post.)
(Photo credit: Y’Amal on Flickr)
