"Sushi Police" Coming to Bust L.A. [moved from L.A. board]

[Gohantabeyoka]

They're coming.
Sushi police from Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries are set to descend on the Southern California area at the end of March to inspect local Japanese restaurants for authenticity of ingredients and preparation, recent Japanese news reports warn.
But L.A. joints ranging from Asian fusion franchises to haughty natural food supermarts hawking Cali rolls made by high school dropouts of questionable hygiene have really nothing to fear, I hear.
The inspections won't proceed without the consent of the restaurant/market's management.
Public service or shakedown? Discuss.

[MeAndroo]

Am I the only one annoyed by this? I really don't understand how it's any of their business. Obviously the restaurants could raise a stink if they didn't want to be visited, but then you just get whatever bad publicity that would arise from not wanting random "food experts" in your restaurant. There are far more pressing matters in Japan than how some cook in LA is preparing sushi. And what happens when I go to a restaurant that has the approval of being authentic and the food just isn't that good?

[Silverjay]

They aren't rating the quality. It's not a Zagat thing and they don't visit unannounced like the health department. Upon request, they are certifying the preparation, techniques, etc. of the establishment to verifty that it is being done according their specifications. Many people spend years learning their craft/trade/art and they simply want to be able to say they are doing it right. This type of certification is nearly universal in crafts and trades, so why not with a cultural dimension?...And this means a lot to Japan and is a way for them to maintain some sort of recognition for protecting what they consider a valuable part of their cultural identity. There are many places, even in Japan, that would not seek or pass this type of certification.

[MeAndroo]

I suppose it's moot, since I read they're calling it off.

If a chef is properly trained and certified, why do you need an after-the-thought Japanese government inspection to provide "official" certification? I understand some in the industry would welcome this kind of peer review, but why one sponsored by the government? I feel like it's another indicator of the seemingly pervasive attitude that non-Japanese can't understand Japanese culture. But I could be reading too much into it.

[slacker]

Wonder how they'll handle all the fusion places.

[JMF]

Silverjay has it right. I was at a seminar with the Japanese asst. minister of agriculture two weeks ago at the Japan Society in NYC during Japanese Food Culture Week.

http://www.slashfood.com/2007/03/06/this-is-japanese-food-culture-week-in-new-york-city/

I think he said that he was heading the committee on this. The whole process hasn't been worked out quite yet and it is still in committee. There was a bit of discussion on this with top Japanese food company execs, chefs, etc. being on both sides of the fence.

Personally, from what I have heard and read I think that if they handle it well it could be a good thing.

http://www.slashfood.com/2007/03/01/j...

[Silverjay]

I agree. There's so much bad to mediocre Japanese food here, someone needs to step up. It's simply out of control. The Japanese government is often criticized (in Japan) for being so passive internationally, so this is a big step for them. Now if the JS can only hold these events not on a weekday afternoon...

[Gohantabeyoka]

I wonder if they'll "ticket" for overcharging?

[bulavinaka]

I believe it's Japan's attempt to create a Michelin-like rating system, but I feel it's futile...outside of tourists, who's going to consider using it?

[Silverjay]

It has nothing to do with a rating system. It's an attempt to verify "authenticity" of preparation, ingredients, serving style, etc. By authenticity, they mean as close to Japanese specifications as possible. This initiative is inspired by this, by the Italians- http://www.verapizzanapoletana.org/vp... .

[Skunk2Racer]

bring in on!!!!!!

[katkoupai]

I read about this in the LA Times a while back. It's interesting. We already have the California Department of Public Health and the A, B, C, D grades in front of restaurants. How many people and/or organizations must restaurants answer to?

I want to say, "I think it's a joke." Actually, the article in the Times was about just the fact that holybull mentioned above, "Are these restaurants authentic enough?" especially considering the adaptations of Japanese menus by Korean owners, which in effect, produce non-traditional fusion restaurants?

I know very little about it, but having the approval of the Japanese Ministry of Argirculture could be a useful marketing tool for the restaurants-- sort of like a Zagat rating.

[holybull]

Interesting. Seems like 2/3 of the Japanese restaurants in SoCal are owned by Koreans, wonder how that will go over.