This morning CBS cameras in New York uncovered a KFC/Taco Bell infested with rats.  Now, I love KFC (taco bell, not so much), but this stuff is really disgusting.  Corporate will be scrambling to take care of this mess.  Here’s the article and video.

A few notes:

• Who writes these reporter lines?  “The sign says ‘KFC we deliver,’ but the only thing they’re delivering today is health code violations.”  Give me a break.  Or how about the anchor, “even on child seats…” with the haunting deep voice?  Are these guys running a television station or a phone sex line?
• Since when does KFC or taco bell deliver?  And what are the minimums here?  I’m sure they don’t just go out with $3 worth of tacos.  We need this over here!
• Funny thing is this is a CBS undercover story.  They videotaped the rats from the outside in the early morning today.  How much do you want to bet hundreds of other news stations will be doing the same thing over the weekend?
• At least the health department responded quickly, closing the restaurant and sending over an inspector.
• How about the ‘ex-employee.’  Stopped working there because it was too dirty?  Sounds like guy who wants camera time.  At least they didn’t let him give five minutes worth of shout outs.

Update:  Here’s a youtube video that’s a bit easier to watch.  And man, there’s really a lot of rats.  And they’re HUGE!  They look like they’re having fun too, all scamptering around having a good time with their buddies.

Ever seen Uni at a sushi bar and decided against trying it because it looked strange? You shouldn’t! Uni is one of the greatest treasures found at sushi bars. Here’s some general background so the next time you’re confronted with an Uni buying decision, you’ll choose wisely.

Uni or Sea Urchin is a spiny ocean living creature that resembles a koosh ball (remember those?) The edible parts of the Uni are the gonads of the animal. The are held in the middle of animal under the shell.

They resemble tiny leaves, usually orange in color with a tiny bit of texture sort of like the surface of a tongue.

Actual feeling texture, Uni resembles a fully ripe avocado. Smooth and slightly melty.

Taste: I’d describe Uni as tasting like salt water with sort of a creamy richness. Some people describe it as being similar to foie gras, I personally disagree.

What to look for in good Uni; Color! Uni should look bright orange almost yellow in color. You should expect to see the Uni similar to the picture above, where the texture is clearly present. Older (less fresh) Uni becomes smoother and usually darker in appearance. I personally would avoid any Uni less than fresh since seafood products involving organs are highly susceptible to bacteria growth.

Where to purchase: Since I’m only really familiar with sushi restaurants in the bay area, I’ll list a few places that I implicitly trust with my Uni needs:

Zushi Puzzle: 1910 Lombard Street (at Buchanan St )San Francisco, CA 94123 (415) 931-9319: Uni here is a real treat. Chef Roger usually has several varies to choose from: Santa Barbara Coast, Japan, Oregon Coast. Ask him if the live Uni is available for the day. In this preparation they present you a cleaned Uni(shell and all) filled with ice. Eating Uni this way is the best.

[not an actual picture from Zushi Puzzle, just similar preparation]

Sushi Sams: 218 E 3rd Ave, San Mateo, CA 94401 (650) 344-0888 Sam usually carries Uni from the Santa Barbara Coast, sometimes he carries Japanese Uni. Sam usually sources his ingredients from private sources(exclusive) so expect top quality. Its best to order them here Gunkan style.

Koo: 408 Irving Street (at 5th Ave & 6th Ave) San Francisco, CA 94122 (415) 731-7077 Great quality no frills Uni. Order them Gunkan style or in their famous dish Spoonfuls of Happiness. Trust me, I’d visit this place just for the spoonfuls.

Kabuto Sushi: 5121 Geary Boulevard (at 15th Ave & 16th Ave) San Francisco, CA 94118 (415) 752-5652 Although a pale imitation of its former self (old owner) still a five star sushi place. Order it gunkan style here with quail egg.

Last night there was one of the better hockey fights of recent memory.  12 players involved, with 100 penalty minutes issued.

Plus, GOALIE FIGHT.  Ottawa goalie Ray Emery seemed to be clobbering Sabres goalie Biron pretty good - and he seemed to really be enjoying it too.  Even more astounding is that Emery got into it with Peters, a skater.  Emery held is own, but you don’t really see to many skater and goalie fights.  Goalies are at a big disadvantage due to their limited mobility. 

My guess is that either ottawa players thought that Emery could hold his own against a skater, or, no player wanted to man-up against peters, or, they don’t really like Emery and wouldn’t mind if he took a beating.

In any case, great game.  Went to a shootout which the sabres won.  Go Wings!

Here are a couple of gootube vids.  The first is raw game footage, the second is off of ESPN with Barry Melrose commentary.

There are a couple of articles that appeared in the Washington Post over the past couple of days that paint an interesting picture of the sushi world.  The first article here (via WTOP) describes a shortage of sushi chefs in the Washington area.  In a separate article here (via MSNBC), the post reports on a trend towards non-Japanese sushi chefs.

Ironically, these are two separate articles, but they fit together nicely.  There is, it seems, a true shortage of traditionally trained Japanese sushi chefs.  One hurdle for Japanese chefs is immigration - The previous restaurant I worked at shipped over chefs from Japan with an elaborate and expensive work visa - similar to brining in an Indian engineer from India. 

Another issue is training.  It takes many years to get traditionally trained as a sushi chef, and therefore there are fewer of these sushi elites to go around.  The son of the Oyaji owner, I believe his name is Hiro, was actually talking about his planned relocation to japan for training.  He mentioned that, as is the practice there, he will start as a very low level kitchen worker, gradually working up to a sushi chef role - a process that will require him to live in Japan for several years.

The end result of this environment is, as the post points out, so called Japanese restaurants with a mix of asian, hispanic and white chefs.  In the bay area, this problem is not as pronounced - there are still quite a few japanese here.  But I would say that most sushi restaurants have at least one non-Japanese asian working there, probably a korean.  Although I’ve seen very few that have whites or mexicans (except todai).

Obviously, I think traditionally trained Japanese chefs are preferable, although in my experience these chefs tend to be less willing to experiment with sushi.  There does seem to be a conflict here between innovation and tradition, and this is a line that traditionally trained Japanese chefs seems to be mostly unwilling to cross. 

The exception here is Sushi Sams.  Sam, a traditionally trained Japanese chef with lots of talent, offers a wide selection of fish that goes beyond the traditional sushi mold.  His menu often features delicately constructed butter fish, white king salmon, black cod, trout, sea bass and arctic chaff creations that have the traditional sushi form, but are nicely complemented with non-traditional sauces, salts, garnishes, and more.

Sams does not go as far as polluting his menu with gimmicky rolls - a true sell-out move.  But he does take a middle ground with his inventive nigiris and broad fish selection.

In any case, I am fine with a korean chef here or there, but I will walk out and leave any sushi bar with a white or mexican chef.  Does that make me racist?  well so be it. 

The rationale here is that it is very unlikely that a white or mexican sushi chef was traditionally trained.  Sure, that is a stereotype, but I’m not freeing slaves here, I’m trying to eat a meal. 

Plus, well-trained Japanese chefs are not impossible to find, they are just expensive to hire (and keep).  So, when I’m presented with a sushi bar with white or mexican chefs, I look at that as a cash saving move that was made at the sacrifice of authenticity and ultimately food quality.

I think the presence or absence of traditionally trained Japanese chefs will really start to be a differentiator as sushi restaurants proliferate.  Although I would say most diners are not very knowledgeable about sushi, I would suggest that as more and more sushi bars sprout up, the difference between cheap gimmicky joints and traditional, well run places will be very evident.

News.com.au has a decent article on yellow fin tuna.  It contains recipies for sushi, which are soso, and an interesting thai tuna fish cake - that’s a new one.  check it out here.

Recall my posting not to long ago (excuse the gratuitous ASCII art, I was having a “moment”) where I called out MTV’s show Maui fever as being a total fraud. Anthony of “Aloha Update” posted an interesting data point today regarding the show. Anthony supposedly spoke to an “insider” on the show who indeed confirmed that all the cast members with the exception of one person, moved to Maui last year. Hmm strange coincidence huh? I just wish the rest of America cares enough about respecting culture and supports the petition to get it canceled. Anyway I’m not too worried, the show like most of MTV’s content is ephemeral and it will soon become last year’s news.

Who are the Osbournes?

I read this interesting press release today stating that KFC’s (aka Kentucky Fried Chicken) president wrote a letter to Pope Benedict XVI asking for his blessing in serving the Fish Snacker sandwich to Catholics observing Lent.

I think I’m genuinely torn about this issue. On its face I guess its alright for any company to ask for a special blessing if their menu item may appeal a certain group of worshipers. Although I don’t believe the actions of KFC in case was entirely altruistic. It was my impression from the press release that KFC was going through this public process just to draw attention to their new sandwich. I guess this issue will be left up to Catholics to decide if this menu item truly fits into the ideals of Lent. I’m mean seriously, we’re talking about a fish sandwich that was deep fried in chicken grease and vegetable oil.