(With Japanese accent) “Today…one of these lucky contestants will win his or her weight in fish…right here on ‘Wheel Of Fish!’ Okay, let’s play the game! We start with yesterday’s winner…Mrs. Phyllis Weaver. Are you ready, Weaver?”
(With American accent) “I sure am, Kuni!”
“Okay, you get over there and spin the Wheel of Fish! Go ahead, give it a big spin…Come on, come on. A red snapper! Mmm, is very tasty! Okay, Weaver, listen very carefully. You can hold on to your red snapper, or you can go for what’s in the box that Hiro-san is bringing down the aisle right now! What’s it gonna be?”
“I…I…I’ll take the box!”
“You took the box! Let’s see what’s in the box….Nothing! Absolutely nothing! Stupid…! You so stupid…!!!”
I know that there is only a small fellowship of simple-minded people that will recognize and appreciate the above scene. If you don’t then you need to watch the movie, UHF. You can expect to laugh uncontrollably, and to be a few IQ points lower by the time the credits roll. In the above exchange, Karate instructor Kuni tries desperately to persuade Mrs. Weaver to keep the fish that she won; he obviously knows of the red snapper’s value and tastiness. The red snapper is a delicacy in the sushi world and can be quite expensive. It has gotten that way because it has been over-fished in recent years, causing the demand to out pace the supply. This has unfortunately led Sushi restaurant owners to do some underhanded deeds, and sushi consumers are getting a raw deal.
The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper investigated 14 different sushi restaurants in the Chicago area. They ordered red snapper from the menu, and then performed DNA tests (probably later, in a lab) on the served fish to determine if it was in fact, red snapper, as advertised. Here are their results: “Not a single one was really red snapper. In most cases, the red-tinged flesh draped across the small mound of rice was tilapia – a cheap substitute. Nine of the 14 samples were tilapia. Four were red sea bream – nearly as pricey but still not red snapper.” And we the people have been taking the bait…hook, line, and sinker.
According to the article, when the restaurant owners were confronted with the test results, they had some interesting explanations. The majority of owners played dumb saying, “Of course, its red snapper. If we order red snapper, we have to get red snapper.” The blame was passed to the supply company. At the reporter’s request, he examined the box the fish was shipped in. “Izumidai.” Izumidai is the Japanese word for tilapia. “I never thought to look at the description,” says the owner.
When faced with the DNA results, another owner responded, “Tilapia and red snapper look alike. They’re really close. They taste almost the same.” Good explanation except he didn’t deny the fish swapping accusation. A third owner, whose restaurant subbed the red sea bream for the red snapper, stated, “Most American customers don’t know the name sea bream.” Not very remorseful and again, not a denial. It seems as if they understand what they’re doing, and they expect the consumer to just deal with it.
In the United States, the Congressional Research Service, reported last month that 37 percent of fish examined by the National Marine Fisheries Service were mislabeled. A separate survey by the Fisheries Service discovered that close to 80 percent of red snapper was mislabeled.
If you think you are a victim of fish fraud, you can contact the Health Department or Department of Consumer Services.
Ahh…what some people will write about to get bad fish puns and UHF quotes circulating.
I know that there is only a small fellowship of simple-minded people that will recognize and appreciate the above scene. If you don’t then you need to watch the movie, UHF. You can expect to laugh uncontrollably, and to be a few IQ points lower by the time the credits roll. In the above exchange, Karate instructor Kuni tries desperately to persuade Mrs. Weaver to keep the fish that she won; he obviously knows of the red snapper’s value and tastiness. The red snapper is a delicacy in the sushi world and can be quite expensive. It has gotten that way because it has been over-fished in recent years, causing the demand to out pace the supply. This has unfortunately led Sushi restaurant owners to do some underhanded deeds, and sushi consumers are getting a raw deal.
The Chicago Sun-Times newspaper investigated 14 different sushi restaurants in the Chicago area. They ordered red snapper from the menu, and then performed DNA tests (probably later, in a lab) on the served fish to determine if it was in fact, red snapper, as advertised. Here are their results: “Not a single one was really red snapper. In most cases, the red-tinged flesh draped across the small mound of rice was tilapia – a cheap substitute. Nine of the 14 samples were tilapia. Four were red sea bream – nearly as pricey but still not red snapper.” And we the people have been taking the bait…hook, line, and sinker.
According to the article, when the restaurant owners were confronted with the test results, they had some interesting explanations. The majority of owners played dumb saying, “Of course, its red snapper. If we order red snapper, we have to get red snapper.” The blame was passed to the supply company. At the reporter’s request, he examined the box the fish was shipped in. “Izumidai.” Izumidai is the Japanese word for tilapia. “I never thought to look at the description,” says the owner.
When faced with the DNA results, another owner responded, “Tilapia and red snapper look alike. They’re really close. They taste almost the same.” Good explanation except he didn’t deny the fish swapping accusation. A third owner, whose restaurant subbed the red sea bream for the red snapper, stated, “Most American customers don’t know the name sea bream.” Not very remorseful and again, not a denial. It seems as if they understand what they’re doing, and they expect the consumer to just deal with it.
In the United States, the Congressional Research Service, reported last month that 37 percent of fish examined by the National Marine Fisheries Service were mislabeled. A separate survey by the Fisheries Service discovered that close to 80 percent of red snapper was mislabeled.
If you think you are a victim of fish fraud, you can contact the Health Department or Department of Consumer Services.
Ahh…what some people will write about to get bad fish puns and UHF quotes circulating.
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