Well, I'm told it's National Sushi Day. I admit I love sushi. But sushi is one of those issues where it's hard to know what's good to eat. And I don't mean flavor--I pretty much love it all. And I don't mean food safety--though that's an issue, I suppose. No, I mean issues of sustainability and eco-friendliness. It's a tough issue for me because I like weird things and it's usually the weird things that are the least sustainable.
There's an amazing sushi place in town called Sushi-matsu (the back room of Yoshi-matsu). When I go there I am quite happy to order the vegetarian sushi lunch special. They make incredible sushi and, surprisingly enough, you don't miss the raw fish or other sea critters. It's just delicious.
If I go today it probably won't be to Sushi-matsu because it's on the other side of town. I'm more likely to end up at Kyo Sushi or possibly Sushi Garden at the mall. Kyo is a nice little place with really good food.
There's a really good site for information on sustainable sushi. This site has a lot of information regarding sustainable practices, which fish you shouldn't eat, all of that. One fish that should be avoided is bluefin tuna. The bluefin (known in sushi restaurants under the following names: Kuromaguro, Horse Mackerel, Atun de aleta azul, Hon Maguro, Toro) is highly endangered and is a slow growing fish (the same reason you should never order sea bass). Another fish that is becoming endangered, unfortunately, happens to be one of my favorites--unagi (freshwater eel).
The Monterey Bay Aquarium also hosts Seafood Watch which publishes A Consumer's Guide to Sustainable Sushi. This list breaks down sushi fishes into the categories of "best choice/alternative/avoid."
We can all enjoy sushi, we just have to make good choices and avoid the bad.
Here's another good link: How To Order Safe Sustainable Sushi.
