Book Review: it's fishy, but in a good way . . .

The Zen of Fish (recently retitled The Story of Sushi)

by Trevor Corson

I received Corson's sushi book last year as a gift. And since I hate the thought of an unread book on my shelf, I finally decided to start reading. The subject matter is not one that particularly draws me. But I gave it a try, anyway.

Corson explains sushi through the story of a semester at the California Sushi Academy. As the students progress through different kinds of fish, the reader does, as well, combining story and information. It may sound like a bad attempt at creating an "interesting" textbook ("Dick and Jane go to the park. They love the park. [insert long-winded analysis of parks, including grass types, different varieties of swing sets, and the composition of sand here] Dick and Jane hope to go to the park again tomorrow.") But Corson actually succeeds in creating an enjoyable, informative book.

The success is in no small way due to Corson's ability to create the world of the Sushi Academy. He introduces characters so vividly you can picture them, from student Kate making heart designs in her displays to sushi chef Toshi creating sushi like a warrior-monk. Sushi school is a land of endless fish cutting and rice washing. You see the chefs fighting to entertain the customers while putting out amazing dishes. And having made it through culinary school, I can say that the descriptions of the anxiety before an exam is exactly on point - the thoughts of "If I don't cut this right, I might just die!" are very, very real, as ridiculous as it may seem to someone who has not been through it.

I must confess that I was not enthralled with the entirety of the book. There are parts devoted to fish evolution which would have best been left out. Evolution explanations just added unnecessary text that I wanted to jump over to get to more interesting and pertenent (and factual) information. Some fish lessons felt long, and there were some parts where language and description were a bit baser than I care to read.

That said, I actually found myself "reading just one more chapter" quite often. I also feel more educated about sushi in general. Then there were the numerous times while reading the book that I just wanted to go get sushi.

Basically, Corson managed to take me from my initial "I don't really want to read this, but I should," to "Hey, that was a pretty good book! I'd definitely recommend it!". Which is quite an impressive leap.

Am I glad I read it? Yes

Would I recommend it? Yes

To whom would I recommend it? Sushi lovers. Also anyone who likes both food and a good read; even if they are not interested specifically in sushi or fish, if the person is willing to start the book, they probably won't have trouble finishing it. Even that random person in your life who just likes to learn about stuff would probably enjoy it.

Anyone to whom I would not recommend it? Anyone under 18 - some language and a couple of crude passages make me hesitate recommending it universally.