The Story of Sushi

An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice

By: Trevor Corson

Narrated by: Brian Nishii

Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

Everything you never knew about sushi: its surprising origins, the colorful lives of its chefs, and the bizarre behavior of the creatures that compose it. Trevor Corson takes us behind the scenes at America's first sushi-chef training academy, as eager novices strive to master the elusive art of cooking without cooking. He delves into the biology and natural history of the edible creatures of the sea, and tells the fascinating story of an Indo-Chinese meal reinvented in 19th-century Tokyo as a cheap fast food. He reveals the pioneers who brought sushi to the United States and explores how this unlikely meal is exploding into the American heartland just as the long-term future of sushi may be unraveling.

The Story of Sushi is at once a compelling tale of human determination and a delectable smorgasbord of surprising food science, intrepid reporting, and provocative cultural history.

©2007 Trevor Corson (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The combination of culinary insights and personal drama makes for one of the more compelling food-themed books in recent years." ( Publishers Weekly)

highly informative, but sometimes trite

What did you like best about The Story of Sushi? What did you like least?

I loved learning about the history of sushi and how the CSA taught its students to prepare it. Very interesting to know its origins.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I don't think narrarators should always mimic every accent of every character. In the case of Zoran, the Australian sushi instructor, hearing a narrator with an Asian accent imitating an Aussie was like daggers in my ears. Other than that, he did a good job.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes, it was more than fine.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

No. Too academic.

Any additional comments?

The story sometimes swung from nicely historical to sounding a bit contrived. The whole "rock and roll sushi chef" image of guys banging out rolls, downing sake and hollering "kampei!" (sp?) all night sounded a bit dubious to me.

Nerd out on fish

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I fell in love with this book. I'm huge fan of sushi and anything Japanese. The book is a good balance of story telling and education. The author goes in depth about the biological make up of the fish, getting into scientific detail that was a little beyond me at times. The author balanced out the book with personal stories and experiences of different Sushi chefs which kept the book personal. I loved how a lot of the history and stories tied back to Los Angeles and LIttle Tokyo,as I'm an Angeleno. Overall great book, kept you interested from start to finish and gives you some great take aways on Sushi etiquette

What about Brian Nishii’s performance did you like?

Great at narrating and using his voice to simulate different accents or personalities. Was also great at pronouncing all the Japanese words. Felt very authentic to the spirit of the book.

I want to see Top Chef: Sushi on the Food Network

This is an entertaining and educational book -- I could have done without all the travails of Kate, the "main character," and the other aspiring sushi chefs, but Corson included a class of students at a California sushi chef school in his narrative, telling us about sushi preparation and the sushi business through them. To me, more interesting was the history of sushi (which, naturally, was originally something very different than what you buy at the supermarket today and which you'd probably consider disgusting), as well as lots of chemistry for food science geeks (you learn all about exactly what chemicals make seafood so delicious, as well as all the ways it can go bad). Learn which fish sushi chefs consider to be true delicacies, and which are the crappy fish Japanese used to consider unworthy of sushi, but which Americans love.

Definitely made me want to go out and eat some sushi.

The Science and Spectacle That Is Sushi

What made the experience of listening to The Story of Sushi the most enjoyable?

A great blend of knowledge and entertainment. I enjoyed learning the origin and history of sushi. It is too easy to take raw fish and rice at face value. I was amazed at its deep impact on the food culture beyond the local trendy sushi bar. I equally enjoyed the characters in the book. The students of the Sushi Academy and their instructors add color and life to an informative book. Each listen had me wondering what's next?

Who was your favorite character and why?

While Kate is the central character, whom you can't help rooting for, Sushi instructor, Zoran, is the one that kept me reading and wanting more. He is a sushi chef that assists in the training of the students attending the Sushi Academy. He is colorful, insightful and surprisingly caring. He trains with concern for his art form and delights in challenging his students with gross tasks like gutting fish and cleaning octopi. The book is filled with many colorful characters that become the heart and soul of the book. While the history and technique of making sushi serves as the brains of the work.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene in the book is when Kate is finally given the opportunity to serve the public. Struggling to perfect the art of making sushi, she has many confrontations with her instructors. She often finds herself at the bottom of the class, but when given the opportunity to work the sushi bar she shines by using her personality. She fully captures the culture of sushi by creating an experience for her customers. It was a great, "You go girl!" part of the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It is quite exceptional for me to complete a book in one sitting. I found that the interest level is there for those desiring completion, but the book is also crafted to easily be revisited in several sittings. I did find myself always looking forward to hitting play and seeing what new challenge Zoran had for Kate and his other students.

Any additional comments?

If you are a foodie or love sushi this book is a must. I would even recommend this book to chemistry or biology majors. Much of the book deals with the science of sushi. Don't worry if science isn't your thing. There is plenty of entertainment. While the characters in the book are "real people" they are often in comical or tense situations. After completing The Story of Sushi, I looked forward to my first sushi visit after the book knowing that I would be more educated about the delicious meal I was about to eat. I was even able to impress my guests with my newly acquired knowledge of the sushi world.

I Love Sushi

As a sushi lover, this was a great opportunity to learn more about the origins and business details of this wonderful food. This book has a great deal of depth and detail. The training was of the chefs is interestingly and entertainingly related. The fictional overlay was OK but not really necessary. If you are squeemish, skip the section on preparing octopus. A very entertaining book for those who love to eat and cook.

A great Sushi Book

I was amazed that so much could be said about Sushi and its history. This is a great book and they were just about giving it away.

LOVE THIS BOOK!!

I've listened to this book 3 pe 4 times in a month... just want to continue listening again and again. I would highly recommend it if your a sushi lover. You may learn more than you realize.

Innovative look at history of sushi in U.S.

If you could sum up The Story of Sushi in three words, what would they be?

Sushi Boot Camp!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Hard to decide who my favorite character was, but I think Zoran -- the rather gonzo Australian sushi-chef trainer. Corson presented the real-life struggles of a whole range of characters with much empathy and charm, and the narrator masterfully gave each of them a distinctive voice.

Have you listened to any of Brian Nishii’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Haven't listened to other Brian Nishi work, but will look for him again -- he is WONDERFUL at hitting the right tone, capturing a truly crazy range of accents, etc.!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I was glad to stretch out the listening because I wanted to re-connect with the adventure of the fledgling sushi chefs day by day, to savor the story and learn as much as I could...

Any additional comments?

I teach advanced English to Japanese executives, including restaurant executives, and this gave me so much 'food for thought'. But even without that, I recommend this audio version very highly, to anyone with any interest in sushi, in the global food industry, or in the fascinating culture of culinary training.

OK book

I was thinking if to give 3 stars or 4 stars. I decided to go with 4 stars because in general it was quite entertaining and it is not authors fault that I don't like sushi and eating raw fish is not my idea of fun. The plot is weak and somewhat boring. Information about sushi was entertaining, but not brilliant. I do not have regrets that I bought this audiobook, but I will not listen it again, I guess. I will continue to prefer thai food over the best sushi:).

educational and very interesting

i loved this book interesting how author talk about the history of sushi and way it is written, i am listen for more. enjoy