CHOW! SUMMER 2006
Q U I CK B IT E S
State of the Sole
A
June 14 story in Willamette Week revealed that 95 percent of Portland’s sushi
restaurants receive at least part of their seafood from True World Foods, a
national seafood distributor with ties to the Reverend Sun Myung Moon and
his highly controversial Unification Church.
More commonly known as “The Moonies,” Reverend Moon and his followers have
been called a cult, with tendrils in the highest levels of corporate America. In the 52-
year history of the church, Moon has been
imprisoned for tax evasion and
accused of brainwashing, person-
ally profiting from the church
and marrying hundreds of
Japanese
followers
to
Americans in mass weddings,
making them American citizens
and eligible for the labor force in
service to the church.
In addition, Moon considers himself
the messiah and, among other grandiose endeav-
ors, has sought to unify the world under a single common language (Korean) and dom-
inate the seafood industry. He has nearly succeeded in the latter.
Although Moon officially denies ties to True World Foods, CEO and founder
Takeshi Yashiro is himself a Moonie and has admitted that a portion of True World’s
profits goes to the church.
The dominion of the self-proclaimed “King of the Ocean” extends to Eugene. Taro
Kobayashi, who has been a sushi chef in Eugene for nearly eight years, claims that any
restaurant in Eugene that serves sushi undoubtedly gets some of their supply from True
World. An EW survey of the six local sushi restaurants revealed that five do business with
True World. One could not be reached for comment. Currently a chef at Misako, Kobayashi
has also worked at Shoji’s and confirms that both restaurants patronize the company.
“They have pretty good stuff,” says Kobayashi. “Their product is fair-priced and
generally fresh. I usually like their seafood more than other companies we have used,
but they don’t have too much competition.” Kobayashi’s impression is that True World
has cornered the sushi market in particular, catering primarily to Asian restaurants. He
seemed surprised, however, at the connection with the infamous church. Although he
doubts it will make a difference in the buying practices of the owners at Misako,
Kobayashi now feels compelled to investigate the affiliation. “If David Koresh sold
fish, would I buy fish from him? Probably not,” he adds.
Not everyone is so put off by the connection, however. A manager of a local sushi
restaurant who asked to remain unnamed sees no problem with the association
between True World and the Moonies. “We don’t have any problem. Actually they are
kind of nice and the service is really good,” he says. “We are happy to deal with them.”
— Martha Calhoon
www.eugeneweekly.com
Grill, Steam,
Marinate, Bake!
C
ongrats on joining a CSA! Yep, you
are the proud owner of a share (or half
or quarter share — after all, you have
your own garden too) in a community sup-
ported agriculture venture. You attended the
“That’s My Farmer!” event at the First
United Methodist Church last spring, and
you’re so dang pumped to get that first box
of veggies and fruits (and maybe cheese,
eggs and/or meat, depending on your CSA)
that you can hardly stand it. You win the coin
toss with your neighbors to get the box and
race over to the pick-up site on your bike.
You just can’t wait any longer. As soon as
you see the tub o’ stuff you must open it.
Strawberries, check! Rhubarb, check! Lettuce and loose greens, check! But … er …
what’s this? This light green … thing? Looks kind of like a turnip with alien sea crea-
ture fronds. Did something invade the farm?
Heck no, that’s just kohlrabi. But no need to panic about it — or the beets, eggplant
and kale that stymie other folks, says Jen Anonia, gardens program manager for FOOD
for Lane County. Every week in the summer, she puts together a newsletter for those
about to receive the Youth Farm CSA. She’s heard all the freak-outs from friends and
neighbors about cabbage, bok choi and other unfamiliar vegetables, so she’s got quite a
few recipes at her fingertips to soothe the racing brain.
Kale — that crumply-leaved, dark green, chock full o’ vitamins member of the bras-
sica family — might look intimidating, but Anonia says it’s easy to steam kale and toss
it with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and lightly sautéed garlic. Eggplant? Anonia
doesn’t say it, but the very best way to use eggplant might be baba ghanouj (we like the
Casablanca recipe from the 7/21/05 Chow!, not that we’re self-referential or anything).
Finally, alien veggie time. The kohlrabi root can be peeled and chopped for roasting,
grilling, steaming or simply grating over salads; its leaves can be cooked just like kale,
chard or mustard greens.
And then there’s the beet chocolate cake … — Suzi Steffen
CHOW SUMMER 2006
Editor: Molly Templeton • Photographers: James Bateman, Todd Cooper
Designers: James Bateman, Todd Cooper • Writers: Melissa Bearns, Martha Calhoon,
Vanessa Salvia, Lance Sparks, Suzi Steffen • Copy Editor: Suzi Steffen • Sales: Mark Frisbee
CHOW! JULY 20, 2006 3