Tsukiji Wonderland Page #4

---

good fish for me.

They've already started at midnight.

I come before II PM and

check the orders for the next day.

Takashi Shiobara

Intermediate Wholesaler

Takashi Shiobara

Intermediate Wholesaler

Mackerel is tricky so

I check each one of them well.

To assess the quality.

Is it fatty?

How fatty?

Slim ones can be fatty.

And thick ones can be unfatty.

The best way to know is by touch-.

Clients have preferences.

The colors of the meat they like

or the firmness.

Say you want a good mackerel

with tender meat.

If you're lucky you'd get a few

out of a box of 20.

What does a good wholesaler do?

He sorts the fish first thing in the

morning and hides the good fish.

Half beaks are from lbaraki.

I have some mackerels.

Some good line-caught mackerels

arrived from Katsuura sea.

They're perfect for sushi.

Maybe even too tender.

I may think some fish are really good.

But it's up to the customers to decide

what is good for them.

If you resent that, you should just quit.

Give it a try!

Feel them. The skin is tender.

My customers determine my fate.

If they do good business, they'll

order more. It's a cycle.

We go up and down together.

We're inseparable.

I owe my business to my customers.

It's not my good fish that draws them,

it's them who bring me fish.

- Got mackerels?

- Sure.

- How many?

- As many as you want.

It might snow tomorrow.

Intermediate wholesalers make a lot

of effort in bad weather.

Takashi Saito

Sushi Saito

I have yellowtails

ready for you.

They tell you straight when

there's no fish.

But they go to enormous lengths to

get fish for me-.

They care.

They've saved me many times.

- Flounders.

- You saved some?

They look good, huh?

- From Kamogawa.

- The color difference won't matter.

They charge us for it but I'm happy

they take care of us.

They know their regular

customers' needs.

So we keep coming back.

If they get me fish I don't need,

I still buy it.

We rely on them and consequently

they act on our behalf.

Our relationships are more important

than our craft or the fish.

They nurture our craft.

It's part of the tradition

of Japanese cuisine.

Trust is what keeps Tsukiji going.

Sam)"

This is great.

It responds to the salt.

It still has energy-.

The cells are still alive.

Salt removes the excess water

and brings out the sweetness.

Like any restaurant owner I don't

compromise on quality.

Small compromises lead to bigger

ones down the line-.

We serve flounder as

the first piece.

To let customer savor the

quality of our rice.

I like fish with volume.

The seller cut

its spinal cord.

So we can decide when to serve it.

Severing the spinal cord prevents

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes