Japanese Seafood Safe In Spite of Fukushima Bloomberg Says

Those serving seafood which is caught near Japan can rest easy according to a report in Bloomberg News. Readers will of course remember that the Fukushima nuclear plant suffered a partial meltdown after the recent earthquake and tsunami which inundated the island nation. One of the big concerns that had emerged from the nuclear plant’s damage was that contaminated water was finding its way into the Pacific Ocean, potentially damaging seafood there and rendering it inedible.

The report in Bloomfield News, however, says that tests conducted on seafood in another part of the world, the UK, where radiation has leaked from the Sellafield nuclear waste plant in the north of the country has shown that food safety was not compromised. In spite of the plant dumping massive amounts of cesium 137 into the Irish Sea, causing concern for the seafood caught in the area, catches have shown that the seafood has had less than half the recommended limits of radiation in them when caught. This research, according to Richard Wakeford, of University of Manchester’s Dalton Nuclear Institute would seem to indicate that a long term ban on Japanese seafood is not necessary to protect consumers.

This is good news at a time when seafood is dwindling all over the world due to overfishing of popular species and when the cost of the catch is rapidly rising as well due to the ongoing oil crisis and the rapid industrialization of China. Still, in the short term at least, it may be prudent to avoid serving seafood from the south Pacific so that your customers will not be concerned about the radiation levels, low though they may be in such products. It is also worth noting that other food products which come from Japan seem to be largely unaffected as the radiation levels in tested food products are still well below the recommended limits in spite of the Fukushima disaster.

Japan As A Coffee Mecca?

So it turns out that, at least according to this report in the New York Times, your barista has it all wrong. The best coffee in the world is not necessarily to be had in Italy or France. Instead, Japan is a world leader in production of quality coffee products and coffee makers. Japan you ask? Yep – Japan. Here’s what you need to know:

An Alternative for Your Coffee Drinking Diners

Standard professional cappuccino makers can run you a cool $6,500. That’s quite a little bit of money for the privilege of getting a quality cup of coffee.

And while your diners may very well demand their espresso, offering them the alternative of Japanese coffee could easily create a unique offering that only you would be alone in offering (or at least, you’d probably be the first, since Japanese coffee making techniques still aren’t particularly well known in this country).

No Need for Fancy Equipment

The other thing that makes this so interesting is that you really don’t have to have lots of fancy equipment in order to make Japanese style coffee. All the equipment required can be had for around $100 for a home kit.

We imagine professional kits would cost a bit more, but given the very low cost of entry, it may be worthwhile to consider investing in this option.

Slow Brewing is Key

The key to making Japanese style coffee (and really any kind of coffee if you want to make it well) is slow brewing, something we sometimes have a problem with in our country, which is always in a hurry and on the go. However, for a fine dining restaurant, this may work perfectly for your diners.

Marketing Will be Key to Success

Of course, if you do want to try offering Japanese style coffee at your establishment, you’re going to want to do some marketing of it and label it as something exotic and new. Whatever you do, don’t tell your customers that it’s so cheap to make!