My life changed forever when I was fourteen. It was one those golden October afternoons in Texas when a careless stroll through the neighborhood is comparable to walking hand in hand alongside a mystic giant in some distant apple orchard (for those who dream). I was swinging on the back porch thinking of Eden when my sister asked me if I wanted to go to a local sushi bar. My world was never the same after that day.
This may sound a little dramatic, but sushi fanatics will get it. Our love for raw fish may not be as innocent as we care to think, though.
October 6th, at the Museum of Fine Arts, the documentary Sushi: The Global Catch will be made ready for people’s eyes, ears and minds. Sushi: The Global Catch captures the controversy of overfishing for the sake of distributing sushi worldwide. Consequently, levels of bluefin tuna have dramatically decreased over the past twenty years, stirring a movement amongst aquatic scientist and those who make there living preparing this delicacy.
Bluefin tuna are a key oceanic predator feeding on smaller schools of fish. It doesn’t take an advanced degree in ecology to understand that once one species disappears it upsets the entire habitat. Which not only affects marine life, but our lives as homo- sapiens are much dependent on the nutrients of the Atlantic and Mediterranean oceans where these fish reside in large numbers. Of course, in a political niche where several delegates, representatives, and media sources continually mock global warming and environmental issues as farce, the extinction of the bluefin tuna is just another comedic act.
Despite the risk of not being taken seriously, Mark Hall’s documentary discusses the origin of sushi in Japan as a conveniency food, the austere training undergone by sushi-masters to learn their craft, as well as a plethora of developing scientific facts. Most importantly, the film is a call to arms attempting to raise awareness of a global issue the free market continues to champion. Although much attention has attempted to be averted toward the diminishing population of bluefin tuna, The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna and other environmental organizations continue to see overfishing in large quantities; nonetheless, the struggle continues.
Sushi: The Global Catch will premiere October 6th at 7:00pm. Admission is seven dollars, six for students with handy ID’s. For my fellow sushi eating neanderthals who care to care, this will be a valuable documentary to see. A decent plate of sushi in Houston will run you any where from twelve to twenty-five dollars. Giving up one raw dinner will save you five to eighteen green things. By attending this screening you save money, save the world, and learn. Everyone wins.
Museum of Fine Arts Houston is located at 1001 Bissonnet Street, 77005. For more information you can visit their website,www.mfah.org, or call them at 713-639-7300.
