Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of Essay

sushi economy: Globalization and the making of a modern delicacy.

The Book

Position in the literature

The main arguments

The fish economy

There are various books and articles published to highlight he significant impacts and reasons of increased globalization. The books cover a series of specific topics and as a result they represent their main ideas in the most relevant format. The current book is not only a significant piece of work that addresses economic and globalization as a subject. However after reading the book it is also likely that the reader gains an impression of reading a travel account. The author has covered a variety of aspects related to globalization as main argument of the work. The presentation of historic, global, cultural, economic, and futuristic view of the global culture is addressed using a comprehensive approach.

According to Pilling (2007) the book is reviewed in the following sections addressing major elements of the discussed work. The name of the book under review is mentioned in the former sections. The reason for the topic of interest is also presented explaining the personal intentions formulating the basis of this work. The biographic information of the author and his professional affiliations along with the relevant work is also discussed. The book and its technical elements are also addressed.

The position in the literature explains the purpose of writing the book. The main arguments of the book are also highlighted to inform the audience with an overview of the discussed work. The critical analysis of the research is significant in exploration of the book and highlighting the missing elements that are necessary and forms a possible lacking in the research is also identified. The conclusion is a summary of the findings that are identified during the book review.

Book under review:

Issenberg, Sasha. (2007). The sushi economy: Globalization and the making of a modern delicacy. New York: Gotham Books.

Interest in the topic:

Globalization has influenced the world cultures and economies through sharing of information expedited using internet, frequent exchange of cultural and social values. The world is adopting different cultural, economic, and social norms previously confined for a particular geographic area. Similarly the languages, food, clothing, and habits of certain cultures are also spreading in the world through increased economic and social interactions across various cultures. The interesting elements of various cultures are not only introduced and adopted in different parts of the world but they are also becoming part of the international culture. The gradual shift of the notable elements could be addressed in terms of their appeal and value brought through globalization.

In the past four decades, the culture and the products cultivated by the Japanese have greatly influenced the world. The Japanese delicacy, sushi, can be dated back to the 8th century, has become a world-wide food phenomenon which is now being converted to the modern fast food option (Nagel, 2013). This food choice is so popular that it can be strongly associated with the globalization of the Japanese culture.

I would like to know more about the culture of sushi, its eventual spread across the globe, and its influence on the global economy by reviewing Sasha Issenberg's The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy. I have a deep interest in the topic of sushi as I was born in Tokyo and have grown up feasting on this healthy dietary choice for as long as I can remember; it truly would be a great opportunity to delve deeper into a part of my cultural roots as well as my favorite meal option.

Section 1: Summary

The book's author is Sasha Isenberg, who has produced various academic and journalistic works. He is also known for his work in business, economy, politics, and globalization. The book "The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy" was published in year 2007 and he has also written various business and globalization articles in newspapers. He is a journalistic author working for The Boston Globe, Slate, and also a contributing auditor of The Washington Monthly. The author has covered political stories and integration of technology and business concepts within the paradigm of presidential elections.

The extensive work produced within the political and business segments of newspapers. It has enabled the author to write a variety of articles that contribute towards a comparison of global and local political scenarios. The business and economy related topics covered by the author are mostly found in his work during 2007 and 2008. Since then the work is mostly related to cover political topics especially within United States.He has also written several articles on presidential campaign of President Obama. After a successful launch of his first book, the author produced "The Victory Lab: The secret science of winning campaigns" as his second book. The third book that he is about to release is "The Engagement: a definitive history of the quarter-century of political battles, legal maneuvers, and social change around gay marriage."

The Book:

The book "The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy" is the first book written by the journalist of Philadelphia Sasha Isenberg. The topic covered within the book is related to the economic, historical, and cultural in nature. The raw-fish trade in global economy is covered by the author in relation to its cultural aspects. The approach taken in the book resembles a traveling tour in search of the economic impacts of raw-fish trading and associated culinary aspects. The colorful approach in presenting the economic and historical aspects of trading post World War II is significant issues that are highlighted throughout the book.

The book is also one of the significant accounts of practical protein and rice weakness. The world outside Japan was unaware of the crisis taking place through fanatics, chefs, pirates, and tuna ranchers. The Japanese post war economic crisis and the techniques deployed for coping with the challenges in managing the industrialized nation's enterprise is adopted throughout the world as symbol of crisis management. The Western economies and businesses also followed Japanese management techniques to increase economic activity within their countries. The author highlights the significance of Meguro and Bluefin tuna in relation to its usage in Sushi.

The book has covered the aspects of global trade and culture from the perspective of cuisine and history. The futuristic impacts are also discussed. The work presents extensive element of research insight from Tokyo fish market, North Atlantic fishermen, Sushi bars, Tuna ranchers, and Australian coasts. The information presented in the book is related to the art, cuisine, and history. However the tone of the written book is livelier as compared with most of the economic and historical books.

Position in the literature:

The book is identified as adopting an informative approach for readers. The book is also related to a significant account of history and global economy. The literary classification of the work is broad as it signifies the important elements of history, economy, and culture. Theglobal expansion of the cuisines and their impact on developing a global culture are explored. The book also contains a significant work related to traveling. The book covers economy and history as the central idea taking Sushi as the world appreciated cuisine. The global approach and historical impacts of Japanese approach in management of post war economic crisis is also discussed in the work.

The main arguments:

The book is organized in such a way that it covers a broad range of subjects within the paradigm of globalization. The division of book into four major portions is also a significant approach in presenting the global history and evolution of cuisines across the world. The exploration of the global cuisine, the global outreach of the sushi, the fishing industry, and future of sushi are major segments that are addressed by the author. The work is based on the main argument of globalization and its impacts on trade, cuisine, history, and culture of different nations.

In the first part of the book exploration of sushi is addressed by the author using a historic perspective. The mechanism of the first Atlantic Bluefin tuna was shipped live to Japan. The work also explores that how sushi evolved from its fermented origins as a way to preserve rice to the popular forms. It is enjoyed as a complete global cuisine at present. The different forms of sushi are described as futomaki, nigiri, sashimi, and the box sushi. The box sushi is still denoted as a regional fermented delicacy

The second section of the book identifies the expansion of sushi from a Japanese delicacy to a globally appreciated delicacy. The change from domestic to international perspective is the major element. This section of the book is featured with the introduction of sushi into Los Angeles, Texas, and other states. The spread of sushi as a food in global marketplace is also the main argument of the second section. The capability of sushi in becoming widely available across the U.S. And into rest of….....