Eight more weeks

Working for free really sucks. I know it comes with the territory, especially when you're trying to get your foot in the door of renowned kitchens, and maybe it makes sense in Europe where there's a robust public support system (i.e. the government provides everything), but in the U.S. it seems ridiculous to me. That said, it'll be nice to actually start making some money soon. That's as close as I can get to a rant.

A couple weeks ago I had a unique opportunity to see what may be the future of tuna, as we know it. At Kinki University in Japan, scientists have been working on breeding tuna from the egg since 1948 (as opposed to simply herding young fish and raising them in a pen, known as ranching). Given that bluefin tuna is on the verge of extinction and human consumption of it is unlikely to cease, this process holds great promise for the species. Kinki University began breeding northern bluefin tuna in 2004 (branded as “Kindai”), and Per Se is one of a few exclusive restaurants in the U.S. that purchases it. Per Se purchased a whole fish weighing 75-100 pounds this time, and the purveyor personally delivered the fish to the restaurant. It was a truly amazing site to witness. The tuna was featured on the menu as a grilled pavé, and over the following few days I was tasked with cutting tartare from the trim; simply put, the quality of the fish is like nothing I have ever seen before.