Shiro: Wit, Wisdom & Recipes from a Sushi Pioneer [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

Having just read a magazine article about Shiro Kashiba, I asked for the book at Barnes and Noble and discovered that it had just come in and was in the stockroom. I was thrilled when this gorgeous book was placed in my hands. The book is a delight for anyone who not only likes to read but likes the feel of soft, matte, quality pages and cover and loves a variety of visuals including seemingly hundreds of quality reproduced photos as well as unique art and calligraphy with a Japanese and American feel. The book's art is modern but has an old-time feel to it, hard for me to describe. You can look at the opening pages to see what I mean.

The writing is superb, flowing, comfortable, inviting, interesting. A translator was needed to write the book, and the translation is well done: Kashiba is vibrant within the pages, his spirit and self clearly intact and available for the reader to access.

I lived in Seattle for almost a decade, and so much of this book - the writing, the photos and illustrations - centered me into the heart of how Seattle feels, its spirit. This book is as much about Seattle as Shiro and sushi. The authors have done a superb job of conveying the feel of this city in all its natural magnificence.

A man from a different culture found his place in the beauty and bounty of what the PNW IS. He grew to love it while keeping his own "home" intact within himself. As an outsider, he's able to present the flavor of Seattle as it is. All the contributors, certainly, made this happen, but it is Shiro Kashiba's unique perspective that brought to me the wonders of what I believe make up Seattle.

There are many B/W and color photos of Seattle becoming what it is today, so much beautiful unique art presenting the Puget Sound, the mountains, the trees, all that makes up this magnificent part of the world. This book makes me feel the wonders of the city and all it is, what makes the area so special. I believe ANYONE who loves Seattle would love this book. I've read many books on the area, but this one shows what the other books only told. It makes the reader feel the true essence of Seattle and the PNW. All the contributors must be proud because their combined effort has created a lovely, lovely book!

In short, the book is about Kashiba's early years in Japan, how he became a sushi chef, how he opened his restaurant in Seattle, and grew his business. (He and his family come off as upbeat and just the nicest people and look it, too, in the many color and B/W photos included.) In addition, there are about 25 recipes at the end of the book and tips on cooking throughout, so if you are only interested in cooking sushi, there's still a wealth of valuable information in this book as well. However, it's not a thorough cookbook on preparing sushi and Japanese food.

The book is about one third a biography of Shiro Kashiba's early years in Japan, one third his biography/history in Seattle from 1966 on, and one third a book on recipes and tips to prepare sushi.

I enthusiastically recommend this book!

Shiro: Wit, Wisdom and Recipes from a Sushi Pioneer embodies sushi within the context of American social and historical change resulting from the 1960's to the present day: the struggle define life in America as a Japanese person, the history of Japanese restaurants in Seattle and the Pacific Northwest, and his concern for the environment, especially the degradation of the natural world due to modernization and population growth in the Pacific Northwest. In addition to adding "author" to his checklist, Kashiba is a teacher and the successful owner of Shiro's Sushi restaurant in Seattle, Washington and the memoir offers detailed insight and advice on running a reputable sushi counter or restaurant. Published in Seattle by Chin Music Press, a small press publisher focusing on Japanese translation, Shiro: Wit, Wisdom and Recipes from a Sushi Pioneer is a noteworthy cultural and culinary memoir certain to please fans of Shiro Kashiba as well as those interested in Japanese food and culture for years to come.

Delightful, fun, quirky, inspiring, delicious, hilarious, curious, easy read, eye opening, spellbinding, beautiful, impactful, heart warming, splendiferous, lovely. They say I need 20 words to post a review, you however only need three, read this book.