just sei no

A few years ago, I wrote about my extraordinary experience at one of my favorite sushi bars – The Hump.  The handful of times I’ve eaten there, they have served  incredible fish. With this sublime fish comes a hefty price tag, an omakase meal for two can easily reach $500. Suffice to say, this sushi bar isn’t your run-of-the-mill sushiteria.  It’s an upper-echelon restaurant, known particularly to the LA foodie crowd.  Well, at least up until this week.  Now, it’s world famous, and not in a good way.

News broke earlier this week of a “sting” operation – feds were tipped off that The Hump was serving whale, and not just any whale- the sei whale, which is an endangered species.  When I first read of this in the New York Times, scenes from The Freshman danced in my mind.  Though this whale was no turkey.  It was whale.

I am concerned that such a reputable restaurant could think they could get away with this serious infraction.  A $200,000 fine, plus  possible jail time worth the risk? I am appalled, ashamed, and saddened.