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发表于 2011-9-9 10:23:25
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VOX POPULI: Random inspections can help protect the savory blessings of autumn
The other day, I came across saury from Hokkaido selling for 98 yen apiece in a neighborhood supermarket. I broiled the silvery blue dagger-like fish with salt and ate it with grated daikon and "sudachi" citrus. I felt as if I was biting into autumn itself. As the season advances, saury swim south to coastal areas of Sanriku in the Tohoku region and off Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.
This autumn, however, a new net stands between the fishing grounds and the dinner table. The term radioactivity measurement has a horrible ring. But before the fishing season, I heard that random inspections to measure levels of radioactivity will be strengthened at landing ports. According to reports, in order to avoid groundless rumors, fishing would be curtailed within a 100-kilometer radius of the crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Radioactive contamination is also affecting mountain delicacies. Levels of radioactivity exceeding government safety standards were detected in wild mushrooms, chestnuts and boar meat from Fukushima Prefecture. Fortunately, early harvested rice was shipped without problems. However, inspections of regular rice have yet to start. Since I have been enjoying rice grown in Fukushima Prefecture's Aizu district for the last few years, I am worried.
More than anything, reasonable monitoring and credible information are essential to ensure food safety. If consumers believe foodstuffs that reach the market must be safe, their stress levels would be lessened considerably. In addition to inspections at production centers, random checks should also be carried out at stores to protect the savory blessings of autumn.
"I eat up a saury/ How beautiful its bones are" is a haiku by Setsuo Tanaka. All the more because we experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake this year, why not savor the delicacies of Sanriku and have second helpings of newly harvested Fukushima rice? It would be pleasing to the palate and contribute to the recovery of stricken areas. Of course, all this is based on the premise of full information disclosure on product safety.
Sept. 8 was Hakuro (literally white dew day), one of the 24 solar terms in the traditional calendar. With lingering heat, the glistening of dewy grass tends to be dull. But isn't there a way to peacefully enjoy seasonal delicacies? I want to tell cesium and other radioactive substances not to contaminate seasonal blessings. To make sure, let me borrow the following verse from "Sanma no Uta" (Saury's song), a poem by writer Haruo Sato (1892-1964): "Alas/ Autumn wind/ If you have a heart, convey this message for me."
--The Asahi Shimbun, Sept. 8
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