Wegmans Sakanaya @ Astor Place

[Orik]

You have to go through the horrifyingly terrible prepared food floor but then you can buy yourself some very nice fish, for now.

[Simon]

 

[Orik]

She must have been a kindergarten teacher because I could understand everything!

I spoke with Sato-san at length this morning. Uoriki is a huge Japanese seafood trading company that supplies fish at all levels (down to supermarket sushi) and has shops in many depachika and shopping halls. Right now the fishmongers are all Japanese but they plan to teach Wegmans employees the job (🤣)

[Sneakeater]

https://www.grubstreet.com/article/wegmans-sued-yuji-haraguchi-osakana.html

[Orik]

I can see their point about Sakana-ya and O-Sakana being possibly confusing to non-Japanese speakers, but the rest of it seems difficult to support - Wegmans have consultants scout for businesses and products and they may end up choosing a different vendor. Is Osakana really claiming that running a Japanese style fish counter is something Uoriki was unfamiliar with and that Wegmans taught them how to do it using their secrets?

eta: I see in the article that he's claiming his Japanese customers were especially confused by the name, I hope he didn't include that claim in his complaint. 

[Sneakeater]

Sort of like how Rebecca Charles invented the New England seafood shack.

[backyardchef]

45 minutes ago, Sneakeater said:

Sort of like how Rebecca Charles invented the New England seafood shack.

Is this a Sietsema dig.....? 

[Sneakeater]

No, it's a Rebecca Charles dig.

She actually sued someone who had worked for her for opening up a competing faux New England fish shack, cuz she invented the form.

[Wilfrid]

Wow that’s so long ago. But it happened.

[backyardchef]

I miss Lure. It was really good. 

ETA: I have developed a ton of food allergies as I age and pretty much can't eat anything from the sea anymore. 

Edited February 21, 2024 by backyardchef

[Simon]

There's some really nice Honmasu and Sayori available now