Q&A: 'Zen of Fish' Author Trevor Corson

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AT HIS RECENT READING of "The Zen of Fish" at Politics & Prose, local boy Trevor Corson had a captive audience in his former teachers from Sidwell Friends. As they lined up for autographs, you could see their excitement over their star pupil's success. It was at Sidwell that he developed an interest in Asian culture, which eventually led to him studying in China and Japan. During a bout of homesickness from his travels, Corson spent a number of years working on a lobster boat in Maine, which led to his first book, "The Secret Life of Lobsters."

His new book, "The Zen of Fish," combines his interest in marine biology with his understanding of Japanese culture. Corson uses the backdrop of a California sushi academy to recount the development, preparation and traditions of sushi as well as describing the ecological and biological processes of the items of the menu. The book is in stores now (Harper Collins, $30). He spoke with Express contributor Jamie R. Liu.

» EXPRESS: What was your first sushi-eating experience like?
» CORSON: I first ate sushi sitting on the floor in the Asian studies department in my [high] school from a takeout box. I was in an exchange program and our adviser realized that we might have to eat sushi while we were over there, so she wanted us to be prepared. This was 1986, so she got takeout from somewhere in Washington. This turned out to be a good thing. My host family took me out for sushi, and I was better prepared to have to eat it.

» EXPRESS: Did you like it?
» CORSON: At the time I found it repulsive.

» EXPRESS: I assume you like sushi now?
» CORSON: Yes I do. I don't eat sushi that often. I tend to save my sushi experiences. I want to save up and be willing to spend money and go somewhere nice. But if I'm in a rush and I need a quick finger food, I'll pick up some California rolls.

» EXPRESS: Do you consider yourself a foodie?
» CORSON: I'm gradually becoming a foodie. While I was writing the lobster book I didn't realize that there was such a audience for the book.

» EXPRESS: Do you see yourself going into more of a food science vein in the future, or do you consider yourself more of a scientific journalist?
» CORSON: I'm a generalist in that I am interested in how the world works. Food is an interesting area to be writing in. I don't quite yet know what's next. I don't see myself as a science writer as much as it driving my work.

» EXPRESS: You talk a lot in your book about how Americans have the potential to preserve Japanese sushi traditions. At the moment, we don't really see that. What do you think it would take to spark that?
» CORSON: I don't know how or if it will happen. Sushi has already solidified its future and could be the cause of its own demise if we aren't careful with our resources. I don't think Americans realize that traditional Japanese culture like traditional sushi has lost a lot of ground to things like the Western diet change. Japanese people don't eat sushi a lot so it's unfamiliar. We need to open people's eyes to the overall experience, like interacting with the chef. I don't know if that will happen.

» EXPRESS: Which sushi restaurant in D.C. does the best job of preserving that traditional sushi experience?
» CORSON: I can't really name one. There are so many different places and different incarnations. It's really about the effort the customer makes and depends more on the rapport that is established with the chef.

» ALSO: "For Dinner Out, the Best Sushi Begins With the Experience" [WaPo]

Photo by Andrea Bruce/The Washington Post