I asked this same question when I visited Tskuiki fish market a couple years
ago. I was told that after the market closes, workers clean for the rest of
the shift about 4 hours. they clean everything, every day.
I don't know about cleaning materials, chemicals, or water. anyone else
know?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Lord" <fishinfo@guernsey.net>
To: <seafood@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 8:32 AM
Subject: Tsukiji paradox
I visited the Tsukiji Fish market in Tokyo and the Kyoto central
wholesale fish market recently. Both lack any discernable odour of
fish. Perhaps my olfactory senses were not acute. However, the proof
to me that the fish markets did not produce any discernable fish odour
was that my clothes didn't harbour any fish odour after spending about 4
to 6 hours at a time at each market. In fact I walked around all day in
the same shoes and the same coat and no one mentioned, and my wife
couldn't tell that I had been to a fish market earlier in the day.
The Tsukiji Fish market didn't appear as tidy as it was over ten years
ago when I visited last. Also, I couldn't find any plastic cutting
boards. All the tuna and other seafood species were processed on wooden
cutting surfaces. Even some of the long tuna knives were held in wet
wooden knife boxes. Some of the work surfaces were quite bloody and
soiled from seafood waste and yet there was no discernable fish odour.
(However, at the Kyoto wholesale fish market there were plastic cutting
boards in use.) Some of the Tsukiji buildings are almost 70 years old
and some of the streets are cobbled - hardly an easy facility to keep
clean.
Visit a European or a North American fish market or fish auction for
several hours and invariably one's clothes and shoes will acquire a fish
odour. I have seen European and North American fish markets housed down
after a day's business. Japanese fish markets are hosed down as well.
Do the Japanese spend more time cleaning their premises at the end of
each business day? Do they use a substance in their wash water that
combats odour? OK - why do their fish markets not smell and ours
usually do long after the fish is sold!
Yours sincerely,
Richard
Richard Lord,
Guernsey GY1 1BQ
Great Britain
Tel: +44 (0)1481 700688
Fax: +44 (0)1481 700699
Email: fishinfo@guernsey.net
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