Santa Monica Sushi Restaurant Accused of Selling Endangered Whale Meat Closes Forever Today!

And then there's this asshole columnist for the L.A. Daily News who feels a need to write what he THINKS is something funny. The guy -- and "the wife" (do men STILL call women that?!) -- need to understand the seriousness of this.....

Saddest part may be that what he's written is NOT funny.

http://www.dailynews.com/ci_14667887

Whaling over Santa Monica sushi chef's federal faux pas
By Doug McIntyre
Updated: 03/12/2010 10:39:55 PM PST

On March 10, 2010, federal prosecutors filed a criminal complaint that charges Typhoon Restaurant Inc. — the parent company of The Hump restaurant in Santa Monica, seen above — and chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto with selling Sei whale meat. Sei whales are listed as an endangered species, and the sale of all whale meat is prohibited in the United States by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

At my house we eat nearly every day, sometimes several times a day. The wife and I are famous for shouting from room to room variations on a simple theme: "Honey, what do you feel like having for supper tonight?"

Our culinary negotiations begin with my predictable opening gambit, "Italian!" which Mrs. McIntyre quickly shoots down with the unanswerable, "We've had Italian three nights in a row!" She offers, "Chinese," which I veto on the grounds that soy sauce makes me retain water. We circle around "Mexican" and "Tandoori" before eventually agreeing on Thai, which means noodles for me, and some kind of spicy fish thing for her.

We follow this script night after month after year, and frankly we're a little bored and looking for something new. That's why we perked up when The Hump — a trendy sushi spot at Santa Monica Airport — appeared in the news.

The Hump has apparently been serving whale meat, which is considered a delicacy in Japan.

Suddenly the dialogue in my house took an odd turn:

THE WIFE: "What do you feel like for supper?"

ME: "Whale."

THE WIFE: "How about Panda?"

ME: "I've got a craving for whale."

You can only imagine my outrage when I learned The Hump's chef, Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, has been arrested! Japan's delicacy turns out to be Santa Monica's felony.

So much for multiculturalism.

Which is shocking. Aren't we supposed to respect and venerate every culture

on earth? Shouldn't we be open-minded about how other people live? Doesn't the arrest of Mr. Yamamoto and Santa Monica's anti-whale entree bias indicate a bigger issue? The city of Santa Monica has been exposed as harboring a cultural superiority complex over the whale eating people of the world. In some cultures "Animal Planet" is "The Food Network."

While I may be a prolific eater I'm not a particularly experimental eater.

Left alone I'd still eat like a 12-year-old so it's unlikely I'd ever actually tuck into a whale — even if it was grilled with BBQ sauce with a side of bacon. Besides the moral wrong of eating an endangered species, there's the practical matter of leftovers.

Sei whales — the breed dished out at The Hump — can grow up to 50 feet long.

The doggy bag would have to be as big as a railroad boxcar. Who has that kind of room in the fridge? So the wife and I will leave the blubber burgers and Shamu sashimi to the Japanese.

In the hierarchy of values, clearly animal rights trump cultural diversity.

Cockfighting is an accepted sport in many countries but not here. A raid in Sylmar just took down thousands of vicious chickens. How ironic we're willing to defend American culture for chickens and whales but we won't do the same for humans. Many neighborhoods are overrun with illegal garage conversions, unlicensed street vendors and day laborers peeing on lawns but objections are greeted with a deafening silence or accusations of racism when it's really just a matter of respecting culture our culture.
Doug McIntyre's column appears Wednesdays and Sundays.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/local/los_angeles&id=7341024

The Hump restaurant closes over whale sushi

Friday, March 19, 2010

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (CNS) -- The Santa Monica sushi restaurant The Hump will permanently close Saturday, 10 days after being charged with illegally selling Sei whale meat in violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.

"The Hump hopes that by closing its doors, it will help bring awareness to the detrimental effect that illegal whaling has on the preservation of our ocean ecosystem and species," according to a statement posted today on the restaurant's Web site, thehump.biz.

"Closing the restaurant is a self-imposed punishment on top of the fine that will be meted out by the court. The owner of The Hump also will be taking additional action to save endangered species.

"One such action will be to make a substantial contribution to one or more responsible organizations dedicated to the preservation of whales and other endangered species."

"The Hump apologizes to our loyal customers, the community of Santa Monica and the public at large for our illegal actions. While the current difficulties faced by The Hump overshadow the many friendships formed over the years, we want our customers and friends to know how much we thank you for your support."

Typhoon Restaurant Inc., the parent company of The Hump, and one of the restaurant's chefs, 45-year-old Kiyoshiro Yamamoto of Culver City, were each charged in U.S. District Court in downtown Los Angeles March 10 with a misdemeanor count of selling a marine mammal product for an unauthorized purpose.

Gary S. Lincenberg, an attorney for the Santa Monica Airport-based restaurant, said at the time it "accepts responsibility for the wrongdoing charged by the U.S. Attorney and will agree to pay a fine and resolve this matter in court."

Sei whales are listed as an endangered species, and the sale of all whale meat is prohibited in the United States by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.

The misdemeanor federal charge carries a maximum penalty of one year in federal prison and a maximum fine of $100,000 for an individual or $200,000 for an organization.

The charges were the result of a covert operation that included several visits to the trendy sushi spot over the past five months.

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According to Roxanna Behtash, a special agent with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, confidential informants secretly videotaped whale being served at the restaurant last October.

"I have probable cause to believe The Hump has illegally possessed and sold whale meat," Behtash wrote in an affidavit in support of the criminal complaint.

In subsequent visits, informants were offered whale -- as well as blow fish and horse meat -- by a waiter, according to the affidavit.

During yet another visit by undercover federal agents, a sushi chef was observed going out to his car and coming back apparently with whale meat, which was then prepared as sushi, Behtash wrote.

The first word of the unusual offering at The Hump came from the Oscar- winning team behind the documentary "The Cove," The New York Times reported March 9.

The filmmakers alerted federal officials after allegedly confirming that the restaurant was serving sushi identified as Sei whale.

The Hump has only six tables and is located on an upper floor with views of the Santa Monica runway and Pacific Ocean.

The Hump's name has nothing to do with whales. The restaurant is named for the aviation slang term for the Himalayas. The restaurant has been open for 12 years.

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local-beat/Sushi-Restaurant-Charged-With-Servi...

Sushi Restaurant Charged With Serving Whale Meat Will Close

According to the restaurant's website, "Closing ... is a self-imposed punishment."

By JENNA BRIAND
Updated 8:30 AM PDT, Sat, Mar 20, 2010

Santa Monica sushi restaurant The Hump, which was recently charged with illegally selling Sei whale, an endangered species product, will be closing its doors on Saturday.

The Hump posted a statement to its website, reading:

“After twelve years doing business in Santa Monica, The Hump will be closing its doors effective March 20th, 2010.

The Hump hopes that by closing its doors, it will help bring awareness to the detrimental effect that illegal whaling has on the preservation of our ocean ecosystems and species. Closing the restaurant is a self-imposed punishment on top of the fine that will be meted out by the court. The Owner of The Hump also will be taking additional action to save endangered species.

One such action will be to make a substantial contribution to one or more responsible organizations dedicated to the preservation of whales and other endangered species.”

Criminal charges were filed last Wednesday. Typhoon Restaurant Inc., which owns The Hump restaurant, and sushi chef Kiyoshiro Yamamoto, 45, were charged.

A conviction for selling banned whale meat carries a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine for individuals. The maximum fine for an organization is $200,000.

The Hump closed its open letter with an apology to their “loyal customers, the community of Santa Monica, and the public at large” for their illegal actions.

http://current.com/items/92322609_trendy-santa-monica-restaurant-apologizes-for-...

This link will take you to all the previous news.

What a fantastic little VICTORY for some of our voiceless friends!