The Extreme Cuisine of Chef Kaz Yamamoto

Status: Hoax
imageTodd emailed me a link to this Phoenix New Times article about rogue chef "Kaz" Yamamoto, whose specialty is creating dishes from "meat, game and vegetation that's considered off limits, immoral or even illegal." We're talking about dishes such as Tenderloin of Bichon Frise, monkey brain stew, Arizona saguaro cactus salad, Yosemite brown bear, rhino genitals, giraffe tongue, Sea World sea lion (supposedly obtained by bribing a Sea World employee), etc. Yamamoto even claims to serve human flesh, obtained by paying Mexican immigrants a handsome sum for their kidney, arm, or leg. These delicacies are all served to a rich and powerful clientele who have a taste for forbidden food.


As Todd points out, this sounds a bit farfetched (and very reminiscent of the plot of The Freshman), but then again the Phoenix New Times is a real, credible paper. So why would they be making all this up? The answer is that the Phoenix New Times occasionally likes to print hoax stories. Back in 2004 I posted about their article on human taxidermy, which described a company that offered freeze-drying of corpses as an alternative to burial or cremation. (You could stand freeze-dried Grandma in the corner of your living room.) Human taxidermy was a hoax, and so is the extreme cuisine of Kaz Yamamoto. Clues (besides the outlandish nature of the article itself) are the photoshopped pictures (such as the one of Yamamoto cutting down a protected saguaro cactus) and the "Details" box which reads "Special Reports: As If. . .".

Food

Posted on Sat Jun 10, 2006


Comments

LOVE the photo album...
Posted by Nick  on  Sat Jun 10, 2006  at  05:16 PM
If you want weird food just go to that Mongolian restaraunt in Edinburgh. They had Zebra, Rattlesnake, Yak, Kangaroo...I'm sure I'm missing one of them out.
Oh well, they had unusual stuff anyway. No human though, well not that they advertise anyway.
Posted by Nettie  on  Sat Jun 10, 2006  at  07:06 PM
Nettie, we apparently have the same restaurant here in Leederville...and I found that place fun!
Posted by Smerk  on  Sat Jun 10, 2006  at  10:50 PM
Khublai Khan had: venison, wild boar, ostrich, springbok, zebra, yak, kangaroo and shark, as well as all the usual meats.
No rattlesnake!
😊
Posted by Boo  on  Mon Jun 12, 2006  at  03:41 AM
It was wonderful, too! Though, I think the shark and the zebra were my favorites. And rattlesnake wouldn't work very well on a Mongolian grill. It is very bony and very chewy, but otherwise, not bad eating. 😊
Posted by Tru  on  Mon Jun 12, 2006  at  12:38 PM
Rattlesnake is not chewy if you cook it correctly.
It doesn't have a whole lot of flavor, though.
Posted by Big Gary  on  Mon Jun 12, 2006  at  01:54 PM
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