Sushi – Tuna and Salmon

Production:

A simple but delicious dish, as shown in the video above, sushi is primary made from Rice, Sushi Vinegar, Seaweed, and Fish.

Being in Canada, rice is not a readily available, unless it is wild rice. Unfortunately sushi requires white rice which primarily is imported into Canada from Asian countries such as China, Japan, and India. White rice is grown in rice paddies and generally harvested manually by seasonal laborers, which is a stark contrast to the industrialized grain industry in western cultures.

Sushi Vinegar is primarily derived from Rice Vinegar, which is created though the fermentation of rice by combining rice, water, and yeast.

The main attraction of any sushi dish is fish. Tuna and Salmon are two of the most popular fishes used in sushi today.

In response to the great demand for fish, the fishing industry has become a largest commercialized operation with large fishing vessels captures substantial amounts of fish. So much so that there is a risk of overfishing and declining fish populations in the world.

After the fish as been captured, they are prepared by professional cutters who prepare the meat for transportation and consumption. As the video shows, a large amount of machines and energy inputs are required in the harvesting and preparing of tuna and the process is similar for other sushi fish.

Transportation:

The earlier tuna preparation video also shows the meat being packaged for transportation. Earlier in this blog I’ve already discussed the inputs required for boxing and moving ingredients into and within Canada. For the Tuna fish, Canada has its own fishing industry which includes Tuna and Salmon. For the Sushi consumed in Vancouver, it is likely that the Tuna was harvested locally or shipped via Truck or Air from the East coast, although several restaurants offer fishes delivered directly from Japan.

Turkey Sandwich on Whole Wheat:

Production:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy5wqjYSgCk

As seen in the video above, fuel plays a crucial role in powering the required machinery in the production cycle. What is not considered in the video, as brought up by Richard Manning in his “The Oil We Eat” article, is the energy used in producing the poultry. In order to produce the main ingredient in the deli meats, chickens, turkeys, and other farm animals must be fed grains and wheat in order to grow. These plants require their own energy sources i.e sunlight, water, and soil. Growing and maintaining these plants also requires fuel energy in the powering of planting, watering, and harvesting machines.

As mentioned earlier, the romaine lettuce and tomatoes used in the turkey sandwich are grown in a farm within Canada. As such fuel energy plays a role in its production much similar to wheat and grains. The picture of the tomato growing operation depicts a hydroponic setup which increases production efficiency by using less space. However this requires greater reliance on technology and machines.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1ybdvjEwZo

Transportation:

Most if not all of the ingredients used in the creation of a simple turkey sandwich come from farms or packaging plants throughout Canada. Trucks (meats and some fresh produce) and Rail cars (grains) which are fuels by Diesel are used to transport ingredients as well as the final products.

Starbucks Coffee

Production:

Starbucks is a unique provider of coffee in that is has such a large operation and influence on the global market. The Video below provides a small insight on the operations of the Starbucks empire.

The image below also summarized the production aspect of Starbucks coffee.

As the picture illustrates, there are many contributors in the making of a simple cup of coffee. The main ingredient of coffee beans are imported from throughout the world such as South America, Mexico, and Indonesia. The beans are then roasted at production plants and ground and brewed at local Starbucks stores. In every step of this process, it requires the energy from fuel in order to power roasters, harvest beans, transport materials, and even the construction of Starbucks stores requires labor, materials, and energy.

Transportation:

As previously mentioned, coffee beans must be transported throughout to world in order to fuel Starbucks global operations. This may come in the form of Trucks, Cargo Planes, Freight Car Rails, and Cargo Ships. Each of which requires fuel to operate. Wood pulp is also required to create the paper cups and stir sticks at each store location as well as plastic lids, cup sleeves, and a plethora of other materials.