More like this
Celebrity diners say no to Nobu
A protest letter organised in London threatens a boycott of the worldwide chain
The restaurant chain Nobu, a favourite celebrity hangout in London, Beverly Hills and Moscow to name but a few, has a fight on its hands with some of its starriest customers. Broadcaster Stephen Fry, model Elle Macpherson and actresses Charlize Theron and Sienna Miller are among 31 signatories to a letter to restaurateur Nobuyuki Matsuhisa demanding that he stops serving bluefin tuna because it is on the brink of extinction.
"As customers and fans of Nobu we strongly feel that bluefin tuna must be completely removed from your menu due its perilous position as an extremely endangered animal," wrote the celebs, gathered together for the cause by Kate Goldsmith, the Rothschild heiress, after she and her husband Ben Goldsmith attended a screening of a film about overfishing, The End of the Line.
The signatories hint at a boycott, saying: "We very much hope that you value our comments as customers and therefore that you will seriously consider our request; allowing us all to dine with a clear conscience."
According to the Independent, Stephen Fry said separately: "It is astounding lunacy to serve up endangered species for sushi. There's no justification for peddling extinction, yet that is exactly what Nobu is doing in restaurants around the world."
Charles Clover, author of the book The End of the Line, on which the film is based, said: "Nobu has made a fortune by sucking up to celebrities, and if celebrities turn their back on him because he's selling endangered species, more fool him." ·
Comments are now closed on this article
Comments
But thankfully we have celebrities and their besties to save the day by boycotting an exclusive restaurant because they saw some marvellous film about sustainable fishing just the other day don't you know.
And that, my friend, is ra ra.
A bit ra ra? What does that mean? Tuna stocks are plemmeting, yet supermarkets still stock it across the world, with the biggest consumer Japan. Too many people, eating their way through other species and without the intelligence to conserve for the future. A case of the stomach doing the thinking as usual. Stupid hominids will be extinct eventually.
It might be a good gesture on Nobu's part to remove it from the menu if unable to demonstrate a sustainable source, but am I the only one thinking that this whole story seems a bit ra ra.