Shark finless soup touted by chefs

[The Straight Story]

Shark finless soup touted by chefs

A bevy of local chefs joined environmentalists and public officials Friday in an effort to convince the Chinese community that a proposed ban on shark fin soup isn't an attack on their cultural heritage.

Since Assemblymen Paul Fong, D-Cupertino, and Jared Huffman, D-San Rafael, introduced AB376 in February, Chinese Americans, who see shark fin soup as an important part of their traditional cuisine, have emerged as the main opponents of the legislation.

But the chefs who joined the event held at the Omni Hotel in San Francisco argued that shark fin soup doesn't always need a shark fin.

Many said they are creating pseudo shark fin soup recipes using such substitutes as thinly sliced sea cucumber or braised abalone.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/05/07/BA8K1JD57H.DTL&tsp=1