*********************************************************** From: The Boston Globe Oct. 7, 1993
Japanese cuisine is famous for its freshness, subtlety in taste and esthetic presentation.
Sushi, tempura, sukiyaki, tofu...what else floats to the fore of the imagination when considering the delicacies of this Oriental fare? How about a suasage made from sewage?
A laboratory in western Japan has devised a way to process sewage into an edible high-protein enriched meat substitute. The laboratory at the Environmental Assessment Center in Okayama was asked by the city sewage department to find an end-use for recycled sewage, said Mitsuyuki Ikeda, a member of the team that developed the material.
"The sewage department wants to show citizens that sewage isn't really such a dangerous and dirty thing, that it can be recycled into something useful," Ikeda said.
Making a sewage burger is easy. The protein is drawn out from the solids in the sewage, then mixed with soybean protein and food additives. The finishing touch is a standby in every Japanese kitchen - steak sauce for flavor.
Voila! A substance resembling beef in looks and texture and some what in taste and smell is produced.
Thanks. Won't be eating lunch today now.