One of the interesting things I read today, alongside a tragic Hollywood death, the distinct possibility of global economic mayhem, the painful slow-motion collapse of lower-tier presidential campaigns and a new and shocking reaction to collective punishment upon a nation-state, is this article I read about how some of the highest quality fish out there, bluefin tuna, is filled with high levels of mercury.

On a personal level, Sushi gives me much joy, it saddens me to read that some of the best tasting items on the sushi menu are bad for you. Take away the thermometer fixings and the whole menu happens to be both good tasting and good for you. If the best of the best has quicksilver in it, I can't but wonder if the fish in my pay-scale come equipped with some type of heavy metal. One more thing to keep in mind for this omnivore's dilemma with seafood. (Say, for example, that whole, we-humans-are-eating-too-much-fish issue.)

What got me thinking is this nifty graph that came with the article. To research this, I suspect that the reporter used this as an excuse to eat at some of her favorite sushi joints at lunchtime. I envision her walking around midtown and snaking on an apparently dangerous number of bluefin nigiri, for a few weeks , all the while pocketing one or two pieces from each joint to give to the scientists. Doing this on a reporters budget, she'd probably skip the amazing places like Masa, and stick to the places that are either good or excellent....

I decided to make the following mashup to see if my theory is correct:

Quicksilver and Stars, an Unscientific Survey & Mashup

After doing all that cutting and pasting, I'll let you make your own conclusions.