A Fishy Tale of Obscene Excess

Why did the Dear Leader keep me alive? Just for the halibut.

Sorry for posting two blog entries in a row about the Kim royal family north of the border. And apologies to those who already have been following the exploits of Kenji Fujimoto – Kim Jong Il’s on-again, off-again sushi chef for close to two decades until 2003. Fujimoto has already penned three books about his experiences, and The Atlantic magazine and others since have put out articles about him. However, this new GQ article on Kim Jong-Il's sushi chef and play buddy is a riveting up-to-date account of the mercurial Japanese cook whose loyalties and regard for the safety of family and self have flip flopped more often than a live fish on a pier. The article is nine pages long. Nevertheless, it’s a story that just doesn’t ever get old, especially in the hands of Pulitzer Prize winning author Adam Johnson. If you enjoy tales about pleasure palace excesses that will make you want to vomit with disgust, would-be assassins that go bump in the night, connections between a Japanese sushi-chef and basketball oddity Dennis Rodman, and people with moral rudders as flimsy as fresh-sliced halibut, this article is a must read. Hell, I’m almost tempted to go out and buy a copy of this month’s GQ magazine in order to keep a permanent copy of it.