Wild for shrimp

"Shrimp from Southeast Asia is cheaper, consistent in size and quality, and is readily available for domestic purveyors," explains Vicky Murphy, spokeswoman for Atlanta-based Inland Seafood, a purveyor that provides Atlanta's restaurant industry with most of its products. But Murphy quickly points out that wild-caught shrimp have far better flavor, whether domestic or imported, and most of the upscale restaurants in Atlanta use them rather than imported shrimp.

Shrimp are bottom feeders and when left in the wild produce a natural group of chemical compounds called bromophenols, a Texas A&M study says. According to the study, these little goodies are apparently what give wild-caught shrimp their superior flavor. Many coastal states have established a coalition process and marketing blitz, "certified wild American shrimp," with grants from the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Commercials for the group are all over the food channels, touting "the shrimp you thought you were eating" as better than farm-raised and imported. Vignettes of shrimp farmers, their faces as weathered as their battered boats, are designed to tug at your heartstrings as well as your taste buds. And make you want to open your wallet to higher shrimp prices. The truth is, the average American doesn't know where the shrimp on their plate comes from, and even with country of origin labels at the grocery store these days, the Food and Drug Administration doesn't require any truth in menu writing.

That means that restaurant owners can say pretty much whatever they want on menus and get away with it. The key giveaway to the consumer is the cost: Wild-caught American shrimp are more expensive. Rocketing fuel costs are affecting domestic shrimp farmers, but that fact will be hitting the international market soon, too.

Could it be that something good could come from high fuel prices? If it forces American consumers to eat closer to home, then the answer is yes.

Woodfire Grill's noted 'locavore' chef

And speaking of close to home, Atlanta's Woodfire Grill is listed as one of the top 10 farm-to-table restaurants in the country by epicurious.com. "Chef Michael Tuohy has long been a supporter of organic growing, and helped launch Georgia's Organics, a nonprofit group that promotes healthy, local, sustainable food in the diet of people across the state. While he uses local produce to create dishes, his cooking shows North Californian influences, hinting at his San Francisco roots." That's just a taste of the kudos that the Web site showers on Tuohy and the restaurant. Go to www.epicurious.com for the full article.

(It's interesting to note the site's coining of the term "locavore," which is a chef who cooks locally and seasonally, not a type of train.)

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