Interest of Japanese Restaurants in Brisbane in using Giant Clam Meat in their Cuisine and their Knowledge of it

This paper reports on the results of a survey of all Japanese restaurants in the Brisbane city area of Queensland, Australia. This survey was conducted in October 1992 in order to determine the knowledge which owners/managers/chefs of these restaurants nave about giant clam meat and their interest in using it. The survey results show that most of chefs in these Japanese restaurants lack experience in cooking or using giant clam meat although many of them have knowledge about giant clams and know some potential methods of preparing it. The paper also examines the relationship between interest of restaurants in using giant clam meat and (1) the ethnic as well as regional background of the chef, (2) the geographical location of the restaurant (Brisbane versus the Gold Coast), (3) the extent of the restaurant's dependence for custom on locals and overseas tourists, (4) the racial nature of its customers (European or non-European), and (5) the income level of its customers. Although the same type of survey was undertaken for Asian restaurants in Queensland (Tisdell, l992). The sample did not include any Japanese restaurants in the Brisbane area. Therefore, the survey summarised in this paper supplements the report on Asian restaurants in Queensland by Tisdell (1992)