The young Milanese man with Chinese ancestry is on his way to the weekly market on the Via Bartolomeo Eustachi. Every Tuesday, a modest but pleasant – and above all colourful – farrago springs up, half on the sidewalk, half on the street. At the more than 30 stalls there are fruits, vegetables, clothes, meat and poultry, along with olives and bric-a-brac like that of a cheapjack. Crucial for Hu is the fresh fish sold opposite the Bao Bar, near the Via Achille Maiocchi intersection. Barbel, sardines, a variety of shellfish, loup de mer, gamberi rossi and squid lie on the three-by-five-metre-wide ice heap in front of Stefano the fishmonger. The bacalao, dried and salted cod, exudes its intense aroma. Hu holds a hefty piece of tuna fillet in his hands, checks its freshness, firmness, grain and colour – and is satisfied. Fresh fish plays an important role in his life. Because Hu is a sushi master.
