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What To Do With The Water; 100-year-old Secret Ingredient in the "world famous" burgers. Aired 4-4:10a ET
Aired April 21, 2023 - 04:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COY WIRE, CNN 10 ANCHOR: What`s up, sunshine? Happy Friday. Let`s unleash our full potential. Take great energy, good vibes, and lots of love into
this weekend and make it a feel, good Friday. Remember, what`s within influences, what happens without.
I`m Coy Wire. This is CNN 10. And we start with fishermen in Japan. Bracing after the government`s recent decision to gradually release more than a
million tons of filtered wastewater from a toxic nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. The government says it`s necessary.
In the Fukushima Prefecture in 2011, a disastrous earthquake and tsunami followed by a nuclear meltdown, devastated this region of Japan. Dangerous
radioactive particles from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant contaminated the environment as radiation seeped into the sea, leading
authorities to prohibit fishing in several regions off the coast of Japan for more than a year. These areas had previously supplied 50 percent of the
country`s fish.
Even after the ban was lifted, though, Fukushima based fishermen were mostly limited to collecting only samples for radioactivity tests. Now,
more than a decade later, the ocean currents have dispersed the contaminated water, and radioactivity is undetectable. Many felt the
nightmare was over, but now some fishermen who make a living in this region say they feel betrayed. And safe or not, dumping contaminated water into
the ocean will be devastating to their reputations and livelihoods. CNN Correspondent Marc Stewart has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARC STEWART, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It`s just after 9:00 in the morning. The crew of this ship is back in port at the Ohama Fishing Village
in Fukushima, Japan. Kinzaburo Shiga is a third-generation fisherman starting in elementary school, going on trips with his father.
He told me he`s happy on the boat, but he faces challenges. His catch is tested for radiation. That`s because the port is around 40 miles from the
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. In 2011, there was a meltdown here after a catastrophic earthquake and tsunami.
For six years, he couldn`t fix fish, told to stay off the water. When he heard he couldn`t fish, he was sad, disappointed. The ocean was off limits.
(On camera): Twelve years later, fishermen face yet another challenge. Treated wastewater that accumulated inside the plant will soon be released
into the ocean, a threat to their reputation and way of life.
(Voice-over): He says the decision made his blood boil. He wonders why the government made the decision without the consent of the fishermen.
At the time, the Prime Minister said it had to be done to decommission the plant. We wanted to see the plant for ourselves, and we were allowed to
after agreeing to a strict safety protocol.
(On camera): This is as close as we can get to reactors one through four. The cleanup worked here will take at least 20 more years.
(Voice-over): We also saw a lab where fish are tested and lots of construction on the water treatment facility.
(On camera): Let me show you the tanks behind me, row after row, enough to fill about 500 Olympic swimming pools. The treated water will be let go
gradually through a tunnel that will take it offshore and then eventually into the ocean.
(Voice-over): According to the plant`s operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, the water has been treated by taking out most of the radioactive
particles. It`s then diluted with seawater, taking it to a level much lower than the World Health Organization`s clean drinking water standard.
And official from the utility told us he recognizes there`s distrust because of the past, but they`re listening to concerns. He knows not
everyone will accept their plan, but points out the support they`re getting from third parties such as the International Atomic Energy Agency. Still,
neighboring countries have expressed concern.
(On camera): Is there a public health risk by releasing this water?
IAN FAIRLIE, INDEPENDENT CONSULTANT ON RADIOACTIVITY IN THE ENVIRONMENT: Yes, there is a public health risk. And it`s relatively low, but the risk
exists. I think that they should store the water so that it decays naturally.
STEWART (on camera): While other options were considered, this was seen as the best plan as tanks near capacity. Japan`s Pacific coast has been a
point of pride and promise for fishermen like Kinzaburo.
He says he doesn`t know what will happen, but hopes leaders won`t work against the fishermen. The water release is expected to begin by the
summer, bringing with it more years of anxiety and uncertainty.
(On camera): Despite everything that has happened, Japan still views nuclear power as part of its future. It`s seen as a way to be energy
independent. It`s viewed as a greener energy source. And then on the topic of safety, the prime minister feels the next generation of plants will be
safer.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WIRE: Ten second trivia.
Which of these U.S. cities was named after the original capital of ancient Egypt?
Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, or Chattanooga?
Most of the pyramids found near Cairo are located in what was Memphis, the first capital of ancient Egypt.
Come on with me now so we can put the umm in Memphis, Tennessee for today`s story getting a 10 out of 10.
Now, all of you, my dear friends, you know by now that I try to eat healthy most of the time. I love fitness, but sometimes I just feel like fitness
entire burger into my mouth. Dyer`s Burgers in Memphis, they say that they have the world-famous burger and the secret is floating it in grease.
That`s more than 100 years old. Go figure.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KENDALL ROBERTSON, OWNER, DYER`S BURGERS: Grease is seasoned and filtered every day, but it still has molecules from 1912 in the grease.
I`m Kendall Robertson, the owner of world-famous Dyer`s on Beale in Memphis, Tennessee. We`re famous for our grease. We cook all our burgers in
grease. We season it filtered all the time, but it`s still the same original grease.
Elmer "Doc" Dyer created Dyers in 1912 when it was on Cleveland Street in Memphis. The story goes that one day one of his employees forgot to empty
out the frying pan the night before. He opened up and quickly got customers in and just started cooking burgers in the pan that had grease in it from
the night before. And the customers were like, this is the best burger I`ve ever had in my life. And so Dyers was born. Dyers isn`t like any other
restaurant. We have no grill. We have no flat top. We just have a skillet full of grease.
LYRIC CRAWFORD, AKA "THE BURGER G", COOK, DYER`S BURGERS: My name is Lyric, also known as the Burger guy. I`ll show you guys how to make a Dyer`s
burger.
We ball the meat up into a little ball and we`re going to use a wooden mallet. And a steel spatula to flatten them out.
The spatula is covered with grease, so that way the patty won`t stick. All cooked the same. There`s no medium, medium rare, any of that. They`re all
well done. And when they float, they`re done. See how it`s floating right here. Every bun comes with mustard, pickle and onion. Also black pepper at
the bottom of it. That is the traditional Dyers burger. Dyers has a special seasoning, but I cannot tell you what that is.
And here comes the magic pan. This is what everyone comes to love to watch. As you can see, we`ll put the cheese on top, make sure it gets good and
gooey and melted. Gives it like a very buttery flavor when you bite into it. And then it`s your first Dyer`s burger. When you bite into it it`s
everything you`ve ever wanted in a hamburger. It`s very simple, easy, quick. I`ve never had anybody try Dyer`s burger that didn`t truly love it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WIRE: You all are the only buns for me. We`re sending a special shout out to Laguna Hills, California New Vista School. What`s up, lovely people.
Thank you for taking the time to subscribe and comment on our CNN 10 YouTube Channel. And to those Mavericks from Mrs. Walton`s class at Marvin
Ridge Middle School in North Carolina. Rise up, keep shining bright y`all. Go on out and make someone smile today. Remember, you are more powerful
than you know.
I`m Coy Wire. This is CNN 10. It`s been a blessing to spend this week with you.
END
