Sushi Otaku

Archive for December, 2005

My birthday is coming up in a few days and my wife asked me what I wanted to serve when my family comes over to celebrate. That’s easy… “Sushi .” Well, my family is pretty picky when it comes to food, which I can understand in my father’s case, but my mother, who ran a catering service for untold years, you would think, would have a more diverse interest in foods. I guess not. So, of the 12 or so folks who will be coming over, about 6 of them actually would eat sushi. So, we’re also getting some shrimp and they can have those and pretend.

I always knew that sushi wasn’t for everyone. Some folks are turned off by the rawness factor, some just because they don’t think they like the critter (ewww…. eel! I’ve been told). But one day I’d like to do a poll to see what it actually is that turns those people off. You eat tuna from a tin but you won’t eat it with rice? And it seems like some folks drown the piece in shoyu so they don’t have to taste anything. Weird. I understand the though of eating raw meat might be off-putting to some people, and I don’t think that’s weird, but I guess what I don’t understand is when someone simply refuses to at least give it a try. When I was younger, someone told me to try something three times and after the third time, I’ll either like the food or hate it. It worked with olives (which I love but used to dislike) and ever since then it has been my strategy (although these days I can’t think of any food that I don’t like, really).

I’m not disparaging people who don’t like sushi, I understand that not everyone likes everything, but just making the point that is this many people like it, it’s got to mean something. If you haven’t at least tried it, test out something simple, like maguro-maki (tuna roll) or even a cooked item like a shrimp tempura roll to get in the groove, so to speak. Remember.. Mikey didn’t really die from eating pop rocks and drinking coke, and as long you don’t go to a dive of a sushi-ya in a nasty part of town, neither will you.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

Wasabi is great with sushi, but is hard to come by. “What about the wasabi I have on my plate with my order” you may ask. Well, I hate to tell you, but usually it’s not actually wasabi. It’s American horseradish with flavorings and color added (look at the list of ingredients next time you see some in the store). Sorry to burst your bubble, but it’s true.
Real wasabi is expensive and hard to grow. It mostly comes from Japan, however a little bit is now being grown in the Pacific Northwest in The US. This rhizome grows in the rocky areas of brooks and streams and requires very specific conditions to grow. Because of this, it’s not easy to cultivate, and it’s not cheap to grow. So most Japanese restaurants aren’t going to throw a pile of it on your plate and see what happens.
Some high end (and even not so high end) restaurants actually have it available upon request (for an additional charge). My favorite place does. It often comes pre-prepared in a tube, but if you get lucky, you will find some freshly grated on a grater made from shark skin, the traditional method. And the freshly grated product is really night and day different from all else. It has a non-lingering intensity that actually enhances the fish without overpowering it (they say it also has anti-bacterial and anti-cancer properties but I’ve yet to see the studies). It’s potent but friendly and seamlessly blends with the piece in a well balanced preparation. There is no better compliment, in my opinion, to the subtle (or even not-so-subtle in some cases) dish that is sushi.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.