Sushi Otaku

Archive for the ‘General Musings’ Category

Yep, the Vegan Black Metal Chef is out with another video, and this time it’s one of my favorites, sushi! The language is definitely adult, so if you would rather avoid cursing, don’t watch the video, but The Chef actually has cooking skills and when it’s sushi, I can’t stay away.

Every once in a while I read something about the restaurant business that makes me so incredibly happy that I am a regular at a few sushi places and trust them implicitly. I walk in, they know I am a regular and I am treated as such. There is a reason that I am a regular too, I trust their practices and I love their food. And most especially, they are nothing like Sushi World.

I don’t think it takes a brain surgeon to realize that making sushi in a place used for pigeons and cats is not a good idea. Especially when your customers are starting to suffer from food poisoning. I can only wonder why it took the Australian authorities so long to shut them down. Places like this are certainly not limited to Australia, and I have heard my share of horror stories about places in North America, but I’ve always associated Australia with fresh seafood (perhaps a stereotype, but at least a good one). I’ll have to get myself over there to test the waters, so to speak. And maintain my status as a ‘regular’ at my local places, so when I’m in the kitchen talking to the chefs, I can be sure that there are no critters present, be they furry or flying.

Of course it had to happen. After last week’s “sushi pet peeves” post I was at my favorite sushi-ya last night and there they were. I was sitting at the bar (the drink bar, not the sushi bar) waiting for my second take out order to be filled (long story) and staring hard at the bottle of Geikkeikan Black and Gold sake (my current favorite). As usual, I was eavesdropping on just about everyone’s conversation as I like to hear what other people have to say about the restaurant and the food. A group of three sat next to me and started talking about all sorts of stuff. Up came the question “do you like this place?” And his response… “I’ve never been here before. I don’t like fish so I don’t eat sushi.”

That was a real head scratcher for me. He’s come to a not inexpensive sushi-ya with a serious reputation for its high quality sushi. But I guess he figures he’s going to eat chicken teriyaki? OK, I’m not one to judge, but that’s one expensive place to come for chicken, which, in my opinion is the one food I’ll never order out. After all, it’s chicken and frankly no one can prepare it any better than you can at home. Obviously he was there with friends, who probably all ate sushi and were in for a good time. But it’s always funny to hear something like that in a sushi-ya. But when they were seated I realized that he’s wasting a perfectly good seat at the sushi bar, where I should have been sitting, snacking, while waiting for my take out.

Warren
The sushi guy.

Well this is my second post that seems to have hit upon something because my traffic went up dramatically. But it raises an issue. About 80% of the incremental traffic came from one particular website where a link was posted, and I thought I’d address three issues that came up in that community (and some not too nice emails I have received). Many folks there were pretty nice when commenting on the link and appreciated that was not meant to be an end-all be-all definitive guide, just my observations. There were some outright hostile folks (where did that come from?) which was something that I don’t quite understand. I don’t want to name the site because I’d rather not give them any attention. But… To address what I feel was unwarranted (and some hostile) criticism:

1. The claim: I’m elitist.
I’ve never thought I was elitist, nor do I intend to be. I happen to have a fair amount of knowledge about the topic of sushi, and I want to share my opinions and what I have learned over the years. The use of proper terminology is useful, I think within the context of this blog. I also don’t feel it’s elitist to suggest that there may be a “proper” way to eat sushi, at least when viewed traditionally, and I thought I was clear that I was not issuing an edict saying “you must do it this way.” My goal is, again, to share my experience and knowledge, not to tell people what to do. See my blog as an item of interest or curiosity if nothing else.

2. The claim: I’m in it for the money.
I’m sorry to say that there is no money in what I’m doing. I’ve thrown a few ads up here and on SushiFAQ.com in the event that one day the pittance I receive might pay my bandwidth costs, but if you have ever seen the bids on sushi related keywords, you would find it underwhelming. In the seven months since I started Sushi Otaku I’ve gotten about 5 clicks on ads, each paying a few pennies. And I don’t make much more than that on SushiFAQ.com. I almost wish it were true that I’m just a greedy you-know-what, but if I were, I’d be writing about something with high paying keywords, not about sushi.

3. The claim: I’m dumb.
I’m not sure how to argue this one post my SAT scores? I acknowledge the obvious nature of some of my points in my “How to Find a Good Sushi Restaurant” piece. It was not meant to be an in-depth analysis of the situation, just a basic set of guidelines to think about. What else is a blog than the opinions of someone who thinks they know about something? It’s a blog, folks. Get over it and get angry about something that actually matters. Change the world (oh, but that would be too hard, let’s just make fun of a guy who writes about sushi).

There were also the standard “you’re a jerk” and other angry types of responses, but of course it’s never worth wasting the energy arguing those points since you can never change the minds of folks who fly off the cuff like that. Let them stew in their own unhappiness. I like constructive criticism. I like comments on my blog, and if I can make it more interesting or informative I ask everyone out there to tell me how I can do this. But most of all I’m just having fun and I hope entertaining a few of you out there who care about sushi. I really appreciate all of you who comment or just read and enjoy this blog. And to anyone who would rather disparage what I am doing, I ask that you perhaps just go do what you do best elsewhere. If you really want to know, I’m actually in it for the sushi.

Warren
The sushi guy.

Well my last entry seemed to have hit upon something as the resulting number of visits was nothing short of overwhelming. I had a small, core audience reading my blog for a while now, but I can’t thank everyone enough for the support and suggestions that have come in over the last few days.

I love sushi. Obviously. Apparently there are a heck of a lot of you out there who do as well. I’m no guru, just someone who happens to obsess over the things he likes, but I hope that I can continue to shed enough light on the world of sushi to keep everyone interested and coming back. I’m afraid now that I’ve set the bar too high

I hope to have another entry out this weekend, but being a holiday weekend I can’t promise anything. Generally I try for one enter per week, more often if I’m inspired and less often if I’m busy (my RL job keeps me fairly tied down so I’m amazed I can write here at all). I will also try to keep the entries as interesting as I can, I never tire of talking about sushi, but I don’t want to start repeating myself. But I am a sushi otaku after all….

Thanks again everyone who read and especially commented either publicly or in private email. Hearing from you all is what makes this whole blog worthwhile. Let’s all raise a glass of sake and say ‘kampai’ to ourselves and our mutual enjoyment of the delightful food that is sushi.

Cheers,
Warren
The sushi guy.

Well, holiday sushi only in the sense that we’re in the holiday season I guess… My birthday was December 24th and my wife had asked me what I wanted to do for dinner. It’s the night before Christmas and what we often do is have dinner at home with whatever family came into town and spend the rest of the evening putting together toys for the kids. There was only one thing I wanted… Sushi .

My folks were in town and they are, as I have mentioned, meat and potatoes people. They eat fish, but not raw. My brother the vegan won’t even eat anything that has a brain/ganglia or a face, as he puts it. My kids are only interested in playing with the food (and my daughter is too young for raw fish anyway), but they will eat edamame. But my aunt and uncle, who live one town over, are sushi eaters, so we had a small percentage of the crew who would eat if we got sushi.

We got sushi.

I gave fair warning and my folks got Chinese food. My brother always makes his own tofu or seitan or something (which is usually pretty good I must admit) and my kids got eggs, rice and veggies. I think it was a pretty boring spread of food, and when you put the sushi up against everything else, it makes you scratch your head and wonder how it got there. The sushi looked great, well presented on the plate (itamae made, my layout), a stark contrast to the bowls of greasy Chinese somethingorother and a dark mass of somethingelse I had to ask my brother the contents. Overall a strange spread. So I (and my wife and aunt) had a healthful dinner, with a clean and fresh feel to it, craft and quality while most of the crew got to have a bowl of grease and unidentifiable foods overly seasoned and full of MSG. For a Christmas eve/birthday dinner. And it was good. But my aunt left my birthday cannolis at home.

Warren
The Sushi guy.

How do you decide where to go? A colleague of mind has invited me to a dinner at one of two different sushi-yas in NYC and I’m in a quandary. They are both top rated, traditional restaurants and I’ve heard great things about both. The problem is that I have no frame of reference.

That may sound odd, but when it comes to sushi, it’s very particular and the differences are established by presentation, freshness, and creativity. These are not things that can be judged without having been there. It’s easy to arrive at a restaurant and say ‘Oh My God, I’m leaving’ (as I did when I saw a rat walk casually up to me in an Indian restaurant about 10 years ago). But when it looks good and sounds good, It’s impossible to tell the difference between two dedicated sushi joints without having the experience oneself.

When it comes to sushi, especially, what is ‘good’ is really determined by ones preferences. Some folks like uni and can judge excellent quality in a piece. To others, it’s a slimy goo (which is practically blasphemy, IMHO). The point is, I hear they are good restaurants, but will they satisfy this sushi otaku?

I think there’s only one way to find out. I’ll flip a coin, head on over and ask for the ‘omakase.’ There is no better way to test an itamae’s abilities and see what a restaurant can offer. Then, I’ll have to mosey on over to the other one (perhaps I’ll invite him) and do the same. then compare.

There is no other type of food that is so personal an experience than sushi. I love items that my wife won’t touch. Everyone has their favorites, and with the variety of flavors and textures that sushi offers, it’s not hard to find something you like. But finding something that you will mortgage your soul for (I can’t sell it outright) is truly a unique experience, and for some people, this is it. For others, it’s just a dinner. But the experience that a particular sushi restaurant offers is what makes this type of dining so very personal.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

I was introduced to sushi when I was around 10 or 11 years old, I think. I was at a fairly ritzy party of some sort and they had a large plate of basic items for the taking… but no one was taking. This was over 20 years ago and I guess sushi hadn’t caught on here in North America, and it looked kind of weird. But then again… I’m kind of weird

so… I bee-lined for the table and tried a piece. And then another. I couldn’t believe that something this good existed and I hadn’t come across it. My mother had a catering business, and food was a large part of my lifestyle, but here was something so totally different, so intricate yet simple that it really made me stop and think about what food can be. For a minute. I was only 11, after all. I was used to fancy foods, I even cooked for my mother’s business at times and knew the routines. But I knew that these pieces required skills that no one I knew possessed. This was food as art, and it was mighty tasty too. Food, a basic requirement of life and a mere commodity, couldn’t get better than this.

I knew that I had found something that I would seek out for the rest of my life. I didn’t eat anything else that day, and I probably polished off most of the sushi and sashimi that was offered, since no one else seemed to want any (and 11 year old kids kind of do what they want anyway, right?). It wasn’t a problem. But what was a problem was finding more sushi. It was years before I realized that there were restaurants out there devoted to sushi. And even longer before I could eat at one(the thought of raw fish was never something that the rest of my family could appreciate). Eventually, I found my way, and my aunt, seeker of all things culinarily different, became my sushi savior. But that too is another story.

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

Welcome to my sushi blog, and, yes, I am aware of the negative connotation of the word ‘otaku’ in Japanese, however being a gaijin I thought I’d throw caution to the wind and use the word anyway. Westerners seem to think they have adopted the word for themselves so at least I’m not the first to misuse it
(stands up) “Hi. My name is Warren and I am a sushi freak.” I love sushi. I obsess over sushi. The yielding crunchiness of Ika (squid). The fresh and fecund creaminess of Uni (sea urchin). The way tobiko (flying fish roe) hides between my teeth for hours after a meal.
I talk about it way too much and if I had my way, I’d have a personal chef preparing me a new type every day for lunch and dinner. I also run the Sushifaq.com website as a labour of love. I *do* have a life outside my obsession, but I can honestly say that sushi factors heavily into my life nonetheless. As yet another outlet, I figured I’d start this blog to clear my head, share my thoughts (and meals), and interact with other sushi lovers out there in the real/virtual world. With that… on with the show. Happy eating!

Warren
The Sushi Guy.

Just for kicks, I have added a poll to help us discover the most common answer to this very question. If you have a moment and want your voice to be heard, head over to the poll and cast your vote: