This week I wanted to get aback a little bit to things Asian, but not necessarily linked to anime and manga or cons. As I was sitting here at the pc, noshing on some store-bought sushi (imitation crab stick used to make a California roll), drowning it in soy sauce to provide some taste to it, I realized how people can be turned off by the thought of eating sushi. I mean, what I was eating wasn’t foul, but really tasteless. Oh yeah…and those who are squeamish about “eating raw fish”. So I thought about how to ease someone into eating sushi.
Before you embark your friend on a journey of culinary decadence that is eating sushi, you may want to explain a few things. Like different forms of sushi, that not all sushi are raw fish and things that might compliment the dishes and certain things you probably shouldn’t do. Let’s start with the different forms of sushi…
Sushi – The most commonly known form. It’s really called Makisushi, or just Maki. They are the rolls that most people see. Usually, the fish and other ingredients are wrapped by rice with a seaweed outer layer, or the rice is sprinkled with sesame seeds.
Nigiri- Nigiri is an individual piece of fish or other items placed on top of a formed lump of rice, held sometimes with a thin strip of seaweed.
Sashimi – Sashimi is just the fish. Nothing else. But that cut of fish is supposed to be from the best part of the fish, the tastiest.
Temaki – Temaki is a hand roll. Basically a cone of seaweed stuffed with fish and rice.
The “easiest’ to eat is Maki. Wrapped up in a nice little, six to eight piece roll, it’s like a little package of yummy goodness.
Not all sushi is uncooked fish. There are vegetable, pickled (oshinko) vegetable and even cooked fish or tempura sushi available. Avocado, cucumber, mushroom and asparagus are popular for use in sushi, either by themselves or with fish. Cooked fish usually deals with salmon (even smoked), sometimes crab and also with shrimp. Tempura is basically deep frying something, therefore, whatever is served as tempura is basically cooked.
The two most common compliments are wasabi, soy sauce and ginger. The way it is presented today is really artificial in nature. Wasabi normally isn’t green (white) nor is ginger pink. It’s how they are made and packaged. Wasabi is actually from a horseradish root native to Japan and VERY spicy. Use sparingly and do NOT mistake it for mint (you will turn red, be unable to breathe and have snot running out of your nose while people point and laugh at you, this personal experience BTW). Soy sauce is just as it sounds. And ginger is sliced from the root and serves as a type palette cleanser between different tastes of fish. Some like to mix a little wasabi in their soy to make a spicy dipping sauce.
Ok, some things you shouldn’t really do. As mentioned before, don’t just chomp down on wasabi; you will pay dearly for it (and if I see it, you can bet you will be posted to YouTube in a manner of moments). Do NOT stab the sushi with your chopsticks or use a fork. It is considered rude and you will be inflicted with bad luck. However…it is NOT impolite to use your hands…it’s accepted that some people just suck with chopsticks; even some Japanese have this problem…
Alright, Part Two will discuss the different type of fish used and what they are called. As well as a sample menu for your reluctant friend who is wary of uncooked fish….
SIDE NOTES:
Fun fact: sushi, the maki and the temaki forms were prepared for farmers and laborers by their wives as lunch. Today, we pay out the nose to eat sushi, but back then (as with many cuisines); what the peasants ate is now what the affluent like to eat and consider it haught cuisine!
I may be going on an anime bender this upcoming week. Compiling my list, will take any and all suggestions, aiming for new stuff…so I can talk about it later!
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SixtySecondsSteve is simply sixty seconds or so of my life filmed per day and then displayed for all to see! The project runs through the end of the year! It could be something, or it could be nothing!
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Will actually be up Wednesday evening.
TONIGHT’S PLAY LIST:
New stuff for you all!
“Threshold” – Sex Bob Omb
“Scott Pilgrim” – Plumtree
“It’s Getting Boring by the Sea” – Blood Red Shoes
“We Hate You, Please Die” – Crash and the Boys
(all songs are off the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack)
Cut and paste this in your url to the music section to hear the music!
http://bigstevegearhart.multiply.com/
