SUSHI 101

I WILL CONVERT YOU!

I have added a new goal to my life… I will eat at every sushi bar in Missouri, then the midwest, then the entire United States. Yep, I think that is feasible.

As you may or may not know, I LOVE sushi. It is almost an addiction. My parents raised me on the stuff. I was always taken to hibachi grills as a child… The chefs new me by name and actually watched me grow from kindergarten and into college. Needless to say the chefs enjoyed serving the little blonde haired american girl all the raw fish she could eat because if the little girl could eat sushi so could the big bad business men with money. I was a hell of a sales gimmick for them.

Even now Zan and I go out for Sushi once a month. We try to get other co-workers to try it. It is insanely fun to get new people to go to a Sushi bar. But, as I have found out there are a lot of people who are just plain nervous, so I am making a SUSHI 101 comprehensive guide to sushi bars. Oh, Zan, Rick REALLY wants to go with us later this month... he dug it.

I have found this to be a helpful site.

Vocabulary:

bento boxes-remember the cafeteria trays in school… all the nifty little dividers that seperated your veggies from your chicken fingers and pudding? Bento boxes are exactly like that, it holds all of your food in separate little compartments.

So you're sitting at the table, and the waiter gives you your order along with some green paste, some thinly-sliced pink stuff, and a bottle of dark mysterious liquid. What is all this stuff?

nigiri(-zushi) -- pieces of raw fish over vinegared rice balls
sashimi -- raw fish (without rice)
wasabi -- Japanese horseradish-The green paste. Grown only in Japan, finely-grated wasabi is pungent and guaranteed to clear your sinuses. Because fresh wasabi is very expensive, cheaper powder and paste alternatives are often used. Many people mix some wasabi into their soy sauce, but this is only proper with sashimi and maki sushi. Even though wasabi is given for nigiri sushi, it is not supposed to be used. This really only holds true at the bar; feel free to use wasabi to suit your own tastes out of the chef's view. The most important thing to know about wasabi is that it is VERY HOT and VERY SPICY. Only use a tiny, tiny dab. But it is great fun to get a "newbie" to try the "green gum."
gari -- vinegared ginger-The thinly-sliced pink stuff. Used to freshen the mouth between bites of sushi, pickled ginger root comes in numerous small and incredibly thin slices. It is eaten with chopsticks (hashi) and essential for cleansing your palate between eating different types of sushi.
shOyu -- soy sauce-The bottle of dark mysterious liquid is essential to eating sushi. However, the sushi should not be soaked in soy sauce. The rice will fall apart, and the soy is meant to complement, not overwhelm, the flavor of the sushi. With your sushi will be a small dish where you can pour the soy Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. and use it for dipping. Pour as much as you think you will need, keeping in mind you can always add more. It is poor form to fill the dish like a wading pool.

OH, and if you SUSHI TASTES LIKE FISH... LEAVE... GOOD SUSHI NEVER EVER EVER HAS THAT FISHY SMELL... AT THAT POINT IT IS BEST IF YOU STEP AWAY FROM THE SUSHI!

My favorite Nigiri
Keep in mind a lot of Nigiri is actually cooked! Like the tako-it is steamed!
hotategai -- scallop
ika -- squid
ikura -- salmon roe
sake -- salmon
tako -- octopus

California Rolls are always a safe bet. They usually have avacado and crab meat rolled in rice and seaweed.

The standard protocol in America is to start a meal with miso soup, a clear broth with floating kelp and tofu. From there, your tastebuds will enjoy some assorted sashimi (the fish pieces without the rice). But first, place some wasabi in the soy dish. Be moderate; you are paying for the taste of the fish or topping, not the taste of the wasabi. Then it's time to move on to the sushi. While there is no specific order for eating the various kinds of sushi, the maki should be eaten first, since the crispness of the seaweed does not last long after touching the damp rice. Before the nigiri sushi is eaten, the soy dish should be changed. Unlike maki sushi and sashimi (which require chopsticks), nigiri sushi should be eaten with the hands. Grip the sushi from the top, then flip it so that the rice is on top. Dip only the topping into the soy sauce, and always place the sushi in the mouth so that the topping meets the tongue first. Most of all, remember that you're not eating hot dogs at the ballgame; sushi is far more expensive, and should be savored as a delicacy.

Wherever you go, try going for lunch. Most places will have a lunch sushi special that will include several pieces and a roll for $8 to $10. It's a good way to get your feet wet without spending a fortune. Try the Miso soup and a ginger salad for starters. The Gari and the ginger on the ginger salad are a kind of taste you have to learn to appreciate… as a kid I thought it tasted like lysol… it is an aquired taste ‘cause now I LOVE the stuff!

Want to impress the chef?
Always ask the chief what's good, and let him pick for you. This shows you respect the chief, and he in turn will respect you by giving you a good cut. It also wouldn't hurt to reply in a few japanese phrases.
Start with assorted sashimi, with wasabi in the soy dish. The chief will prepare a plate with veggies, which can be eaten along with the fish.
When done with the sashimi, ask for a change of soy dish. No wasabi should be placed in the dish, since wasabi is already between the rice and the fish. Now you're ready for sushi. Again, ask the chief for the picks of the day. He will look at your plate to see how well you are doing, rather than look at you for your next selection. It is considered 'better' to start with tamago or some other vegetable sushi, then open field to eat whatever you want, and close with sashimi.

I would recommend going to a sushi bar with a friend. If there is more than one sushi chef, try to sit near the one who looks to be the most senior chef (he will often be the chef at the far left side of the bar).

When you sit at the bar, a waitress will probably bring you an oshibori (hot towel which you use to wipe your hands and face) and ask you if you would like a drink. Sake is o.k. with sashimi, and is also o.k. before your sushi, but you should have beer or tea with your sushi (since the sake is made from rice, having it at the same time you are eating rice is thought to be redundant - kind of like ordering a side of bread to go with you sandwich). You can also order soup from the waitress. The only thing you ever order from the sushi chef is sushi and sashimi, everything else, including asking for the bill should go through the waitress.

When it comes time to order sushi, I strongly encourage you to tell your sushi chef that this is your first time out. Ask him to help you. They love this! One of my best experiences was my first time out when I did just that - we had a great time, learned a lot, and got a lot of sushi we didn't have to pay for too! If you go this route, you will probably be getting an order (2 pieces) at a time. When you sit at a sushi bar, it is better to place small orders often rather than one large order at the beginning (I think so anyway).
With your sushi you will get a small dish where you can put soy sauce for dipping. Use only a scant amount of soy sauce - as much as you think you will use up. It is better to err on the shy side - you can always add more. It is impolite to fill up the dish like a kiddie pool. Along with your sushi will also be some pink stuff called gari. This is pickled ginger, and is eaten with your chopsticks (hashi) to cleanse your palate between differnt kinds of sushi. There will also be a small mound of green paste. This is a strong horseradish called wasabe. Many people mix some of this into their soy sauce. Do this only if you are having sashimi. It is impolite to use it if you are eating sushi - and yes, I realize they gave it to you with your sushi, but it's still impolite. You see, the chef puts a little wasabe inbetween the rice and fish of your sushi. To then add wasabe to your soy sauce is basically telling the chef he doesn't know the proper amount of wasabe to use.

If you don’t know how to use chopsticks
To eat sushi, I would recommend using your fingers (use your hashi for sashimi). Pick up the sushi from the backside by reaching over the piece, and turning your hand upside down. Grasp the sushi between your thumb and middle finger, laying your middle finger along side of the sushi and not pinching too hard. Pick up the sushi so that the fish is now on the underside. Your thumb, middle finger, and fourth finger can be used to hold it together. Your index finger lays atop the rice. Dip the end of the sushi into the soy sauce - but only the fish part. Try not to get soy on the rice, it will fall apart. Then bring the sushi to your mouth, placing the fish side on your tongue (it's still upside down right?) and the bite it in half.
If you pick up something from your friends dish with your hashi you should turn them around and use the backend (i.e. not the end you ate from). Also, if your chef is doing a nice job for you, you can offer to buy him a drink, sake or beer. This is a nice thing to do, and help build your relationship.

Want to take a “newbie” to the bar?
I also agree...start slowly and sit at the sushi bar....it's very exciting for the newcomer. Let the Chef know that it is your friend's first time...get them involved. I find that most people like Tuna and Salmon sushi. At some point, work in eel....they'll think it sounds disgusting but tell them that it is cooked and not to worry about it. Usually, they like the sweet sauce and they are hooked. Also, if they like seaweed, order some handrolls...they'll think it's cool.

When I go to a sushi shop in an unknown territory, I always speak to the chef at the sushi bar in Japanese and ask what's good today. If he answers in Japanese my questions to my satisfaction, I eat sushi there. However, the chef does not understand my Japanese, then I always avoid such a place. I do not mean being biased, but I have to play safe. I do not want to eat sushi prepared by a chef who has never been raised with sushi in the past, but started a sushi shop because of its popularity. So far I have never been caught in surprise. Regarding the safety, sushi made of fresh fish caught in a temperate zone ocean is normally free of problematic parasites. Salmon is always salt cured and frozen first to kill parasites before it is used. Generally avoid any fresh water fish, e.g., carp that tend to have more serious parasites if you would like to prepare your own.

The best way to impress an itamae is to be inquisitive, honest, and interested in the food and dining experience. Ask him what he would recommend. You can throw him a few Japanese expressions that he may appreciate. A few are:

Arigato - Thank you. (Arigato Mr. Roboto-hehehe, couldn't help it Bruce)
Domo - Thank you, not as polite as arigato. Domo and arigato can be combined ("domo arigato") and then become a more polite form of thank you.
Domo arigato gozaimasu - A very polite form of thank you, said while engaged in an activity. One can also say "domo sumimasen."
Domo arigato gozaimasta - Another very polite form of thank you, said after the meal or activity has concluded.
Dozo - "Please."
Gochisou-sama deshita - "It was a feast!" (Traditionally said at the end of a meal)
Hai - "Yes."
Konichiwa - Literally "this day" but colloquially meaning "hello" or "good day."
Oishii - "Yummy" or "Delicious."
Okonomi - Ordering sushi a few pieces at a time.
Omakase - "Chef's choice" meaning whatever the chef would like to serve you.

Lots of people like to eat of each other's plates when experiencing death by sushi. When you pick something up from a friend's dish, make sure to turn the chopsticks around and use the backend, not the end you ate from.
A note on chopsticks: even if you are uncoordinated, you should try to use them. A fork and knife will seldom be found at a sushi bar, and even if they are, using them is akin to saying that the meat is tough. Do you want to insult the chef? Go with your hands if you have to. Some restaurants may have you finish the meal with a bowl of miso soup, rather than serving it at the beginning of your dining experience.

Do you all feel enlightened?