CityPaper.net: On a Roll
A friend just got back from a tour of Japan. He loved it, but said he found the sushi unsatisfying. I didn't see how, until he explained that it "lacked flair." He's a spicy-tuna-roll kind of guy...The concept of "authentic" Japanese sushi is one every sushi restaurant very much wants its American customers to believe they're getting when they belly up to the bar. And the sushi very well may be authentic. But chances are, if an American is eating it, it ain't authentic. And that's nobody's fault but our own. Specifically, our palates are to blame...Takashi Yoshida...can cite the differences between how we eat sushi, and how sushi is eaten in the Land of the Rising Sun. "In Japan, sushi is mostly nigiri. There, sushi sales are 80 percent nigiri and 20 percent maki, or rolls. Here, I sell 70 percent rolls, and 30 percent nigiri. Americans are afraid of eating raw fish, so it's mostly cooked or smoked fish they order when they order sushi. "...more...

Mulboyne wrote: 70 percent rolls, and 30 percent nigiri. Americans are afraid of eating raw fish, so it's mostly cooked or smoked fish they order when they order sushi. "...more...

Maybe they want to burn off the mercury in their sushi.

A BIG LEAK ON SAMURAI SUSHI

3-Story Floating Restaurant Springs A Big LeakDec 1, 2005 10:26 pm US/Pacific
(CBS 13) SACRAMENTOA popular floating restaurant along the Garden Highway is in danger of sinking into the Sacramento River.
For some unknown reason, samurai sushi is taking on water.
And now efforts are underway to keep the business afloat in more ways than one.
His restaurant just opened for business 6 months ago, but as crews work feverishly to save it, rocky oh has a sinking feeling.
"How come it happen to me?" said rocky oh, restaurant owner.
Samurai Sushi On The River...could soon be "in" the river, as the barge began taking on water overnight.
We don't know exactly where the water's coming from. Obviously it came in really fast last night. We're told that when this collapsed it lowered about a foot and a half real quickly," said Niko King, Sacramento City Fire Department.
With the basement completely submerged, and a foot of water covering the first level of the restaurant, crews spent the day trying to pump the water out.
"The dock may break because the dock is actually what's holding it in place right now. It's kind of wedged between land and the dock," said Josh Pino, building inspector.
The pumping proved futile, because the barge was taking in water faster than it could be taken out.
And so there was even talk of divers placing airbags underneath to raise it.
...more...

Kyodo via Yahoo: Sushi or not sushi? That is the question
Teriyaki chicken, beef yakisoba, salmon and avocado, tempura prawn, chicken-katsu, carrot and avocado and spicy salmon...."Australia's nori rolls are sometimes unique and sometimes absolutely wrong," laughs Hideo Dekura, a Japanese master sushi chef who has lived and worked in Australia for 32 years...."In Japan, there are many conservative people about sushi. They think sushi is a very professional world. But in Australia people are very, very creative," he said. "Creativity is very important for our food culture. Especially in Australia it is multicultural, you know. So why not?" Dekura said of the innovative approach taken to sushi here. And how do they taste? "Oh my God, terrible!"...more...

Mulboyne wrote:Kyodo via Yahoo: Sushi or not sushi? That is the question

SUSHI???

Yahoo! News Photo
Sushi' as portrayed by female impersonator Gary Marion, talks to a sea of revelers late December 31, 2005, before being lowered to Duval Street in Key West, Florida, to celebrate the dawn of 2006.

Daily Bulletin: Sushi's next generation: Tradition vs. taste

...[W]hat makes Kim special is that he is of Korean descent and joins a growing number of non-Japanese immigrants who are getting their hands on a culinary art that was once strictly under Japanese tutelage...Andy Matsuda, founder of Sushi Chef Institute in Los Angeles, said about 70 percent of Japanese restaurants in Southern California are owned by non-Japanese immigrants - mostly with Korean, Chinese, Thai and Filipino backgrounds..."Non-Japanese people are controlling the sushi business and the industry is not going in a good direction," Matsuda said. Although sushi may seem to be a simple arrangement of fish over rice, it poses a great danger when ill prepared, he said. According to Matsuda, even the state's health department standards are not strict enough for raw fish..."Nationality? I don't care," said [Shusuke] Kazama, who owns Upland's Kazama Sushi with his Chinese wife. "Who teaches the sushi chef, that's very important."

...Yi, a first generation Korean-American, scoffs at the idea that non-Japanese sushi chefs are subpar. Food evolves, Yi said, and serving truly authentic offerings isn't always popular. He pointed out that mackerel and sea urchin are Japanese favorites but few will order it in the United States. "If you make it following certain rules and structures, and only two out of 10 people like it, it just doesn't make sense," Yi said...But to Keiko Tanaka, sushi will always be integral to her native country. Tanaka, who owned restaurants in Japan before opening Nogi Sushi in Claremont, said it is possible for non-Japanese chefs to make excellent sushi - but she's not interested in hiring them. "I will always hire sushi chefs trained in Japan," Tanaka said. "I'm very traditional, it's hard to explain. Maybe American people don't care, they can't tell the difference between Korean and Japanese chefs, but I was raised in Japan, and that's my policy."

...Following that Japanese-only policy may prove difficult as the number of Japanese immigrants continues to lag behind that of other growing Asian communities. According to 2000 census figures, there were only 797,000 Japanese-Americans in the United States, a 6 percent drop over 10 years. That decline was even more prominent in California, the state with the highest number of Japanese-Americans, where the population dropped 8 percent in the same period. Meanwhile, the Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Filipino communities grew dramatically. But Asian immigrants are not the only ones taking the sushi limelight. In the sushi chef competition sponsored by the Japanese Restaurant Association of Southern California, winners in the past two years were of Mexican and Portuguese descent.

Mulboyne wrote:Daily Bulletin: Sushi's next generation: Tradition vs. taste

...[W]hat makes Kim special is that he is of Korean descent and joins a growing number of non-Japanese immigrants who are getting their hands on a culinary art that was once strictly under Japanese tutelage...

Most of sushi places in Chicago don't have a Japanese chef: they're all Korean and Taiwanese. The best reviewed sushi place, Mirai Sushi, has a couple of Japanese counter men but there are mostly 60-day diploma holders making the sushi in the back including <gasp> women. Starting wage is over $70k year for chef who formally trained in Japan (even a pale alien like me).

How sushi ate the world
Sunday Observer.Guardian.co.uk, February 26, 2006
From the cutting edge of Tokyo and New York to the chilled cabinet at Boots, sushi is fast becoming the global convenience food of choice. But, Alex Renton asks, can raw fish and cold rice ever become the new Big Mac?
...more...

Taro Toporific wrote:How sushi ate the world
Sunday Observer.Guardian.co.uk, February 26, 2006
From the cutting edge of Tokyo and New York to the chilled cabinet at Boots, sushi is fast becoming the global convenience food of choice. But, Alex Renton asks, can raw fish and cold rice ever become the new Big Mac?
.
..more...

"The sushi competition run each year by Matsuri in London's High Holborn was won last year by a mozzarella, spring onion and almond confection (the runner-up was mashed kipper and crispy-bacon sushi)."

.................my brain hurts

ichigo partygirl wrote:"The sushi competition run each year by Matsuri in London's High Holborn was won last year by a mozzarella, spring onion and almond confection (the runner-up was mashed kipper and crispy-bacon sushi)."

.................my brain hurts

See them on Original British Sushi.

Wal-Mart Targeting Upscale Shoppers
AP Business News--Mar 22, 2:52 AM EST
PLANO, Texas (AP) --Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has overcome its rural roots and downscale image to attract affluent shoppers, but executives admit that many of those well-heeled consumers come only for cheap groceries and steer clear of the other merchandise.
In its boldest effort yet to target upscale shoppers, the nation's largest retailer is opening a new store this week with an expanded selection of high-end electronics, more fine jewelry, hundreds of types of wine ranging up to $500 a bottle, and even a sushi bar....more...

Taro Toporific wrote:Wal-Mart Targeting Upscale Shoppers
AP Business News--Mar 22, 2:52 AM EST
PLANO, Texas (AP) --Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has overcome its rural roots and downscale image to attract affluent shoppers, but executives admit that many of those well-heeled consumers come only for cheap groceries and steer clear of the other merchandise.
In its boldest effort yet to target upscale shoppers, the nation's largest retailer is opening a new store this week with an expanded selection of high-end electronics, more fine jewelry, hundreds of types of wine ranging up to $500 a bottle, and even a sushi bar....more...

The article talks about Target stores as being "upscale" and "trendy". Wtf? Target is just as crappy as the other discount stores. Some of the clothes carry the Moschino label, but they look very cheaply made.

Despite all that, I generally find myself shopping at Target at least twice a month.

kamome wrote:The article talks about Target stores as being "upscale" and "trendy". Wtf? Target is just as crappy as the other discount stores. Some of the clothes carry the Moschino label, but they look very cheaply made.

Maybe your local Target is a C-level store and doesn't stock the good stuff (a Target manager told me only the A level stores carry the best designer goods).

Target's new slogan is "Design for Less," they have a whole slew of famous designers like Phillippe Starck, Michael Graves, etc. If I have a choice between Wal-Mart's cheap $3 toilet brush designed by some nobody plastic mold maker in China, vs. Target's cheap but beautiful $3 toilet brush by famous designer Michael Graves, I will pick the Michael Graves product every time. My personal favorite cheap clothing designer house is Mossimo, which apparently has an exclusive deal with Target. I also buy a lot of cheap no-name $7 white cotton shirts from Target, there is nothing quite like a cheap white cotton shirt starched and ironed within an inch of its life. Sure they wear out quickly, but for $7, who cares?

Charles wrote:Maybe your local Target is a C-level store and doesn't stock the good stuff (a Target manager told me only the A level stores carry the best designer goods).

Target's new slogan is "Design for Less," they have a whole slew of famous designers like Phillippe Starck, Michael Graves, etc. If I have a choice between Wal-Mart's cheap $3 toilet brush designed by some nobody plastic mold maker in China, vs. Target's cheap but beautiful $3 toilet brush by famous designer Michael Graves, I will pick the Michael Graves product every time. My personal favorite cheap clothing designer house is Mossimo, which apparently has an exclusive deal with Target. I also buy a lot of cheap no-name $7 white cotton shirts from Target, there is nothing quite like a cheap white cotton shirt starched and ironed within an inch of its life. Sure they wear out quickly, but for $7, who cares?

My bad - I meant Mossimo, not Moschino.

Yes, it's possible that I live near a C-level store. I guess I just need to "move on up to the East Side" first!

Taro Toporific wrote:Wal-Mart Targeting Upscale Shoppers
AP Business News--Mar 22, 2:52 AM EST
PLANO, Texas (AP) --Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has overcome its rural roots and downscale image...the nation's largest retailer is opening a new store this week with...even a sushi bar.

Looks like you'll be able to buy in bulk.

Sipping sake: Once-searing Japanese drink has mellowed
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS, April 24, 2006
Ed Markus vividly remembers his introduction to sake back in the 60s. The bitter Japanese rice wine poured steaming hot from a ceramic carafe...resembling the heated jet fuel served in a ceramic tokkuri that was the initiation to sake for generations of Americans like Markus.
.... in the last three years has interest spread to more diverse, better-tasting high-end brands - that need not be heated - now being sold outside of Japanese restaurants.
[SIZE="6"]"Sake is not just for sushi anymore," [/SIZE] said sommelier and Philadelphia wine educator Marnie Old....more....

Mulboyne wrote:

[floatr][/floatr]Discerning palates develop an appetite for sushi
The Financial Times, 27/7/2006 01:15 London Time
Robin Rowland and Darren Wightman are not exactly typical Tokyo tourists... over the past few days, Mr Rowland and Mr Wightman have woken up at the crack of dawn to go to Tsukiji fish market, had their food prepared by a robot, eaten deep-fried fish soaked in tempura batter, and headed for an eatery that specialises in eels.
It might seem an eccentric way to sample the delights of Tokyo. But Mr Rowland is the chief executive of Yo Sushi, a largish British restaurant chain with overseas ambitions, and Mr Wightman is his group executive chef.
They are, explains Mr Rowland, looking for the latest trends, in a bid to keep Yo Sushi "authentic". ....more...

Inside modern Japan and not a geisha or temple in sight
Financial Times -- Aug/17/2006
...Simon May, the first British professor of philosophy at the University of Tokyo since 1882...[In his book] Atomic Sushi, May seeks to break the deadlock by recounting, wittily and often brilliantly, his personal experiences, greedily amassed during a year spent teaching at the University of Tokyo....
The author spends half his salary - never seemingly paid thanks to his Kafkaesque tussle with bureaucrats - on sushi, sukiyaki and kaiseki....
....When not gorging himself, May's idle moments generally take him to choice entertainment spots. No Kabuki here - instead we get a woman shooting a goldfish from her vagina into a bowl eight metres away....
[floatr]
[/floatr]
ATOMIC SUSHI
by Simon May
Alma Books ₤12.99, 256 pages

sashimi followed by sushi are my fav and what i always get when i go to a japanese restaurant. rolls don't really do anything for me because they usually involve little, if no fish at all, and i can't stand cooked rolls. blech. gimme my fish raw, please

If you're ever trapped in Riverside (Riverslime), California, and you are confused as to whether you're in the mood for Rajin' Cajun or some "Yakimesi", this place may be just what you are seeking. Pepto is available at the pharmacy located conveniently next door.

The owner chased me off before I could take any pictures of the potentially edible partially defatted chicken fatty tissue that seemed to serve dual roles.

I apologize for any eye strain....dunno why it so small (that's what she said.) Actually, I'm referring to the picture. [Mod edit: picture reposted]

CityPaper.net:
[SIZE="3"]On a Roll [/SIZE]

Sushi to oust pencils as Japan revamps price data
TOKYO, Aug 21 (Reuters) -Flat TVs and conveyor belt sushi will replace pencils and sewing machines when Japan unveils a revamp of consumer price data ...more...

Futuristic Food: Chefs at a Chicago restaurant are using technology to change the way people perceive and eat food.
[floatl][/floatl]


<--No ordinary sushi: this sushi is made up of flavoured sheets printed out on an inkjet printer.

firstscience.com - Tue, Sep 12, 2006
Using ink-jet printers and lasers in the kitchen may seem like a futuristic vision but at Moto restaurant in Chicago, it's already a reality. Its chefs, who are also engineers, are transforming the traditional dining experience by using inventive technology to create their food and to provide diners with an interactive, multi-sensory experience. ...more...




(NOTE: The printer "sushi" was covered before on the FG but I cannot find the thread.)

Taro Toporific wrote:The printer "sushi" was covered before on the FG but I cannot find the thread.)

...That's because it isn't on FG. You posted it on TokyoDV during an FG blackout. I'm always finding that after spending ages trying to track down something I know I've seen before.

Mulboyne wrote:...That's because it isn't on FG. You posted it on TokyoDV during an FG blackout. I'm always finding that after spending ages trying to track down something I know I've seen before.

Damn! I worked for almost a half an hour making that graphic/Photoshop.

NYT wrote:---- Thu Feb 03, 2005 8:17 pm Post subject: Inkjet sushi...Yum!
[floatl][/floatl]
PAPER TASTE - Using organic, food-based inks he concocts, Homaro Cantu creates a champagne, caviar and oyster dish, middle, and sushi rolls on flavored, edible paper made of soybeans and cornstarch.
When the Sous-Chef Is an Inkjet
NYTimes.com / February 3, 2005
HOMARO CANTU's maki look a lot like the sushi rolls served at other upscale restaurants: pristine, coin-size disks stuffed with lumps of fresh crab and rice and wrapped in shiny nori. They also taste like sushi, deliciously fishy and seaweedy.
But the sushi made by Mr. Cantu, the 28-year-old executive chef at Moto in Chicago, often contains no fish. It is prepared on a Canon i560 inkjet printer rather than a cutting board. He prints images of maki on pieces of edible paper made of soybeans and cornstarch, using organic, food-based inks of his own concoction. He then flavors the back of the paper, which is ordinarily used to put images onto birthday cakes, with powdered soy and seaweed seasonings...more...

Does anybody think this chief is a wee bit over-concerned with presentation?
Perhaps the best and worst aspect of Japanese cuisine is that the food must look good. This results in odd situation like Mexican food in Japan being arranged to look like wedding cakes…and just as tasteless.

In all the time I've been here I've never really become a fan of sushi.
Sashimi is more to my liking.

"Sushi" made by uselessly-big gaijin's hands is not sushi but just mass of rice, isnt it?
They lack spirits.

What about キムパプ, Takechanpoo?