My first sushi

I vividly recall my first sushi – it was September 1988 and I was studying at a Japanese university in Tokyo during a one-year study abroad program. I had eaten lots of Japanese food up to that point, but had never tried sushi. One day while I was out walking around a Tokyo suburb, I happened across a sushi restaurant and decided to try it. Problem was, I didn’t quite understand the setup of the restaurant and it turned into quite a hilarious and embarassing experience.

Rolling Sushi Bar (Mawari Zushi)

Turns out I had stumbled into a “rolling sushi” bar, or “mawari zushi” restaurant as they are also known. This is where the sushi chefs stand on the inside of a round bar, and sushi is served on small plates that are placed on a conveyor belt. Patrons sit on bar stools and grab the plates they want as they go around on the conveyor belt. Price is per plate.

No pictures, please

Well, I had become accustomed to pointing at samples of food in Japanese restaurants when I wanted to order something. So I sat at the bar stool and started pointing at the assortment of sushi pictures, not knowing that these were for takeout. The waiter kept turning over the picture and indicating no. I kept turning it back over and pointing to another picture. This went on for a bit before I finally realized he was trying to get me to order by picking plates off of the conveyor belt. Mistake #1.

Water is for tea, stupid

The next blooper occurred when I tried to get cold water from the nozzles that were at each station. What was I thinking – this was Japan! I got a dose of hot water scalding my skin, since of course the nozzles were for tea and not cold water. Oh well, you live and you learn.

The Birth of a Sushi Lover

After that, the waiter just picked plates out for me to try, which I did, and the rest is history. I fell in love with sushi at that moment, though of course I had no idea what I was eating and it would take several more attempts before I actually learned the “red stuff” was tuna, the “orange stuff” was salmon, etc. It has been my pleasure to convert dozens of folks over the years to sushi lovers by introducing them to the raw stuff.

Please tell me your story by commenting below – how were you introduced to sushi? Was your first time memorable?

November 12th, 2008 in Sushi Experience | tags: , , , , , ,
  • Carol
    In my quest for sushi enlightenment, I am pursuing the perfect batch of rice.

    Growing up, I wasn’t aware that there was rice beyond Minute Rice, or at best, Spanish rice as prepared by the local Mexican restaurant. Then the health craze hit and I discovered brown rice, a tasty treat even when topped only with butter, although one had to plan for the cooking time. Even so, brown rice is not difficult. Put water in pan, add rice, cook. I could make rice.

    Then my daughter developed a fondness for all things Japanese (including and especially food), and we bought a rice cooker. The rice cooker simplified the preparation once I got the correct ratio of water to rice, which varied a bit depending on the brand of rice. (The directions specified two cups water per one cup rice: this turned out to be a rough estimate.) Still, I wasn’t producing sticky rice, even with the Japanese brands. I was working from American recipes that instructed, simply, “serve over rice.”

    Lyssa was patient with these efforts, but upon receiving yet another set of chopsticks last Christmas, pointed out to me that chopsticks were useless with my stubbornly individual grains of rice. “You have Westernized Japanese rice,” she told me. I told her it was my heritage. “Texans do not clump,” I said.

    She returned from an anime convention a few months later with a different Japanese cookbook. This one had been written for young cooks (read: children) and was very specific about the preparation of rice. I learned to rinse the rice repeatedly, and to rub it between my fingers in the rinse water. When the rinse water is clear, the book instructed, the rice is ready to cook. It takes a lot longer (the irony here is that modern sushi was developed as a fast food), but my rice is now sticky enough to be eaten with chopsticks.
  • Well, I believe you are continuing "Tanya's Tea Cups" again. I look forward to more articles.

    Now, to answer your question. I remember my sister twisting my arm into trying this "raw stuff" but insisting that my food required some heat to it...at least a little. I was very suspicious. To this day, I'm not fond of the "raw stuff" but thoroughly enjoy prepared and cooked rolls.

    Good job sis.
    Terry aka QueenGeek
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