Text 29279, 112 rader
Skriven 2015-07-23 20:11:00 av NANCY BACKUS (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: Re: sushi &c 977
========================
-=> Quoting Michael Loo to Nancy Backus on 07-17-15  13:09 <=-

 NB>> Family camping is done with, and I'm at the Pond for a couple more
 NB>> days... home tomorrow as I write this... then the packet gets
 NB>> uploaded...  ;)
 ML> Glad to see you back.

Thanks... now, I only have to catch up, again... ;)
 
 ML>> Maki don't count - they're designed to get more use out of
 ML>> less, if not fewer, ingredients. The seaweed that you find
 ML>> in or on almost all of them helps by adding lots of umami.
 NB>> Probably depends partly on who makes them... some are indeed rather
 NB>> chincy... some are more generous...  of course that also goes for
 NB>> the nigiri... ;)
 ML> It is said there's an ideal balance ... but for me that
 ML> balance is called sashimi. On the other hand, they claim that
 ML> it's all about the rice. I grant that rice done just so -
 ML> pearly but not separate, clumpy but not gooey - can be an
 ML> important part of the experience, but for me no savor, no deal.

Properly made rice is a goodness... and not-so-good rice definitely
detracts from the whole... I was thinking more about the thickness of
the fish or other toppings... some are so thin, the rice better be good,
since that's mostly what you are getting...  Fu's, though, are nice
pieces... and his rice is always superb...  :)  His rolls are also well
filled, nice fat pieces... and then there are the special rolls where
there's as much or more on the outside of the rice as there is inside
the roll..  ;)  Another place I go, for take-out, has what they call
super eel roll... eel and avocado inside, and eel with sesame seeds and
eel sauce on top... nicely toasted eel, too...  :)

 ML>> There are some widely quoted young experts on the Internet
 ML>> (on some of the supposedly more reputable sites) who deride
 ML>> eating with the fingers, but they're speaking from inexperience,
 ML>> either that or they're pretentious idiots the way so many
 ML>> commentators in the arts and crafts tend to be.
 NB>> Always those that think they know more than they really do...  :)
 ML> Everywhere and in every person.

Recently, at Fu's, there were some regular afficianados at the sushi
bar... I noted that they were quite un-self-consciously eating their
pieces with their fingers... reminded me of this discussion... :)

 ML>> you any at all, but that's changed: I went to a famous place
 ML>> that charged lots of money and served interesting if not
 ML>> superlatively tasty food, and it offered gobs of wasabi; at
 ML>> least it was a real wasabi blend (not all that different,
 ML>> truth be told). I ate it neat as a palate cleanser, but in
 ML>> most situations I am as judicious in using it as I am a madman
 ML>> with the (hot) pepper in dishes that call for that.
 NB>> I'm more likely to use it with California roll or the like, or perhaps
 NB>> a little to spark up a second bite of a mild fish... or, as you did,
 NB>> take a little neat as a palate cleanser...  :)  Usually the sushi I
 NB>> get is plenty tasty on its own, and doesn't need distraction...  :)
 ML> What kind of California roll? It's been a long time since
 ML> I've seen it made with real king crab, which doesn't want any
 ML> wasabi at all. The stuff you get nowadays (even in Japan,
 ML> where after all kani got its start), well, you might as well
 ML> just get avocado maki for cheaper.

Fake crab, cucumber, avocado, I think...  Usually Fu makes me
Philadelphia roll, since I much prefer the salmon and cream cheese to
the fake crab...  ;)   Never had it with real king crab... I might
actually like it that way...  :)

 ML>> That's no fair. Of course, the Japanese offer AYCE specials -
 ML>> they're called omakase, and they're really all the chef thinks
 ML>> you can eat, but you can ask for more, and they usually cost
 ML>> at least twice as much as a regular meal costs. Think over $200
 ML>> per diner.
 NB>> Makes Fu's 19.95 AYCE special seem even more of a bargain,,, :)
 ML> I believe I raised an eyebrow here regarding how he could
 ML> hold the line on that price without compromising on the
 ML> ingredients.

Most of the people getting it barely have the first plate (9 pieces of
nigiri, I believe, maybe it's just 7, and a roll sushi of 8 pieces) and
maybe the next plate, which is another roll sushi... of course, they've
already had miso soup, salad w/his ginger dressing, and probably an
appetizer (choice of any on the menu)... Also, it seems that most people
seem to gravitate to the less expensive, more filling appetizers, and,
when given a choice, often opt for less expensive sushi offerings... :)
Also, he's been a sushi chef for long enough that he's learned how to
optimize the use of all his ingredients so that there's little waste, so
that undoubtedly factors in as well... :)

 ML>> Actually, there was a day when I didn't mind zucchini so much -
 ML>> that's when I'd had it only fried with skordalia.
 NB>> Some presentations are easier to tolerate than others...  ;)
 ML> That's a dish where one thing I love redeems three things I
 ML> don't - garlic vs. zucchini, potatoes, and vinegar.

Ah.

 NB>>> I suppose... A chef that made a reputation on letting ingredients
 NB>>> speak for themselves might get a respectable following, though...  :)
 ML>> And then the ego takes over. But if he/she survives that stage, a
 ML>> return to basics might make things all right again.
 NB>> And maybe even create an even better following... ;)
 ML> Not as long as those that think they know more than they
 ML> really do hold sway.

Point.  And I guess there's a real risk of that in this situation...

ttyl         neb

... Food TV might not be the best place to go looking for nuance.

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