Sushi Madness

March 07, 2013

I’ve noticed that there’s a bit of what I’m calling sushi madness going around. A few years ago, while visiting Washington D.C., our family, in our usual adventurous eating style, sampled the cuisine at a Japanese restaurant. We decided then that sushi was overrated, and I thought that was the end of the story.

So, imagine the surprise when my college-age daughter announced her desire to go to a sushi restaurant. This is the same girl who dislikes fish in any other form. I thought maybe sushi deserved to have a few more tries. I’ve hardly met a food I don’t enjoy, so perhaps with a more open-mind, I could convince my taste buds to embrace this elegant-looking food.

There must be something to sushi if almost everyone under age 30 loves it, right? One author describes sushi as "a modern delicacy."  I haven’t given up, but sushi is still not on my "favorites" list. Fish and rice, I understand. But, so far, cold rice, raw fish, and strips of seaweed haven’t captivated me.

Since eating sushi at restaurants isn’t always in the budget, some of my family members and friends are learning to make their own. They told me there is a bit of research involved to learn the steps in making sushi. For example, I was informed that there is a special, frozen, sushi-grade fish to purchase, and that the specialty ingredients will be found at an Asian food market.

If you’re interested in learning more about sushi or how to make it, the MCPL catalog has several books available to help you. Sushi Made Easy by Noel Cottrell, Sushi with Style by Ellen Brown, and (my personal favorite) Sushi for Wimps: Seaweed to Dragon Rolls for the Faint of Heart by Aya Imatani are all available to guide you into the mystical sushi experience.

Jean R.
Camden Point Branch