On my recent trip to Vegas, one of my meals consisted of a variety of Japanese foods, including sushi and wasabi. I see sushi on Asian menus all the time, but don't understand what is so special about it. I've seen it prepared with various "designs", but to me, it just tastes like sticky rice. I usually avoid it, because for some reason, it reminds me of a cross-section of an eel I saw being chopped up for bait on a fishing trip years ago. Please tell me what is the big deal. Is it expensive to prepare, or what? As for wasabi, I think I could duplicate that with some green Play-Doh and pepper juice. If there's a "flavor", I missed it. How about a little enlightenment from some of the culinary experts out there?

Donna

Hamachi.

oh to taste that fresh wasabi in Palm Beach.....heaven...........you will not get an answer here. What you need is someone who gets it to experience truly good sushi with. Or, you just don't have, nor ever will have an assertive pallette.

Logandog: Well, that was interesting. For a minute, I thought you had sneezed in Japanese.

Nevertheless, I googled "hamachi" and was transported to a website called "Krusty Sushi". The first sentence read: "Yellowtail is the fish equivalent of baboons, with their big bright red butts." Strange website, but there were some good raw fish pictures. Perhaps you were referring to the restaurant in NYC, instead.

Anyway, I still don't get it ...

Donna

Donna,
I didn't like sushi when I first tried it a long time ago either... For me, it was getting caught up on the raw fish thing but I'm fine with that now. The thing about sushi is that there is a huge difference between the good stuff and the bad. What you ate sounds like a major disappointment...Wasabi is spicy hot and you only need a teeny bit; however, it shouldn't taste like play-doh w/some Tabasco! And when eating good sushi, you wouldn't be overpowered by the rice...

I think it's an acquired taste for many. Like lots of people I know, I started out eating just California Rolls (crabmeat rolled in rice with either cucumber or avocado) and worked my way to lots of other stuff...
If you're curious, have someone who loves sushi take you somewhere and have them order for you. Share a bunch of different items and that way you can try them. I'm slowly converting my husband, a former sushi-phob, this way. I don't know that he'll ever like as many types as I do, but at least I can get to go out for Japanese food once in awhile ;-)

Debbie

Yuck, I don't get it either! And I love all kinds of foods (well I guess not-see above and below)

But love liver, rabbit, venison, every vegatable there is, fish (cooked that is), seafood and on and on.

But sushi and wasabi, no thank you!

Hi Donna -

I'm risking offending you by saying that if you don't get it, I don't think it could be explained. It may just be a personal preference. There are some foods I've never taken a liking to and cannot understand. Haggis? Sweetbreads? Liver/onions? No, thank you.

Surely, you understand the nutritional angle with sushi : Only the finest cuts of fish w/o additives; pure vegetables; rice; seaweed, etc. The best sashimi melts between the tongue and the palette. (Sashimi is fish w/o the blocks of rice.) No chewing necessary.

Along with the wasabi, ginger and daikon (radish) are served.
(pregnant women take notice : both Ginger and Cola Syrup are great for relieving nausea)

Wasabi is a type of horseradish. It helps accentuate the flavors of the fish. Some people put a drop, or two drops, of water in their whiskey. Some people place a coffee bean in their (_____) liquor. Similar reasoning.

Expensive? Yes. Because only the best cuts of fish are used. Also, consider this perspective : A chef at a steak house doesn't cut your steak into bite-size pieces for you. This is a service that the "chef" at a Japanese restaurant performs for his guests. More labor = more cost.

Okay, I must run downstairs to the kitchen now...

Anyone tried octopus? Someone told me that it will suction itself to the inside of your mouth, and you can't get it to let go. True or not?

Donna

For starters, sushi is not just one food...there are many styles and varieties. Saying you don't like it after trying one plate is like trying linguini with clam sauce and saying "I don't care for pasta". Different types and cuts of of fish, vegetables, seasonings, even different types of rice all make for different taste sensations.

It is expensive to prepare properly -seafood and veggies need to be very fresh and high quality, and obviously you need experienced sushi makers.

Wasabi doesn't appeal to everyone, but it is definitely a distinctive flavor that you couldn't replicate!.

Again, there is wasabi and then there is wonderful wasabi. The fresh made stuff is totally different then the powdered stuff used in cheap places.

On top of that, not all sushi is made with wasabi. My daughter loves sushi, but always has it without wasabi.

I think the posters above gave you very good advice..If you want to find out whats so special about it, you need to try it with someone who knows their sushi.

Of course, if you don't like fish, or can only see it as bait, you won't like sushi no matter how its presented.

Don't feel bad. It's an aquired taste for many, but if you aren't eating, there's more for the rest of us!

I love sushi. I think you have to go for the first time with someone who knows what to order. I worked in a sushi bar when I was younger and the chefs used to sneak me toro (fatty tuna).

Wasabi is great. But, it is not meant to be used like ketchup which many Americans do. Just a teeny dab so as not to obscure the fresh flavor of the fish.

Oh yes - it always tasted better with sake !

and no, tako (octopus) will not stick to your mouth...!

and fish eggs will NOT hatch in your stomach! >

I agree with some of the other posters...go out to a good restaurant that is busy and buys very good quality sushi-grade fish and eat with someone - preferably Japanese - who can advise you. I dated a 1/2 Japanese guy and he "turned me on" to sushi and now I eat it at least 1x/week. The worst is bad sushi- which will really make you sick. On her first visit to a sushi restaurant in Annapolis my mom thought the wasabi was guacamole, don't know why as I'd explained it to her, and ate a mouthful. She's avoided sushi ever since. I just gave her credit for trying something like that at 70+ years.

I have very good, very cheap sushi all the time in Vancouver, and if I paid more no doubt I could have superb sushi. I actually like eating sashimi even better, and I enjoy the cone form of sushi (whatever that's called) very much too. Typical price I pay for a sushi meal of 18 pieces (salmon, tuna, and cucumber) plus miso soup is about $6 CAD if I take it away. Hardly expensive.

My guess is that you didn't get the best possible sushi in Vegas. Try it in a city with a large Asian population, at a restaurant frequented by Asian diners. It still might not be your thing, but at least you will have given it a proper try.

leahinsc : I nearly spit my coffee, reading the story about your mom + guacasabi!!

There is absolutely no comparing fresh sushi to the mass produced tasteless stuff.....or worse yet, the nonfresh fishy stuff. Usually if sushi is expensive, it is super super fresh and prepared by a professional sushi chef. The stuff you see going 'round the restaurant on a conveyor belt is not. Also, the way a sushi chef cuts the fish is important (although I don't know the details on that--I just eat it!). Getting good fish is like getting a good diamond--you need to look at cut,clarity, color, and....okay, maybe not carats. Where in Vegas did you have the sushi?

Fresh sushi is fabulous and the taste is different with each kind of fish, shrimp, eggs, mollusks, etc. The rice should just be a complement, not the main event.

Where are you from that the people would spread a rumour that octopus will stick to the inside of your mouth???

leahinsc: What did your Mom have to say about the wasabi? I did the same thing she did -- popped the whole ball in my mouth at one time. As soon as I felt the heat, I swallowed it whole (the same thing I did a few years ago with a raw oyster). I've read since that wasabi's "flavor" comes after the heat dissipates, so I guess I didn't give it a chance.

Melissa: I had the sushi as part of the "Emperor's Feast" at the Zanzibar Cafe at the Aladdin. I was looking forward to eating at P. F. Chang's, but my friend didn't want Asian, so we just ate at our hotel (where we had discount coupons).

I believe the rumor about octopus came from a former UT student at work.

Donna

A little-known (at least to me) tidbit about sushi:

FDA requires that ALL raw fish used in sushi must be frozen first, with the exception of tuna. So...fresh, yes. Fresh Frozen that is! Doesn't matter, I still love it! It tastes...clean! That's the word that comes to mind, simple, clean, delicious.

Donna - about my mom's wasabi experience. She started frantically gulping water and exclaimed "Oh my, that guacamole is HOT!"...

Leah, that is hilarious!