Do you put weird condiments on sushi?
 

I don't care for wasabi much. I'll have it once in a while but it's a strong heat that goes away instantly. When I go to my favorite sushi restaurant around here, I usually skip the wasabi and put hot sauce on sushi, like tabasco but hotter. I also wash it down with sake. Most people I know think that's plain oddball. Anyone else try weird things on sushi?

Putting a sauce hotter than Tabasco on sushi?

No, that would be unthinkable in Japan. It would pretty much destroy the subtle taste of the fish, in which real sushi lovers seek a sweetness.

Oh, don't get me wrong, I do like plain sushi. But I go there so often that I like to mix it up. Especially at another cheaper place that is more of a general buffet with a sushi section. I don't know, it's an interesting flavor to me!

I am guessing the sushi you are eating isn't very good.

Wasabi is a mustard, like horse radish, and the spiciness is felt more in the nasal passages than the tongue. Chili based spices are felt on the tongue, and to be direct, don't belong in the same building as sushi.

It is as if you are taking diamonds and attaching them to plastic rings. It's a waste.

And I don't know anyone that likes "plain sushi". A slight dab (not a soaking) of soy sauce and wasabi makes it a complete experience.

No, it is.

Oh I know what wasabi is made of and how it works, isothiocynates. And like I said, I do still eat it on occasion, and I've eaten it a lot with sushi in the past.

Actually, the capsaicin gets felt everywhere depending on the concentration. That's what defensive pepper spray is based on. Also, if you eat it a lot, you become tolerant to it and don't feel the heat and only get the flavor. It's a one of a kind flavor and in the right amounts blends with the flavor of food, it doesn't drown it. But I guess I'm the only one, don't I feel special!

Well I'm not force feeding anyone, just engaging in unique flavors. Though I'm well aware of how foods are traditionally served and can appreciate many flavors.

I do. At least where I eat. But sushi rice is spiced.

Well we each like what we like. I personally don't like any shouyu on sushi.

It's fine to enjoy what you like to eat. I am not going to tell you to change. But the way you eat sushi is like putting whipped creme on a cheeseburger in Japanese eyes. If that is fine with you, then that is fine.

Uh, I only dip a little sauce and wasabi. Just a little bit for flavor enhancement.

Yes, I know that. The chef at the sushi place looks at me like I'm insane, but I'm a customer! That's the point of this thread to see if anyone else is odd, but I guess I'm alone. That only encourages me.

I can respect your tastes for the abnormal and creative~
but I must agree with everyone else that it is a true waste of proper fish.... if the sushi that you're eating is as good as you say it is...
but then again, i'm extremely discriminating when it comes to sushi >.>''

what others say is fucking awesome and off the chain~
i hold my nose, withdraw my stomach, then throw up a little in the back of my mouth >.>'
but that's just me =P

Mate, Tobasco on Sushi is the WEIRDEST thing I've ever heard of..

Wouldn't Mc Donalds be more up your alley?

Wasn't tabasco, it was much hotter since I felt some heat. They actually had it at the restaurant when I asked for a hot sauce.

Next on my list, adding wasabi to the hot sauce.:mtongue:

to me it depends on the taste ... but wasabi is about all i use ...

when i use a hot sauce (which 99% of them are real weak, i am from Louisiana) ... it is on some good gumbo or Jambalaya and occasionally on some nice blackened catfish.

Since when has being a customer mean you are not insane? The chef is looking at you funny because he is being insulted. He didn't spend years learning the art of sushi preparation to have you slop sauce all over his creations.

On a different note, here's a classic video on how to eat sushi. It's obviously meant to be humorous but there are some facts as well.

Unique sushi
 

Eh, what you do with your food is fine, but I would think this would insult a traditional Sushi-chef (no matter what country you're in)


But on a side note, there is a sushi place in Alaska called "Sushi Gone Wild" -- he serves all sorts of sushi, traditional and his own.

He has something called the "Green Monster": It's spicy tuna, crab, avocado, cream cheese, tempura shrimp, green tea battered and deep fried, topped with sauce and green-tea crunchies!


He also has the "Kamikaze", smoked salmon, apple smoked bacon, cream cheese, avocado, crab, topped with sesame lemon sauce.


He has a unique sushi roll called the "Crunch roll" with quality raw tuna, avocado, cucumber, sweet spicy sesame garlic sauce, and green tea crunchies.


These are read off his delivery menu :-P His food, though insulting to Sushi as you may know it, is completely delicious. What do you guys think? :vsign:

(The first two listed are not technically sushi, considering it's deep fried)

hmm :/ I'm honestly not sure what to make of that. Personally I loathe avocado and cheese in sushi, so that pretty much wipes out all his inventions for me. Avocado is soap disguised as fruit and cheese makes the rice horribly cloying.

The salmon and bacon I could see going well together, but the flavor of the crab would be obliterated (unless he is a far cleverer cook than I'm giving him credit for) so that just seems a shame to me. Or else he's using cheapo crab and abusing it doesn't matter, so that idea puts me off as well.

The spicy sesame sauce and the green tea batter sound rather good, but not what I'd really want on my sushi roll. I think I'd be willing to try it, but then again, I'll try anything. Stir-fried crab ganglia anyone?. I certainly wouldn't call it sushi though, and I might not try it twice.

In short, FAR too much on one dish for my taste. Sushi is about simplicity made highly refined by being highly technical, but the amount of ingredients in one roll should exceed the number of fingers you have.

alas... this is quite a prime example of sushi gone awry >.>'''

to summarise.... nothing in that menu truly 'stands' out.
i'll give him propz for the utilisation of green tea... but...
that's about it really >.>''

running down the list~
that green monster...
i'm pretty sure i can go to any typical sushi-ya here in houston, and find at least two rolls that use those very same ingredients w/ one or two variations.

the kamikaze...
it's a bloody philly roll w/ crab, bacon and sesame lemons....
other than the sauce... no real wow in that....

the crunchroll....
wow.... dude.. like i haven't seen that in.... almost every sushi-ya? xDD
avacado... cucumber... and tuna... with matcha fritters..
although... i'll just give some props to the use of green tea >.>''

soo... yeaa...
i've seen a great deal of 'fusion' rolls in my time and quite frankly... very few ever stood out. idiot cooks desperate to keep up with the trend end up just throwing random shit together that seems good in theory >.>''
and.. i guess so people may know... that i don't shun all fusion for the sake of shunning
here's a few of the things that actually caught my attention... that weren't traditional

philidelphia roll~
instead of the typical smoked salmon, avacado and cream cheese, the chef replaced the avacado w/ cucumber, oboro, scallions, and a chili sauce (can't remember the name, it was some chinese/vietnamese sauce; not sriracha, lol)

pho sho roll
this roll admittedly quite awkward, but i like it only because it actually does represent pho
the chef uses cilantro, basil, seared beef, vermicilli noodles, and bean sprouts
and serves it w/ sriracha, hoisin sauce, and lime.

some weird thing w/ albacore
A cook that i worked with brought this about one day when he was asked to do something different.
over a layer of daikon, he placed a few slices of shira-maguro, then mixed together mayonnaise, yuzu, tobiko, sriracha, shichimi-togarashi to make a dressing then garnished with scallions.
i personally don't agree with it all too much, but it does taste good and is different (although not a roll), so i respect this dish.

Oh please. I actually known him as an acquaintance for some years. He's not an uncool guy, and I'm hardly the weirdest thing he's seen. And don't worry, this is NOT going to catch on. At least not in 100 years, maybe I'm ahead of my time.

I am not the one that started the thread. If you don't like the answers then don't ask the questions.

I don't think its oddball, so much as a sign you may be beginning to lose your sense of taste. I am serious, not being snide. As the tastebuds fade (for many different reasons) people tend to gravitate toward stronger and stronger sensations. Sometimes the loss is temporary, like when numbed by too much alcohol. But it can also be the result of chronic allergies, or the drugs used to treat them. Of course its common with aging, repeated overstimulation, or injury too.

With the excessive pepper and sake, how can you even taste the fish to know whether it is any good? The flavor of most high quality fish would be seriously overpowered by this habit.

I would agree. This reads like every other sushi-ya's menu I have seen lately.

The pho roll you described is mildly interesting, but I think I would just settle for a good Vietnamese spring roll than bother with this.

Not too long ago I had a very good roll that accurately reflected the chef's mixed Japanese & Korean heritage. He managed to include kimchi without overpowering the fish - a balance apparently quite difficult to achieve, from the few other attempts I have tasted.

Similar to the reason why people with a poor diet crave salty/sugary foods stuffed with flavor enhancers and find 'ordinary' food horribly bland. They've basically wrecked their taste-buds. Smoking ruins it too. It took my mum literally ~years~ to regain proper taste and smell after she quit smoking.

All this talk of burnt out taste buds makes me feel quite pleased with my family. We barely even salt most things, and usually find flavored stuff overpowering... In the case of fast food and sweets, tongue burningly so.

Most food items have their own flavor, which I think it`s best to enjoy on it`s own in most cases unless the sauce spice actually accents and enhances the original flavor.

I find the very idea of putting hot sauce on sushi to be gag inducing. No way. Never. A tiny dip in soy sauce, a tiny dab of wasabi - sure - anything more is serious overkill.
On the various-things-in-a-roll-being-called-sushi - my opinion is that if it tastes good, enjoy it, but it really shouldn`t be called sushi.

We seem to be of like minds on this.

In my case it is not a distaste for hot sauces. I make a salsa that send some "chili heads" running for an antidote, and I love to make something similar to peanut brittle with jalapenos as the main ingredient.

If you want to experience the spicy heat, find a sushi-ya that serves cuttlefish roe. That deceptive neon pink delicacy can make wasabi seem like mayonnaise by comparison.

Is THAT what I ate? Stuff darn near killed me!

Those different kinds of sushi at the end are hilarious!:D
I wonder how much of the video is real:rolleyes:

I didn't claim him to be an innovator like you make it out to be, you seem pretty pretentious with your "review" of his menu.


His food is delicious, you haven't tried it. Is it sushi? Not all of it, no. But like I said, he also has traditional sushi.



I live in Alaska -- we're renown for our King Crab and our superb fish quality.


And use spellcheck once in a while.

Just going from off the menu though, I still can't imagine how he manages to get the crab to balance with the bacon and everything else. Maybe it's one of those things you have to try but honestly? If I'd just been given that menu and I'd heard nothing about it before, I wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. To me the whole mix of combinations sounds unappetizing.

Is it weird (something most people do not do)? Yeah
Is it OK to do (won't get you in trouble)? Yeah

Foods are about as subjective as your favorite movie. You like what you like and that's all there is to it. Sure, others can laugh or cringe at it, but that doesn't change things. Most people who have not had sushi or love strong flavors will not appreciate those subtle flavors of sushi or know what is good about them. Still, most people like to try stuff. Much like with wines, cheeses, or other fine dinings.

It doesn't mean we can't appreciate other qualities such as the stronger flavors or the texture (which is my favorite part of sushi).

However, I'd gladly slow down and have someone either explain to me what "good" or "bad" sushi tastes like or gives me an example of each. Such tastes have to be developed.

A chef being insulted by my tastes in food will get a strange look from me as well.

Yeah, guys...rebuttle to what MMM said earlier...
If you don't like the way the thread is going, then don't post anything! It's not your thread in the first place! I mean, look! The original guy stopped posting!
Yeah, it's one thing to say 'Hey, you know, that is kinda strange; I wouldn't do something like that.' But it's another to bash 'im left and right! He asked if there was anyone else as weird as he was! (No offense intended.) Not, 'hey, you mind correcting my sushi etiquette!"
For heaven's sake, people! Lighten up a bit!

But, I have not tried hot sauce on sushi yet...I put hot sauce on everything! I say my Mom fed me with a hot sauce bottle! XD But, I will have to try that. I do like sushi with ketchup! ^^

~HonoraryJapaneseGirl~

Would I ask for ketchup for my escargot? Is it OK to put tarter sauce over a traditional Italian pizza? No, of course not. So why do we think it is OK to rewrite history and insult the precise and delicious sushi culture, flavors derived over many hundreds of years?

What you do in your home is your business, but it is rude to go into a restaurant, order a handmade meal, and then eat it in such a way. It is insulting.

I never asked what you thought of my Japanese manners, only if anyone else ate odd things with sushi.

Anyways, I'm going to disregard any other drama if any on the thread unless somebody really wants me to reply. I'll just present the sauce in question:



Sriracha sauce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ok let me reply to this. The thing is, I am indeed a capsaicin addict. I know this. My sense of taste is fine, though. The heat itself isn't a flavor anyways, it's just nerve stimulation. Like I said, I still love plain sushi as I always did. But lately I've been going out to sushi so much that I have to get the hotness somewhere. And it's just a phase I'll soon leave behind. Thai is definitely the way to go for hot Asian food. But about the sake, it actually does cleanse the pallet between different kinds of sushi on a variety plate or sushi bar. This is what I've been used to doing since I drank sake, which I only do at sushi places.

You know...
This is kinda rediculous. I caught myself doing this and laughed.

We're having a heated debate...

About sushi! lol!!

That's funny! I mean, really I understand where you're coming from, and I think we're from two different parts of the world, but the place I go to...they don't mind it! So, to each his own I guess, but I just thought it was really funny that we're having a debate about sushi...lol

~HonoraryJapaneseGirl~

Right. Let's get back to arguing which J-rocker is hotter.

Wow...

How stero-typically cold.

Got past that stage a long time ago, MMM...

Time you should too...XD

~HonoraryJapaneseGirl~

It was a joke.

Oh!! Hahaha...sorry...I wasn't sure, but by the overwhelming day today, I thought the worst...

Sorry, MMM...I take back any offense that was intended. I really am sorry...*sweat drop*

~HonoraryJapaneseGirl~

Don't worry about it.

meh, suppose i am quite pretentious >.>
i'm not saying that it isn't good...
but from my personal experiences.... the menu just seems bland.
it's not like none of that hasn't really been done before.
the only thing that would impress me is if his rice is good, and if the rest of his ingredients are top quality. and none of that can be known through a menu

and like that other guy said.... kinda worried if the bacon and everything overpowers the crab... >.>''
seafood in general have a very delicate taste, and is very easily over powered.

buut bleh =P

and.... you try typing w/ just 9 fingers =.='''
and reading on a 49" screen... >.<''
at 4 in the morning.... =.=
it's not exactly easy to be precise about my spelling, lolz
typos happen =P

oh and... alaska is fucking beautiful
although, i, as a tourist, only visited juno, ketchikan and skagway >.>''
i loved what i saw.
also had some seriously awesome sock-eye salmon at a sushi-ya ^_^
rice was a meh~ but the salmon rocked =P