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Published: October 12th 2008
mmm sushi!
Yo-ichi making us fantabulous sushi!Last night was pretty wild and crazy. I decided, though, that I was pretty much just drinking milk all night haha Supposedly the strawberry was a liqueur, but I think they just had a splash of that liqueur in an entire glass of milk. But ahhh strawberry milk is sooo good! yum! Anyway, where I'm going with this is that today wasn't too bad for me. Although I have to give it to the cuzes -- they manned up and were ready to go before I was. Our main objective today was lunch with Yo-ichi at the Prince Hotel where he works as a sushi chef. I guess I had no idea what to expect, but oh man was I in for a major food experience. I just recently read a (fantastic) book on sushi called The Zen of Fish. I highly recommend it for anyone who really likes sushi and wondered what the heck all that stuff is and how you're supposed to eat it. It also delves into the history behind sushi. It gave me a new appreciation for sushi, how to eat it, and what it takes to make amazing sushi. It also made me realize that most
Sushi creation
This was the kaleidoscope roll. Awesome! of the sushi I've been eating in the states is crap. Picture the best sushi chef you could find on FoodTV or anywhere else in the states -- that was Yo-ichi. His father was a sushi chef and trained him, plus he went to school for it. When we got to the hotel restaurant, there was a little sushi bar section in the back, and we were in luck because no one else was there! It was just me, Mike, Nick, and Megumi at the suhi bar. We had personal attention from our own sushi chef (Yo-ichi) and what we think was actually the head chef, who was helping out and pouring us water (I'm guessing he was letting Yo-ichi show off his skills for us). It was exactly the experience I had read about -- sushi the way it's supposed to be done. Ideally, at a good sushi place, you sit at the bar and the chef just makes you things. Well that's what he did. We started off with simple nigiri (the slice of fish on a rice ball). However, good nigiri is carefully rolled in his hand to create a pocket of air inside, so when you
The Japanese Colonel
Mike and Nick think he looks like my dad... too funny! put it in your mouth it just disintigrates (which is why you never bite nigiri in half, but always eat it in one piece). It is one of the hardest skills to master, and one of the first they learn. He did it perfectly. A good sushi chef will also place just the right amount of wasabi on each piece -- there is no adding globs of wasabi to GOOD sushi. And so it was -- the tuna and salmon didn't have too much so as not to overpower the delicate flavors, but the shrimp and squid had a little more. It was all done in courses, so as you're eating one roll, he's making the next. Next was a very nicely crafted roll with the sushi omelette (like sweet scrambled eggs with a little soy sauce). Then a roll with roe on top (which I usually hate, but there was no turning down things here). It was actually pretty good! Flying fish eggs... Next was something we weren't allowed to ask what it was until we ate it. A ball of rice with some fish thing on top and seaweed paper wrapped around. It was a little salty and
100 yen shop
Look mom, a dollar store! hahahahhahahahhaaaaaaaa (my mom is obsessed with the dollar store) a little slimy (reminded me of raw oysters). Afterward, they told us it was actually cod sperm. EWWWWWWWWW I think that might top the list as the grossest thing I've ever eaten -- way worse than guinea pig. Later, Nick realized that we just ate eggs and sperm in the same meal... hmmm.... haha Next was another piece of fish (cod I think?) sprinkled with salt, lemon juice, and on rice. No soy sauce allowed (the chef will instruct you periodically if you shouldn't add anything to it). It was pretty good. At some point during the meal, we were brought out bowls of something like miso soup (maybe it was?). No chunks of tofu or anything, just seaweed. Normally I hate it because it's very fishy, but it was fabulous! The seaweed actually tasted good -- like green veggies but very subtle with the miso flavor. Everything was awesome, right down to the ginger on the plate (which I normally hate, but this wasn't that crappy pink pickled shit and wasn't too spicy). The ginger, in case you didn't know, should actually be used to cleanse the pallate between pieces -- and does a pretty good job of it.
Never more
Is this a raven? These birds were all over the park eating people's corn (they sold it in the park). Freaky looking birds -- very Alfred Hitchcockesque Our next set of rolls were maki -- the traditional rolls with rice and one ingredient inside, wrapped in seaweed. The cucumber maki is classic, and is also one of the first things they learn to make. Cutting the cucumber is very difficult and takes practice (to do it right anyway -- any idiot can cut thin slices). It was quite impressive to watch him cut the cucumber -- first you peel it like an orange peel, but you're actually just cutting it into a very thin long strip by going around and around. Then you lay the long strip down folded, and cut thin slices of that -- julienned. A super sharp sushi knife is essential to the process. And to serve it properly, the maki should go straight from the chef to your plate quickly -- in the time it takes to plate up and a waitress to bring to the table anywhere else, the seaweed has gotten soggy and lost its crunch. The toasted sesame seeds inside were the perfect complement and really added an interesting nutty flavor. Along with our cucumber maki were tuna and daikon maki (pickled horseradish that's used in the states too, and
Manhole cover
Ever since my trip to Norway I notice manhole covers more (thanks Justin!) Keep your eye out for interesting ones... is pretty good). I think there was another roll in here that I can't remember. But the grand finale (like in fireworks, it has to be the biggest one), was this amazing artistic triumph haha. It started with a thin roll of just rice wrapped in seaweed. Next that got wrapped inside another rice/seaweed wrapper, only this one had rice that was mixed with a pink chopped fish (can't remember which fish). Then that all got wrapped in another rice/seaweed wrapper, but this rice was mixed with wasabi. Then it was all sliced in 4's, but long-ways. Then the long roll was arranged so the slices faced out, with a long piece of the omelette in the middle. It was all wrapped in one more seaweed wrapper, and sliced. It was beautiful! Like a kaleidoscope! Tasted pretty good too! Our final piece (by this time we were feeling quite comfortable) was made by the other chef. He came in and made us little hand rolls -- they look like little ice cream cones with rice and fish inside. The fish was a mixture of toro (the fatty belly of the tuna -- very yummy!), daikon, and soy sauce (I think
Toe socks
Strangely comfortable that was it...). All rolled in a little seaweed wrapper. I normally hate these, because if you wait at all, the wrapper gets soggy, and often the wrappers taste fishy. Well, not here. We ate it right away, so a crunchy wrapper, and it was very mild. SOOOO good!! A great way to top off a great meal! I learned how to say "tasty" (oishi) and a few other words I can't spell haha I think I'd have to rank this meal as one of the best in my life...so far 😊 I hope it's just a portent of what's to come in Japan!
After lunch, we walked through the park (beautiful day!), stopped at Starbucks -- or crack as Mike likes to call it -- and did a little shopping. I got some nice accessories for my new ipod nano 4g (so new in the states that there isn't much in the way of accessories yet). They, too, had the macbook air but it was way more expensive so I wasn't even tempted (for you Aunt Mad -- it's the new mac computer that's super thin and super light -- great for traveling!). I had somehow stereotyped Japan
Nick's pad
Very swank, as Mike kept repeating. Unnaturally large for a Japanese apt. Bedroom is through the curtains, living room on the right. as having all these little personal electronics that could do anything from video games to making you coffee. Not as easy to find, though. We walked around, but mostly saw computers (like the ones in the states), TVs (not buying one), and the ipod stuff. Nothing too crazy....yet 😊
A nice Sunday afternoon nap, and we regrouped for mall and dinner later (much later...) Mall was nice -- Japanese or not, I could spend hours there amusing myself. Bought a couple of things, but especially was looking for toe socks. And found them! Also bought some tights to go with my skirt. Walking around here, I feel like I'm looking at a live fashion magazine everytime I turn around. The people are so trendy here! I think I'm just gonna have to buy a pair of boots to go with my skirt and tights... The problem is that they can pull it off because 99/100 of them are between sizes 00-4. We'll see...
Dinner consisted of a new Japanese treat for me -- something called om rice which was essentially a frittata of scrambled eggs over a mound of fried rice in your choice of sauces (we went
Nick's pad
He inherited it from a Swede who was studying at his school, but was asked to leave. This is the living room with the Swede's furniture, Xbox, TV, etc. with half cream of chicken and half some kind of soy/beef sauce). It was surprisingly good! Our dessert was an interesting concoction: a tall stack of bread (about 5 slices or so) coated in honey and toasted, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream inside. Amazing! Bread and ice cream -- I can't believe this hasn't caught on in the states yet. The bread actually tasted like angel food cake because of the light coating of honey. Wow...yum.
Our last stop of the night (even though Mike and I were in food comas in the back of the car) was the local Dave and Busters. Ok, not D&Bs, but the Japanese version. For roughly $6/hr you have the run of more video games than you knew existed, an obstacle course, segways, pool, air hockey, massage chairs, a whole room full of weird massage and exercise things (one of which looked like a scary toilet but apparently was a heater), music rooms (Mike took advantage of that and I tried to accompany him on the drums -- good thing it's soundproof!), trampolines, rock climbing walls, batting cages, bowling, on and on and on. It puts D&B to shame, except it
Nick's pad
The living room -- entryway to the right. Directly to the right is the bedroom with glass windows separating the two. Kitchen in the back. doesn't have much of a bar, just a little cafe with beer. A relaxing night. Tomorrow's an early day -- we're going to the zoo, but it's 3hrs away. We're leaving at (gasp) 8:45. You all will be just finishing dinner when I'm getting up to go to the freakin zoo. It's a national holiday here, though, so everyone's coming with us. We have to go early because it starts getting dark at like 5pm here. Crazy! Still gets light early though... Toe socks and sushi!
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Dad
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Nick's pick
That combo sounds dangerous. Is Nick pregnant?