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I'm not what you would call a sushi purist, but I really hate
"California rolls" and other constructs meant to make sushi palatable to picky eaters and those fearful of
raw fish. My favorite rolls include spicy tuna, barbecued eel, or soft-shelled crab, and I have a guilty love of that
spicy mayonnaise served with some tempura rolls.
But when I visited a little sushi joint in downtown Portland at the insistence of my three-year-old son (he loves "slushli" and has been eating barbecued eel since before he was one), I almost didn't order the peanut sauce roll. But it had everything I love in one roll - spicy tuna, avocado, cucumber, tempura shrimp. And Thai-flavored peanut sauce. Why not?
I tried it, and though I felt a little silly,
I loved it. It's terribly frou-frou and not "real" sushi. But it's good. I don't know - it works for me. Would
you order such a silly piece of sushi?
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1-29-2006 @10:27PM Tom said... of course I would order it. If I expected it to tsste good and make me smile, its an easy call. That is often why we eat...or at least its what we wish was the reason we are eating.
Additionallly, if I wanted a Japanese cultural experience, which is part of what I am sure the purists are getting at, well I shouldn't be eating sushi in the United States.....
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1-29-2006 @10:52PM EvilHayama said... I've had this sort of nouveaux-sushi before, it's hardly Japanese but if it tastes good, why not? Fancy sushi bars where I am (Sydney, Australia) large amalgamations of salmon strips, salmon roe, and other salmon bits with maybe a bit of rice are popular.
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1-29-2006 @11:12PM Bruce Dearborn Walker said... "Authenticity" takes a distant third after taste and safety.
That said, I'm trying to remember a time I was served peanut ketjap or sauce with seafood. Usually it is served with red meat.
But hey, I'd try it.
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1-29-2006 @11:19PM Robyn said... I was not into raw fish until I was about 18 or 20--and I am half Japanese. So it was all about the California roll until then. I'm still pretty... nonadventurous when it comes to different kinds of fish. My favorite is spicy tuna too--I don't think that's authentic, is it?
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1-30-2006 @1:13AM David T said... If the Japanese can eat corn on pizza than I think we should feel okay modifying the sushi roll. :-)
Nothing wrong with mixing food and culture as long as it tastes good.
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1-30-2006 @1:42AM Steve said... Where, praytell, did you find this amazing roll? It may be worth the trip from Seattle.
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1-30-2006 @1:49AM George said... Sorry to be cliche, but "eat what you like, and like what you eat." So what if California rolls aren't by some people's definitions "true" sushi. How much of sushi sold in the United States really is?
Several local sushi joints here in Seattle, WA make California rolls with real crab meat and dust the outside with fresh roe and sesame seeds. The result is delicious.
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1-30-2006 @5:21AM Helen said... I like California rolls. I used to love sushi, but then I had a heart transplant. The possibility of bacteria and parasites which would not make a "sushi purist" ill could, well, kill me. Yeah, I'm "fearful" of raw fish, but it's not my own doing. But, really, enjoy.
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1-30-2006 @9:57AM Mason said... There's an asian/french fusion restaurant near my house called Ace. They serve AMAZING french inspired sushi there. I had the privilege of going there with my brother and father, and ordered a roll with tuna, avocado, green onion, mango, and apple. It was not only incredibly delicious, but the flavors melded in a way that would lead you to believe that this was authentic pure asian cuisine. I know sushi purists are probably dry-heaving at the thought of such a sushi roll, but I encourage people to try sushi with non-traditional ingredients as you may be pleasantly surprised, as was I.
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1-30-2006 @12:48PM William said... I don't care if it isn't authentic as long as it tastes good. While in NYC last year I had a roll with spicy tuna, tempura something (not sure what) and an attractive coating of flying fish roe (I think it was flying fish - it was a pretty red and very fine) and it was by far the best 'sushi' I had ever had.
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1-30-2006 @1:15PM Al said... I'm all for these Americanized rolls. My personal favorite has to be the Dragon Roll, which combines tempura shrimp with BBQ eel and avacado. It's proven to be such a good idea that it has reflected back! There are now "neo-sushi" restauraunts popping up in Tokyo and other urban areas in Japan, and they're very popular with the locals.
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1-30-2006 @7:53PM Shannon said... Dragon rolls are just sublime... I also love anything that combines crunchy tempura bits with more traditional sushi ingredients. (It's not a fear of raw anything for me -- I love texture!)
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1-31-2006 @8:53AM Elliot Fox said... Generally speaking, I'm a fan of the more authentic varieties, not out of a sense of purity or anything, but simply because I've found they often taste better to me. That being said, I utterly fell in love with something called an "Underground Dragon Roll" at a sushi house in Rochester, NY. Hot, crispy tempura shrimp with cucumber, wrapped in rice, topped with avacado and drizzled with a dark, tangy, somewhat spicy sauce (I'm guessing it was soy based, but I could be wrong). It was utterly amazing. The crunch and unexpected heat in my sushi was a delightful deviation from the norm.
Since there is no set recipe for "sushi", I really think that new, or unconventional combinations, as long as they taste good, are things to be supported and tried out.
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