Sushi is a craze. Twenty years ago, it was hard to find and soccer moms didn’t regularly haunt their favorite spots. It was a modern treat, one for big city yuppies who had money to burn on fancy raw fish.
In the last few decades, things have changed for the worse. Maybe it was Molly Ringwald chomping the stuff in The Breakfast Club, maybe the word dribbled down to us common folk some other way, but now it’s 2010. In Albuquerque, there are probably at least 40 restaurants out there serving sushi. It’s in downtown, sure, but it’s also in the suburbs. That’s where the problem really takes root.
You see, sushi is no longer a delicacy, no longer unique, and no longer high-quality. These days it’s often made by the same class of chefs you can find at Denny’s, which is a problem because sushi was made famous for the skilled chefs who made it, Japanese men who trained for years and strove for absolute perfection. Legend has it women could not be sushi chefs because of their naturally higher hand temperature. Outside of the traditions, today’s subushi (suburb-sushi) costs relatively the same as a a good plate of sushi elsewhere.
Which brings me to tonight’s travesty. There are many ways to create a bad sushi experience, I observed these tonight:
- make the rolls too big so that when picked up with chopsticks, they crumble
- make the rolls so sloppy so that the nori comes detached from itself (see the photo)
- use less raw fish in the rolls, and more fried/tempura ingredients
- go buck-wild with the spicy mayo, squirting big globs all over the rolls
- make a goofy gimmick like a “Gryffindor Roll” (actually saw this on the menu)
- offer terrible service on top of the less-than-stellar food experience
Rumor has it, there are gems out there, sushi joints with chefs who’ve trained for decades to make stellar raw fish without gimmicks and with great flavor. The search continues.
Tags: sushi
Word. I agree with all of your assertations. Have you found any gems that you can recommend?
I am married to a Sushi-lover, so naturally I was coerced into trying the near-delicacy that is modern day Sushi. But I have to say as my taste has developed I understand your discontentment with fried/tempura rolls and the sloppy preparation. However, speaking from a newbie point of view, I do not share the adage “Go big or go home” and actually saw these less than stellar “sushi” rolls as training wheels. I now enjoy a good raw tuna or salmon and have even embraced the Tofu that bobbles in my Miso.
In conclusion, I do not disagree with your disgust, Sir Greg. I’m merely building upon your opinion with a sort of newbie palate if you will.
There are still good sushi chef’s out there. Perhaps the lesson is this: We must all strive to pursue good food and those who make it.
Can’t say that I’m a sushi fan, but wanted to contribute an observation: the local grocery store’s deli has sushi. It seems to be better than what you’re describing, though of course, I haven’t actually tried it…
Shannon, my favorite for value and quality is Shogun so far.
Mike, good call. Newbies need to work their way in. I love your motto too!
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