Sushi Confidential: The question

I will quote rapper Common, “if I don’t like it, I don’t like it. That don’t mean that I’m hating.”

Here we go.

Does cream cheese go in sushi?

“I’ll have a cream cheese roll with avocado mango on top with the yum yum sauce.”

To all the sushi snobs and high cultured socialites, this one is for you.

Historically sushi began like most popular foods, out of necessity. In this case, germs. Why do we use wasabi? Kills germs. Ginger? Helps with digestion and kills germs. Sushi vinegar was first used not for flavor but to lengthen the time before rice spoils. What is now sacred began just as simple as that.

The definition of sushi is vinegar seasoned rice in combination with other materials, basically.

Yes, you can put prosciutto on top of sharidama and you’ve got prosciutto sushi. Ironically, the Hawaiian masterpiece musubi is not sushi simply because it’s not sushi rice. Sashimi is not sushi!

I actually don’t agree with the definition entirely. I would add “with materials native to Japan.” It gets cloudy but I believe when you create something so foreign to the original that the people who made it don’t recognize it, is it the same thing? Something different? Wakarimasen. Sore Kara…

I believe the reality is “where does cream cheese go in sushi.”

Truth is, every restauranteur is just trying to survive. They invest their lives into their restaurants only to be rewarded with stress and anxiety.

In this, you have to cater to your audience. Yes, there is room to educate. Yes, people want the traditional right way. IMO yes there is a right way. But Americans love cream cheese mayo and cheap shit. Hey, I love Taco Bell.

Depending on your market, if you only sell traditional Japanese sushi, probably won’t stay in business and the point of business is money. Without profit, just an expensive hobby.

Cream cheese in sushi, pineapple on pizza…Ultimately, it’s your food. I suppose the question should be, is it enjoyable? Are you making it better? What interesting take are you making in changing a classic dish?

But, like one of my teachers told me, “don’t forget, it all gets turned to shit anyway.”

Until next time,
E