The Story of Sushi (46 page)

squid and, 235–38

student lunch counter and, 123, 131, 176

sushi rolls and, 81, 85–88, 94–96, 97, 125–27

tuna and, 245–46, 248–49, 252–57

working at sushi bar, 102–4, 106–7, 169–71, 216–17, 265, 267–69

yellowtail and, 197–205

lingo of sushi chefs, 277

liver, 211

lobsters, 136

Los Angeles, Japanese restaurants in.
See also specific restaurants

history of, 44–47, 99–101

M

MacArthur, Douglas, 66

mackerel (
saba
), 113–19, 153–57, 187, 188, 194, 200, 237, 251

cutting for sushi and sashimi, 153–57

filleting, 146–48

grilling, 113, 116, 118–19

gutting and cleaning, 113–15, 119

marinating, 142–46, 183

parasites in, 143–44, 179

scombroid poisoning and, 153

skin and scales of, 154–56

maguro
.
See
tuna

marinating, 142–46, 183

Mashita, Ichiro, 82

Matsuhisa, Nobu, 99

meat.
See
beef

Mekong River, 28, 29

menus, 319

mercury contamination, 252–53

Michite, Katsu, 48, 49, 294

Midwest, sushi restaurants in, 131–34

migrations, 145, 194

of eels, 226–27, 228

of salmon, 180–81, 182

Miora, 39, 41–42

mirugai
(giant clam, geoduck, or horse clam), 240–44

miso, production of, 13–16

miso soup, 21, 76

Miyako Oriental Foods, 13–17

mold, 29

bonito infected with, 22

in miso and soy sauce production, 13–15, 17

MSG (monosodium glutamate), 23, 39

mullet, 67

Murray, Kate, 3–13, 17, 21, 23–24, 51, 59, 80, 87, 91, 93, 95–98, 164, 165, 178, 183, 185, 186, 190–93, 201, 202, 210–13, 229, 230, 232, 235, 237–38, 243, 244, 256–57, 265–68, 277, 278, 289–90, 292–93

background of, 10–12

catered events and, 62, 63, 69–71, 75, 86

creative roll devised by, 157, 159, 163, 164, 167, 171

first day of, at CSA, 3–9

knives of, 8–9, 171, 176, 177, 184, 196, 197, 201, 205, 206, 212, 240

last day of, at CSA, 301–5

mackerel classes and, 113–14, 115, 119, 146–48, 153–57, 164

student lunch counter and, 123–24, 140, 141, 175–76, 177, 231, 287–88

tests and, 125–27, 258–63

working as sushi chef, 309–15

working at Hama Hermosa during regular hours, 216–17, 221

muscles, 145–46

adductor, of flatfish (
engawa
), 209, 210

after death, 249–50

fast-twitch and slow-twitch fibers in, 193–94, 204, 247

of octopus and squid, 233

mushrooms, 67

mussels, 30

Mutual Trading Company, 45, 47, 295

myoglobin, 194, 251, 254

N

Nakano, Sekio, 77–78

namagiri
(wave cut), 233, 235

nama-nari
or
nama-nare
(fermented mixture of fish and rice), 30

namasu
(raw meat), 149–50

nama tako
(raw octopus), 234

nare-zushi
(original form of sushi), 30, 264

NBC, 49

neta
(toppings for
nigiri
or fillings for sushi rolls), 89–91

origin and uses of term, 89–90

slicing, 90–91

wrapping, 204

neta
tray, as size unit, 90, 253

New York, sushi restaurants in, 46, 101

nigiri
, 24, 26, 83, 85, 89–93, 95, 136, 317.
See also specific toppings

adjusting to customer’s needs, 272–73

cutting fish for, 90–91

eating in one bite, 26, 322

eating with fingers, 26, 65, 272, 321

history of, 65–67, 77–79

in Japan vs. America, 96–97

neta
as term for toppings for, 89–90

robot-pressed rice in, 63–64, 67–68, 70, 92

shapes of, 93

squeezing techniques for, 91–93, 195, 261–63, 266, 270–74, 278

in takeout boxes, 65, 78–79

Niiyama, Katsuo, 36

nikiri
(chef’s “house” soy sauce), 22, 23, 320

Nippon, New York, 46

Nishimura, Tomomi (known as Tororin), 105

Nishio, Takumi, 60–61, 94, 102–7, 126, 127, 139, 152, 186, 201, 211, 231, 302, 303, 315

background of, 105–6

catered events and, 63, 68, 69, 71, 217–20, 282–83

creative roll devised by, 158–60, 163, 164–65, 167, 168

fish head soup made by, 190, 192, 193

Italian cuisine and, 104, 105–7, 140, 301

nigiri
-squeezing practiced by, 270–74, 278

rice prepared by, 33, 36–40, 41–42

working at sushi bar, 216, 268, 269, 288–91

Nitta, Jeffrey, 99–101, 131–32, 134–35, 165, 177, 258, 309, 315

nori, 82–85, 87, 277, 281

crispness of, 95

in hand rolls, 24

laver growing and, 83–84

making of, 82–83

in sushi rolls, 82, 85, 86, 95, 159

Noto Sushi, London, 58

Nozawa, Kazunori, 103

O

occupied Japan, 66–67, 79

Ocean Fresh, Los Angeles, 111–12

ocean perch, 187

octopus (
tako
), 232–35, 237

Okamoto, Kanoko, 11–12

okimari
(“it’s been decided;” ordering option), 318

Oki Ton Japanese Bistro, San Diego, 312–14

okonomi
(“as I like it;” ordering option), 318–19, 320

omakase
(“I leave it up to you;” ordering option), 76, 77, 80, 98, 101, 102–3, 113, 287–88, 318, 319, 320

One Woman Sushi
(Yuyama), 53–54

Ono, Jiro, 40–41, 232, 234, 272, 279, 319

ordering, 318–20

in America vs. Japan, 96–97

omakase
and, 76, 77, 80, 98, 101, 102–3, 113, 287–88, 318, 319, 320

order in which dishes are prepared, 94–95

Osho, Los Angeles, 46

toro
(very fatty tuna), 246, 247

Otsuka Chemical Industry Corporation, 39

overfishing, 237, 251

P

Paramount Pictures, catered event at, 24, 32, 60–64, 67–71, 75, 81, 86, 139

parasites, 143–44, 149, 178–80, 198, 254

PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls), 182–83, 199

perilla leaves (
shiso
), 151, 322

pin bones, 155, 184

Pine Sushi, Edo (Tokyo), 78

plaice.
See
flatfish

prawns, 136

presentation, 95, 97, 98, 118, 122, 124, 151–52, 238

preserving fish, 28–30, 149

prices, 100, 101, 319

protease, 39

puffer fish, 67

Q

“quick sushi” (
haya-zushi
), 31, 64–65

R

radishes, 160, 235

cutting, 17, 150–51, 259–60

shredded, as garnish, 150, 322

red tides, 242

Rehermann, Frank, 295–96

rice, 28, 33–42, 76.
See also
sushi rice

brown, 34, 35

cooking, 39–40, 277

drying, 38

enriched with vitamins, 34, 35

grown in California, 294, 295–96

milling process for, 34–35

in miso and soy sauce production, 14–17

rinsing, 33–34, 36, 178

sake never served with, 76

species and varieties of, 37, 38

spiritual beliefs about, 36–37

white, nutritional value of, 35

during World War II and occupation, 66–67

rice vinegar:

invention of, 31, 96

production of, 17

in sushi rice, 31, 38, 39, 40, 41

rigor mortis, 250

Rika’s, Los Angeles, 57

robots, sushi-making, 63–64, 67–68, 70

Roman Empire, 29, 82, 226

Rudie, Dave, 280–81

Russia, caviar trade in, 279

S

saba
.
See
mackerel

sake, 31, 38, 76–77, 178, 278

salmon (
sake
or
shake
), 112, 155, 178–85, 187, 194, 237, 251

farmed, 181–83, 199

parasites in, 178–80

return of, to home streams, 180–81, 182

sushi or sashimi, 183–85

salmon eggs (
ikura
), 278–79, 281

salt:

marinating fish in, 142–46

preserving fish in, 28–30

samurai, 7, 65, 78, 150

san-mai oroshi
(three-piece breakdown), 147

sashimi, 149–52, 260.
See also specific fish

arrangement of, 151–52, 238

eating, 152, 322

history of, 149–50

origin of word, 150

Saturday Night Live
, 46

scales, 154–55, 189, 191, 200–202, 210, 226

Schmidt, Johannes, 226

scombroid poisoning, 153

sea bass, 154, 187

sea bream (also known as snapper;
tai
), 154, 186–96

clean, sweet taste of, 195

farmed, 188–89

Japanese love of, 186–87

poisonous fins of, 187–88, 189, 190

sushi and sashimi, 193–96

tenderizing skin of, 192

searing techniques, 148

sea urchins (
uni
), 45, 279–81, 319

seaweed, 82–85.
See also
nori serving sizes, 98

Sever, Tali, 57

shari
(“Buddha’s bones;” slang for rice), 36

shari-kiri
(“cutting Buddha’s bones”), 41

shimofuri
(“fallen frost;” cut of tuna), 247

Shinto, 7, 36

shiokara
(fermented fish paste), 28

shirauo
(whitebait), 66

shiso
(perilla leaves), 151, 322

Shogun
, 49

shrimp, 136–39, 143, 188, 232

cooked (
kuruma-ebi
or
ebi
), 136–39

sweet (
ama-ebi
or
botan-ebi
), 136–37

simmering in broth, 98

slime eels, 114

snakehead, 67

snapper, 154, 183, 197.
See also
sea bream

use of word, 187

sole.
See
flatfish

Something’s Fishy, Malibu, 48, 49, 55

soybeans, in miso and soy sauce

production, 14–17

soy sauce, 277

chef’s “house” (
nikiri
), 22, 23, 320

dipping
nigiri
in, 26, 272, 321

production of, 16–17

sashimi and, 150, 322

stirring wasabi into, 26, 320–21

spicy tuna, 61, 95, 256

squid (
ika
), 233, 235–38, 290

stance of sushi chef, 259–60, 266

starry flounder, 207, 208

Stone Age, 187

street food, sushi as, 64–66, 79

Streisand, Barbra, 48

sugar, in sushi rice, 40–41

Suguira, Daisuke, 63, 68, 70–71

Suguira, Toshi, 25, 42–43, 47–51, 110, 111, 228, 231, 266

antics and charisma of, 48–50, 99, 120–21, 134, 170, 214–15

background and early career of, 47–49

catered events and, 24, 60–64, 67–71, 212, 213, 216, 217–21, 282–83

Hama Hermosa’s decline and, 43, 50, 239, 281

nigiri
demonstrated by, 261–63, 271

“Sushi Masters” competition judged by, 294–300, 302

sushi school founded and run by, 4–7, 50–51, 55, 98, 278, 300, 302–3, 315

tests administered by, 124, 125–27, 164, 166–68, 171, 240, 259–63

women students and, 51, 55, 58

working at sushi bar, 22, 120–21, 214–15, 268, 269, 281–82, 288–91

sushi.
See also nigiri
; sushi rolls