Authenticity, typicity, what's it worth to ya?

originally posted by SFJoe:
Oh, c'mon. You abolish all authenticity?
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Not at all. One can speak of things that are 'culturally authentic' but that should always be a moving target because culture is a constantly moving target. Although in this case that may be besides the point, because...

I was defending it on grounds of taste, not authenticity.
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I agree, the most important factor.

So where do you stand on mayonnaise in sushi? Personally, I don't care if they do it in Japan, it gags me in the US. And avocados aren't far behind. Spoof high fat central, if you ask me.
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I only like mayonnaise in limited circumstances and mixed with (what should be) sparkling fresh fish is not one of them. That said, we know that each family of sushi is not necessarily for sparkling fresh fish. But that's still no excuse!

You got me on the beer etc. examples..
 
Am less sure about avocados in sushi. I am guessing they are an American idea but have heard many Japanese people rave about them as a cheap toro substitute. Which makes the high-fat spoof concern seem to be less of an issue.

So they are not necessarily culturally 'authentic' to Japan as they are indigenous elsewhere.

Whatever the source I would much rather have some avocado sushi than a mayonnaise-laden spicy-something abomination. (Although avocado is by no means high on my least even for vegetable sushis)
 
Harumi Kurihara, "the Martha Stewart of Japan" has called Mayonnaise "indispensable" in modern Japanese cooking. I'm working my way through one of her cookbooks and using up lots of Kewpie mayo.

It has never bothered me in sushi, and I think it's been there for years. What squicks me out is cream cheese in sushi, evidently a growing trend. If you want to feed me lox and cream cheese, I would prefer to have it on a bagel.
 
originally posted by Frank Deis:
Harumi Kurihara, "the Martha Stewart of Japan" has called Mayonnaise "indispensable" in modern Japanese cooking..
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For the fried and rustic dishes like okonomiyaki, takoyaki, or croquettes, sure. But sushi is a different story.

It has never bothered me in sushi, and I think it's been there for years.
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The question is, how many years?
 
Rahsaan, the way I see it, the sparkliest fish is in Sashimi and nobody's going to put mayo in that.

Sushi already spoofs up your nice fish with rice and nori and God knows what else...
 
originally posted by Frank Deis:
Rahsaan, the way I see it, the sparkliest fish is in Sashimi and nobody's going to put mayo in that.
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It should still be pretty darn sparkling for nigiri and maki. Chirashi is another story but not sure how the mayonnaise would fit. Perhaps in the 'dressing'.
 
Well, as a man with a LA degree who spent six months eating street food in Australia in the form of $2(au) handrolls stuffed with avo and mayo, I sure feel left out.

But, Que Sriracha, Sriracha.
 
Last Saturday I went to Wegmans and was surprised to find that (at the Wegmans I went to) they had "sushi quality" fish -- tuna, salmon, and trout. I told the counter man what I was doing and he refused to sell me the tuna that was out, he went in the back and found even better tuna. He also recommended the Sockeye Salmon which was very expensive if you wanted to buy steaks for a whole family, but we needed less than a pound of each. I have a bag of Tamaki Gold rice and a Zojirushi cooker, so we decided to experiment.

We made Ohshizushi (with the little wooden press), Inarizushi (Tofu age pockets, no fish), Makizushi of various sorts, and ate some of the fish as sashimi. I don't think I got around to using any of the mayo come to think of it. But tasting the subtlety of that sockeye salmon eaten straight, and watching those flavors get lost even in the simplest maki prep, made me think it's probably crazy to take the flavors of good fish, really good fish, and subject them to sugar and vinegar and wasabi and nori. Of course you don't get the nori in Nigirizushi but you still have the flavors of the vinegar and sugar competing with the flavor of the fish.

Similarly comparing the flavors of the Tekkamaki with tuna sashimi, it seemed that putting such good tuna into a roll essentially wasted it. You almost need tuna that is old enough to be a little strong to be able to appreciate it in a maki roll.

At any rate, off topic as usual (what IS the topic here?) but the discussion kind of touched a recent nerve for me. Young Joe also makes his own Sushi, no?

AND with all that in mind, no, I don't mind mayo in my maki roll and I never have...
 
originally posted by Frank Deis: watching those flavors get lost even in the simplest maki prep, made me think it's probably crazy to take the flavors of good fish, really good fish, and subject them to sugar and vinegar and wasabi and nori...Similarly comparing the flavors of the Tekkamaki with tuna sashimi, it seemed that putting such good tuna into a roll essentially wasted it. You almost need tuna that is old enough to be a little strong to be able to appreciate it in a maki roll.
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I think there are varying degrees. Sure you taste it the most with sashimi but quality is still pretty darn important for my enjoyment of nigiri and maki and for whatever reason gentle wasabi and a dash of soy don't seem quite as harsh as mayonnaise. But I suppose it's all in the application and the quality of the ingredients (wasabi and mayonnaise included of course)..
 
Spanish cuisine, unlike Mexican or Peruvian cuisines (with which it used to be routinely confused in the US - maybe not so much now that we have Ferran Adri) has very little love for sauces. But there are a few exceptions, and a major one is, indeed, mayonnaise - made with virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar and a little lemon juice, it's an indispensible accompaniment for just-boiled 'langostinos', the pink-and-white tiger shrimp of southern Spain. Fino or manzanilla sherry is the almost automatic drink with this.
 
originally posted by Frank Deis:
Young Joe also makes his own Sushi, no?
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Yep, but I also make sealeg sandwiches with spicy mayo.

On the subject of the former, I need a better option at yanagiba or 'biki if you know of someone who is looking to upgrade.
 
i've always found sriracha-spiked mayo to be a fundamental part of the manatee sushi experience. even if the caspicum-phobic mr coad disagrees.
 
quote: But tasting the subtlety of that sockeye salmon eaten straight, and watching those flavors get lost even in the simplest maki prep, made me think it's probably crazy to take the flavors of good fish, really good fish, and subject them to sugar and vinegar and wasabi and nori.
by Frank Deis

Yeah; it sounds kind of like taking really good Mourvedre, and putting it in a brand new barrel!
 
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