日米寿司談義

It's been a while since I last posted a comment! Since I'm caught up with all the assignments these days, I can't post my third lesson plan for a while. It does need some modification since my teacher wrote me a lot of suggestions...in the meantime, I want to talk about Japanese food.

Sushi has become one of the most popular Japanese food in the United States. Although the word sushi only has two syllables, it'll take probably more than two books to talk about sushi as Japanese food. Maybe one book, but still there is a lot to talk about. Most people probably know that sushi is vinegared rice served with raw fish or whatever delicious on top. Yeah, that's typical sushi. Other kinds are rolls and mixture of rice and vegetables called chirashizushi. You can also eat rolls in the United States, but chirashizushi is not yet familiar to many people. Basically, you just mix cooked rice with vinegar and several kinds of chopped vegetables and chill it. That's probably the easiest among three kinds. I think it's interesting to see the differences between Japan and US through sushi.

Nowadays, in the United States, you can eat sushi pretty much anytime you want. You just have to go to a Japanese restaurant or buy rice, fish, vinegar and other ingredients and have a sushi party. In Japan, sushi is eaten on special occasions such as birthdays and family reunion. Even though these days most families can afford to eating sushi anytime, it is still considered feast. Especially for me who grew up in a not-so-wealthy family, sushi was like a once-a-year meal.

It's also interesting to ask people how they eat sushi. I know some who eat sushi with chopsticks and some who eat it using their hands. I know some who dip it in soy sauce from the top side and some from the bottom side. Some people eat it in one bite, others cut it in half. Some people love the sushi ginger (pink and sliced), others don't. It's very interesting to watch how people eat sushi when I go to Sushi Bar (of course, after I finish eating). By the way, I use chopsticks when I eat sushi because I use chopsticks for pretty much everything...

Anyway, I can just go on and on talking about this fascinating food...if you haven't tried one before, now is the time to enter some sushi place in your town! Of course it's raw fish, but it's not really that bad. Remember, not all Japanese children are born to enjoy sushi, they just have a bite and like it. It may take longer for some people, but I bet you'll find something you like!

I think that's it for today's lesson...I just can't wait to have another sushi party at my friend's house! If you really want to eat authentic sushi, this is the right place to go, I think, although this year I have to prepare twice as much as last year! We are expecting many people this year! So, everyone, have a happy sushi day!