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Today's lesson is on sushi. The term sushi actually refers to the loosely-packed rice cake below the fish - the raw fish itself is sashimi.

I came across an article this morning called "What you don't know about sushi", which led me to both to the website "How to Eat Sushi" and the book The Zen of Fish: The Story of Sushi, from Samurai to Supermarket (and you know my torrid love-affair with long-titled books - it's reserved at the library for me).

Enough with the links - now on to some of my favorite tidbits:

• After sitting down at a sushi bar*, there are 3 ways (traditionally) to order sushi from the chef, and each will lead to a completely different experience:
  
  
• Say okimari, or "it's been decided," and you're telling the sushi chef that you'd like the house sushi platter for the set/standard price.
  
  
• Say okonomi, or "as I like it," and you're telling the chef that you'll tell him which sushi items you'd like as you eat them.
  
  
• Say omakase, or "I leave it up to you," and you're inviting the chef to impress you with his skills and abilities. The chef will prepare sushi with his finest ingredients and in an order which the fish flavors will compliment each other. This can often be quite expensive.
  
  
• Soy sauce: Although there's soy sauce, you don't have to use it. Often times a sushi chef will coat the sashimi with a nikiri sauce - his own house blend of light soy sauce with other flavors. "How to Eat Sushi" has an excellent picture example of how to dip your sushi in the soy sauce - don't do the rice, because it'll fall apart - you're supposed to flip it over!
  
  
• Wasabi: Most likely, you've never had true wasabi - you've probably had a mixture of horseradish and mustard powders (and a little green dye). It turns out, the wasabi plant is very rare and extremely difficult to grow, prepare, and store. In Japanese sushi bars, you are not given a little pile of wasabi (real or fake) - if you'd like more, you're supposed to request the chef add more to the sushi.
  
  
• No Chopsticks: Seriously, you're supposed to eat sushi with your hands (I always have, but it's because I'm not that good with chopsticks). This rule is exempt, however, when you're eating plain sashimi.

I'll let everyone know how the book is when I'm done with it.

* Most of these scenarios apply to Japanese sushi bars in Japan - you know, in case you're ever there.

Photo by avlxyz