Sushi

In America, the tendency is to think "Raw fish? Ew!" As a woman who's been taught to fear raw chicken and raw beef and raw, well, anything, I felt it unlikely that I would enjoy raw fish when a friend suggested we go to our local sushi restaurant.

That was over a year ago, and Alex and I have since bought a "make sushi at home" book and introduced my brother to a local sushi place.

Just today I got a tuna/salmon roll with avacado, five types of caviar, crunchies, and spicy mayo (hold the extra seaweed) for $13 and ate each sweet messy piece with my fingers by stuffing it into my mouth and just savoring (I looked like a moron -- it was great).

Here's the thing my brother and his wife commented on after we introduced them to sushi, something many people neglect when trying to talk others into trying it -- one roll can keep you full for hours afterward. Not just full but comfortable. Hours after we'd introduced them to sushi, they told us that they looked at each other and said "I'm still full. But I don't feel sick, either." It was the exact same feeling Alex and I noticed after our first time.

That's the magic of sushi. It's a feel-good food. It satisfies hunger without leaving you bloated or gross.

The only trick is finding a roll that you like. Salmon has a mild, sweet, soft flavor. Tuna is a little stronger and chewier but is still considered a "mild" fish. Alex loves salmon, and I love tuna. If you like complex flavors, the specialty rolls are where you'll find your match (don't go for anything with cream cheese, we found that out the hard way, bleh). If you like spicy, mixing a little of the green stuff on your plate (a little) into your soy sauce can enhance your experience. If you like simplicity, go for the single fish rolls without any embellishments (cheaper and the samplers are recommended for sushi virgins). Tuna, salmon, and whitefish are very popular and don't have a strong fishy taste. I recommend starting with those if you're hesitant. (Red snapper, scallop, squid, and halibut are also very mild, though I haven't tried them myself.)

When deciding on portions, a single roll may not look like much food, but believe me when I say that if you eat more than one you may feel sick. We Americans are used to getting a lot of food for our money, and eating most of it, but one roll goes a long way. If you get the simple ones, you can probably handle two (three if you're a really big eater), but one specialty roll will fill most people up.

As for the "raw" part, there are plenty of sushi rolls that are cooked (though I've tried one or two and, to be honest, I think the raw ones have more flavor), and my brother put it best: "I feel like I'm paying not to get food poisoning." At a sushi restaurant, the chefs have years of experience with fish and they aren't going to use any fish that's not fresh and healthy. They know the exact color a fresh fish should be, and they only use the freshest they can find. Because if they didn't, they wouldn't be in business very long. If you're still worried, note that fresh raw fish should have a clear natural color and a pure taste. Old fish starts to lose color and turn grey and begins to taste "off." No self-respecting sushi chef would put old fish in his or her work, but if you're suspicious you can glance over the fish at the preparation station and scan for anything that looks like it's turning grey. (It is rude to ask if something is fresh, but it is not rude to ask what the chef recommends.)

Many people have seen California Rolls at buffets, which don't actually have any raw fish in them -- they're filled with vegetables. I've found that I can't stand California Rolls now that I've had real sushi. Once you find something you love, there's really no going back.

If you're nervous about what to do, there's really no wrong way to eat sushi. You can eat the rolls (the fish surrounded by rice) with your hands, and you're supposed to eat the fish-on-top-of-rice (sashimi) with chopsticks, but if you're nervous or bad with chopsticks, just eat everything with your hands. It's not that big a deal (unless you're in Japan, in which case it might be a bigger deal). This is what you need to know:

• Their hot tea is usually a safe bet for an "authentic" drink. (I'm a huge fan of sweet iced tea, but a good sushi restaurant will have delightfully soothing hot unsweetened tea. Try it once, and you can get soda next time if you don't like it.)
• Sitting at the sushi bar (if they have one) lets you watch your food being prepared. You can request the bar or a table if both are available.
• If you sit at the bar, it's perfectly fine to ask the chef questions. You can ask what he recommends, what it is you're eating (if you don't know), and just be generally inquisitive. However, do leave him alone if he seems too busy to talk.
• If they give you a hot wet towel, you use it to wash your hands.
• You'll have a bottle of Japanese soy sauce on the table and be given small dishes to pour it in for dipping your sushi. This stuff is good, and it's not as strong or as salty as Chinese soy sauce. If you decide you want more heat on your sushi, mix a small amount of the green paste on your plate (wasabi) into the soy sauce for dipping. Do not mix the entire pile of wasabi in to prove you can handle hot things, as you won't be able to taste the sushi. However, if you like wasabi, feel free to add more. It should enhance the sushi, not overpower it.
• The random strips of pink stuff beside the green paste is pickled ginger. It's a palate cleanser, meant to be used between pieces of sushi (never with the sushi). I don't particularly like it, so I don't use it. It's up to you.
• Drinking your soup is acceptable and (at more traditional places) sometimes expected. You can tell by whether or not they give you a spoon with your soup.
• It's okay (even recommended) to eat sushi pieces in one bite. This way you get all the flavors at once, as they were meant to be tasted. In America, the pieces tend to be on the large side, so this can make you look a little silly, but it's totally worth it.
• Belching is considered impolite.
• If you're at the bar, there should be a tip jar for the chef, who can't handle money since he/she handles food. It's polite for people at the bar to tip both the chef and the waiter/waitress and to thank the chef. If not at the bar, tip your waiter/waitress as you normally would.
• You can take leftover sushi home, just eat it within reasonable time.

There are many more rules for proper dining etiquette, and different fancy-pants people will tell you different things, but the truth is that the only rule you need is to just relax and enjoy your sushi. Sushi chefs in your country are quite used to how your country eats. If you want to replicate all the little details about how the Japanese hold their chopsticks when doing this or that, or have any questions about types of fish, try the Sushi FAQ.