I don't know about y'all, but I never developed a taste for raw sushi/sashimi. Just had Japanese food last night, and really dug the sushi rolls I had and the little appetizers and all sorts of other stuff, but ... I don't have any attraction to the raw stuff.
I don't think I've ever seen anything from Peter D'Adamo on the subject, as he doesn't specify raw or cooked, anyway.
But what do the rest of you eat in Japanese restaurants, for instance?
In the days when I used to go to some of these places, I turned away some pretty pricey dishes being passed around, in favor of more "robata"-style offerings.

I can eat almost anything but sushi does not appeal to me at all. I have no desire to feel raw fish in my mouth. I'll take Rodizio over Japanese!

Oh boy!  I love, love, love sushi!!!  In fact, I love it so much that I used to have sushi night every Friday night!  I even sang a song about it, "Sushi Night, da da da da da, Sushi Night!"

I am really glad you brought this up because I still love sushi although I eat it less, mostly because of the expense.  However, I have been wondering about wasabi!  Is it ok?  I have never seen it in any of the food lists in any of the books.  Also, I do eat the pickled ginger, which I assume is not ok because it is pickled.  Are wasabi and pickled ginger compliant foods for me?

I always feel so good after eating sushi.  I feel like the food is clean, light and healthy.  I usually joke that I must have been Japanese in a former life because I love all japanese food.  

I have never tried sushi and I don't think I want to. I just do not like the idea of eating raw fish (or raw animal protein of any kind).

It took me a long time to even taste the raw stuff, but once I did, I loved it. Now I often order just the sashimi plate, and leave the rice for someone else. In fact, I'm taking my mama out for sushi tonight!

I also order the miso soup, and if it's on the menu, tsukemono (not sure if that's the correct spelling) which is Japanese pickles. Commercial sushi is a once in a blue moon kind of thing for me, as much of it has avoids. But if the fish is fresh, it's delicious.

For those of you who don't like the fish, look for umeshiro maki, which have beefsteak leaves and ume plum paste. So good. Not all places offer it.

My dear friend who spent several years in Japan, told me that Japanese restaurants that serve beefsteak leaves with their sashimi are considered to be of high quality, due to the anti-bacterial nature of the beefsteak (shiro) leaves themselves.

Do not care for sushi...just getting used to cooked fish  

sushi.... .....don't like it at all....

I was brought by my brother in a very pricey italian fish reaturant near Venice, and I can eat their raw fish (the most of recipes were raw fish with sauces, veggies and so on) but I know also sushi and I love better cooked fish , also if never dried up or overcooked. It should also be caught in clean sea , as differently they must frozen it and after thawing they serve you the raw fish. !!?? this for EU' s food security rules

Quoted from Drea

It took me a long time to even taste the raw stuff, but once I did, I loved it. Now I often order just the sashimi plate, and leave the rice for someone else. In fact, I'm taking my mama out for sushi tonight!

I also order the miso soup, and if it's on the menu, tsukemono (not sure if that's the correct spelling) which is Japanese pickles. Commercial sushi is a once in a blue moon kind of thing for me, as much of it has avoids. But if the fish is fresh, it's delicious.

For those of you who don't like the fish, look for umeshiro maki, which have beefsteak leaves and ume plum paste. So good. Not all places offer it.

My dear friend who spent several years in Japan, told me that Japanese restaurants that serve beefsteak leaves with their sashimi are considered to be of high quality, due to the anti-bacterial nature of the beefsteak (shiro) leaves themselves.

Tsukemono is spelled fine.
But the leaves you're describing are "shiso" leaves. ("Shiro" means "soup".)

If I liked raw fish, I'd go for the sashimi too, probably.
Many Japanese restaurants offer sushi with cooked fish. These can be delicious: Grilled salmon in cubes or mashed, with tobiko and maybe cucumber or scallion.
Maybe wasabi is rated as a horseradish; I'd go with that, if it's not specifically listed.

I like sushi rolls better than plain sushi or sashimi.  It doesn't gross me out, but it depends on what I have a taste for at the moment.  I think sushi and champagne go very nicely together (like caviar).    I'm sure there are very fine sushi grades of fish that I've never even tried.  I'm used to the usual American sushi house fare.  

One time years ago when I lived in NYC, a friend and I had been Christmas shopping together, and it got to be around dinnertime, and we were tired and cold and hungry, so we ducked into our favorite Japanese restaurant.  There was a chain of them, and you had to take your shoes off to go upstairs and be seated.  We liked this particular one of the chain.  I always enjoyed dining without shoes, sitting on the floor.  I think it really elevates the art of dining.  Anyway, we proceeded to get tipsy on hot sake (it was cold outside) and we decided to work our way through the menu until we could eat no more.  We made pigs of ourselves.  We tried all kinds of things.  Sashimi was nothing compared to some of the things we eventually got to.  I had to call it quits at the slimy point.  We were calling that dish mountain oysters, but I have no idea what it really was.  That was a fun time, and we totally enjoyed it.  Just thought I'd share the reminiscence.  

Quoted from O in Virginia

IThere was a chain of them, and you had to take your shoes off to go upstairs and be seated.  We liked this particular one of the chain.  I always enjoyed dining without shoes, sitting on the floor.  I think it really elevates the art of dining.

Pun intended? Little topsy-turvy there.

Usually Japanese restaurants give you pillows to sit on, in what's called a "tatami room", for the tatami mats the pillows rest upon in your private space, partitioned from others by rice-paper screens.

If you like champagne with sushi, you might appreciate the often more accessible beer with it. As a Nomad, I can enjoy it as a Diamond Superfood. Sapporo is a Japanese brand that I've found dry and "elegant" with sushi.

Don't care for the raw flesh foods in any form -- never have.  But I do like the rolls made with sticky rice, some delicate vegetables, pickled ginger, ume plum, cooked salmon and rolled in toasted Nori.

Ume Shiso, yes that sounds better. Thanks for the clarification, san j.

Never tried it. Do not intend on trying it. Turns my stomach to even think about it.

Kin'a glad to see the negative response, because people who like it often act like they can't understand those who don't.

I'm one of the world's pickiest eaters (okay, so that might be a slight exaggeration), and as I said, it took me years to even try raw fish...and I'm really glad not everyone likes it, because there's more for me!

Quoted from san j

Pun intended? Little topsy-turvy there.

Usually Japanese restaurants give you pillows to sit on, in what's called a "tatami room", for the tatami mats the pillows rest upon in your private space, partitioned from others by rice-paper screens.

If you like champagne with sushi, you might appreciate the often more accessible beer with it. As a Nomad, I can enjoy it as a Diamond Superfood. Sapporo is a Japanese brand that I've found dry and "elegant" with sushi.

No pun intended.    I noticed that, too, after I posted.  Maybe because it's so unusual for westerners, dining on the floor seemed special.  This place had flat cushions, but the floors were polished dark hardwood.  Very pretty.  There were leg wells under the tables, too.  I think there were some separate rice paper screened tatami matted rooms as well for more private dining.  I wish I could have beer, but it's an avoid for me now.  I used to enjoy it.

Tried sushi once, had to force myself not to immediately vomit it back up   me and raw fish don't hang  

I had developed a pretty serious habit of ordering avocado rolls almost every night before starting BTD. They call them green dragon rolls.... also, soft shell crab rolls were usually on the menu as well. One of the best things about a good sushi restaurant is the ginger dressing.... when they get it right. I was never crazy about the sashimi and that kind of raw stuff but I do wish I could figure out how they make the rice stick together... is it just added sugar or what?  

It's a special kind of rice: "Sushi rice", too. Shiny.

Quoted Text

Are wasabi and pickled ginger compliant foods for me?

find sources with no added junk or avoids

or learn making your own

wasabi paste has added coloring and other stuff

hydrate your horseradish and grind into flour.....make a paste
same with mustard
same with pickled ginger.....pickle your own
the pickled one tastes awful to me......think they add some form of sugar and it tastes like perfume

Eden pickled Ginger with shiso:
http://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=110240

Sushi Sonic Wasabi powder:
http://www.great-eastern-sun.com/index.php/real-wasabi-products/shop-for-products/condiments-2.html
comes in a couple of sizes

I"m with Princess Mia and AKArtlover....eeew, eeeew. and eeeeew!!!! Gross!!!!!

Quoted from SophiaVictoria

...but I do wish I could figure out how they make the rice stick together... is it just added sugar or what?  

First, you need to find Sweet Rice or Glutinous Rice...  Here is a page describing it in more details...

http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaisnacks/ss/stickyricehowto.htm

Thank you ABJoe!  

I can generally take of leave sushi, it seems a little carb heavy to me. I do love ceviche though. It is raw seafood with peppers, onions, and herbs "cooked" by adding lime or lemon juice to it. The fish turns flaky and white after somewhere between 15 minutes and 2 hours.

I like ceviche, too. It really is cooked, just not by fire.
Do you like sashimi, gcg? (since you say you "can take" sushi but for the carbs)

I've eaten a little sashimi, when we caught a yellow tail tuna for instance. But it isn't one of my favorite things. Now I love a good fresh tuna steak lightly seared on both sides and real rare in the middle.
I actually served ceviche at a Halloween/welcome-to-my-new-house party. I also made it for "international food" for yoga schools grand opening(new location). The mayor, aldermen, and a lot of reporters ate it. My turkey meatloaf ,that I found on this site, was just as popular at another yoga party though.

When I was a teenager, sushi used to gross me out. What stopped me was the pungent wasabi that was a sort of a "mandatory" thing to dip the sushi into. But later on in my 20s I jumped over the hurdle when a friend introduced it to me. I felt in love with it immediately! But I admit it is an acquired taste. My DH, who is used to eating pickled herring ("Scandinavian sushi" ), says sushi grosses him out!

The sticky rice takes on its consistency because a type of rice vinegar that is added to make the grains stick. Often, sugar is added to the rice as well.

Since vinegar and sugar are avoids for me, I have given up on sushi. But sashimi is still okay for me, as long as the type of fish is compliant.

It has never appealed to me. One night we were invited to a japanese resturant by the owner, on our way to the resturant I said to my two teenage children that they didn't have to eat every thing thas was offered but they at least needed to try it. The first thing to come out was Sushi, the kids looked to me...well I dont eat seafood, here was this roll with a prawn in the centre and the outside was covered in fish roe, I know the kids are waiting to see what I would do and I had to be a good exsample, so I went to take a nibble when the host said no no you do it this way, you dip it in this sauce and eat it all in one hit. I dip the roll into the sauce and put the whole thing in my mouth, straight away I can feel my tummy react in dry reaching, this sushi sits in my mouth for what seemed like an eternity, I have tears rolling down my face, as I continue to dry reach without making a noise, the kids are trying not to laugh at me and our host is saying are you alright, I'm nodding to say yes I'm ok but no I 'm not ok. I eventually manage to get this thing down ...the things we do to try and make a point with our children, they didnt have to try anything else that night if they didn't want to.
I have had fish twice this week as its on my swami, but I really really hate fish/shell fish it smell alone gives me a headache, and I dislike the flavor and texture.

In the early 70’s I worked at a Japanese bank in the Chicago loop.  This is where I was working when I announced that I didn’t like accounting and was going back to college for physics.  GASP “Physics is hard for a man how could you even think of doing it?”  Well I did & went on to graduate school.  The officers of the bank were so upset with me; it was like I was betraying them for leaving.   Anyway that place was where I learned to love Japanese food and sushi.

Quoted from Victoria

Eden pickled Ginger with shiso:
http://www.edenfoods.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=110240

Sushi Sonic Wasabi powder:
http://www.great-eastern-sun.com/index.php/real-wasabi-products/shop-for-products/condiments-2.html
comes in a couple of sizes

Thanks for the great tips, Victoria.  I cook a lot and work a lot so when I can buy good quality stuff that I don't have to prepare, is is helpful.

I am happy to cook, but if someone can make it as well or better than I can, I will buy it!

I think sushi is a perfect example of how our emotions and our history play into our choice of food.  Sorry, San J, but maybe I should highjack this thread . . .

I don't.

"I like my oysters fried.
That way I know my oysters really died."

I am posting this "blind", because I have had that verse in my head for a couple of days and is it not the same as crossing the street without looking.

I have some thoughts to add.  

First off, I ABSOLUTELY LOVE sushi rolls.  I could eat those every monday - wednesday - friday.  However, I have not had sushi in a long time.  From what I understand, the rice has avoids and the wasabi is not pure.  But, that doesn't mean you couldn't do it the right way, I'm supposing.  But, I never knew if it was really a good idea to eat uncooked fish, if you have gut problems.  However, if my SWAMI said sushi rolls were a diamond or even neutral, they would be a regular consumption in my system for SURE!!!!!!  If someone wants to shed some light on this for me, I'm all ears.  I don't understand what shashimi is.  I know what ceviche is, and that is another one I wonder about if it wouild mess with the guts or not.  I mean, is it really cooked?  Now as far as liking it goes, hands down, no contest, I love fish.  Fried, boiled, baked, pan seared, poached, etc. etc. and yes, raw.  

Now, this thread brings me back a memory that is almost painful to even talk about.  One food I just really MISS BIG TIME, is the place I used to work, the boss would got to Einstein Bagels on Friday and buy himself and I a "Locks and Bagel" sandwich. Raw smoked salmon, on a bagel with some cream cheese, red onion and capers.  Oh my!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  In heaven, that'll be one plate I'd like to order, if they have any thing close to it.  And maybe someday if my gut heals, I'll be eating one for a treat.  On the other hand, I'm just wondering if it's really a safe practice or not???  I have no clue to be honest.  I also sorely miss a gyro sandwich.  That creamy, white cucumber sauce over that whatever processed lamb meat it is, with some onions on a pita.  MAN!!!  I want to cry right now.

Egg rolls!  Aah, Crab rangoon!!  mmmmmm.... Sweet and sour whatever....  My list goes on and on, including a terribly bad for you probably but sooooooo good, Hardee's Frisco Burger.....  




Someday, I'll come up with something compliant.  Although the problem is I rarely eat a grain with my meat.  I should sometime, I'd probably put on some weight.  

thin or thick sliced raw fish, depending on taste and choice

ceviche is marinated in fresh lemon juice, which practically cooks the fish, without the means of heating at any temperature

like gravad lax, it s marinated salmon, also raw

I love ceviche, and lax (lox?), smoked salmon, oysters and clams on the half shell with cocktail sauce.  Yum to all!  Regarding ingrained food attitudes, I think that I have a fairly open mind about raw seafood becuase my family have always eaten oysters in the south, raw on the half shell when available, or fried when they come shucked in jars.  My mother always encouraged me to try different foods as I was growing up.  When my mother moved to NY she got me to eat steamed clams ("steamers" they call them) by telling me they tasted like boiled peanuts.

We went to our local sushi place Saturday night, and I had my favorite sushi roll - spicy crunchy tuna roll, and a salad with the ginger dressing, and hot sake.  Ugh!  I did not feel so well the next day, plus I felt/looked bloated and I had gained a couple of pounds overnight.  Later, I kept thinking the "crunchy" part in my sushi roll must be some kind of rice crispies, but DH says no way.  Whatever it is, it's probably an avoid, and who knows what besides ginger in the salad dressing.  I had soy sauce, which I knew was an avoid.  Anyway, I can't go there on a regular basis anymore.  Whatever the additives are, they are not for me.  I've read that these places use a lot of pre-prepared stuff now in making up dishes.  I'm sure the sake was an avoid, but I justified it by telling myself that rice is a diamond for me, and sake is rice wine.  Right?        If I had just eaten plain sushi or sashimi (which is just raw fish, no rice, ABNoWay, while sushi is raw fish with rice - I believe that is correct) I might have been ok.  All the other stuff gave me a hangover.  Not too bad, but enough that I could feel Sunday monring that I had eaten non-compliantly.  The nice thing about having sushi is the sense of being close to the sea, that fresh brininess is very appealing to me.

I grew up on Long Island and ate raw oysters and clams and steamers.  I'm not a sushi fan though.
O in VA.  There's wheat in regular soy sauce so maybe that's what bothered you.

I know I should eat a lot more fish than I do.  I just don't make it at home except for tuna.  Don't know why, just don't.  I'll order salmon or swordfish when I go to a good seafood place like Legal Seafoods.  Their swordfish with red onion jam is unbelievable!

The whole idea of sushi just doesn't appeal to me.  The one time I visited the Far East - in the late 60s, most of the fish I had was fried.

Jane, my DH grew up in LI, too (Smithtown).  He loves his clams and oysters, all seafood.    I like ordering it when we go out, but you can't always be sure what's added in the sauces or seasonings.  Fresh is always best, of course, which is why I love beach vacations.  

Quoted from O in Virginia

  Fresh is always best, of course, which is why I love beach vacations.  

Much of the world's finest grade of sushi fish is served in cities. In New York, and here in San Francisco, as well as, of course, in Tokyo - etc., you can obtain excellent sushi and sashimi fish. The finest Japanese chefs import it very, very fresh. My guess is that fine restaurants can be found in Washington DC and other "nearby" cities, where you can enjoy great sushi. No need to actually go to the seashore!

San j, I'm sure the bigger cities have very fine imported sushi grade fish, but I like to go to the seashore.  It's my favorite place.    I'm actually planning a day trip to DC in the spring - by train.  I'm about 95 miles from DC, and I-95 is insane between there and here.  You can be stuck on it for H-O-U-R-S.