Another day another piece of sushi...

So, I've just finished Week 6 of sushi school. I realize that I haven't really given any more than the first couple days experience to everyone... Sorry for that, but there's so much information, that my head is kinda still spinning, and it's not over.

Here are a couple things of importance that I've learned.

1) I suck. Really, I've got a great brain for food, but my hands aren't precise, and in a precision-centered world like sushi, there's no iffs ands or buts about being able to do it or not. I've been rolling for a month now, and I still end up with "hot dogs" that aren't even. It sucks. I suck. But I'm still learning some very important information here.

2) Rice isn't my friend. A continuation of the above. I don't know if it's because my hands are naturally on the warm side, but even with copious amounts of temizu (hand lubricating vinegar water), I can't get the rice not to stick everywhere. I'm just so frustrated at this... Ugh.

3) Fish must be respected. While there are general principles to remember here, all fish are different and need to be fabricated differently. Head off, guts out... I know that unless I actually go to work for a sushi/japanese restaurant after this course, I probably won't retain most of the knowledge here. It's really a use it or lose it kind of proposition. Perhaps I need to make sure to keep my skills up by practicing or opening up a sushi catering company.

4) The customer's life is in my hands. Sanitize sanitize sanitize... I must make sure that my nails are cut down and clean, that my hand towel is regularly rinsed and bleached... that there is enough fresh temizu around. Then, I have to remember to pre-prep all the fish, meaning that I have to salt and vinegar marinate everything to draw out parasites and kill everything on it. To not do so would literally be taking my customers lives into my hands. Also... NEVER eat river fish raw. They're literally filled with parasites. Just don't do it. EVER. The one exception is salmon, however, even that is dangerous unless you deep freeze it first to kill everything in it. Current US regulation is that salmon must be frozen for 1 week (!) in a commercial (not home) freezer before being served as sushi or sashimi.


Well, boys and girls, I'm off to cook more rice (eek) to practice some more hot dog... er... roll making techniques.

Happy cooking!