Hawaiian

I You must have missed my post describing the types of sushi. Some varieties of futomaki is vegetarian all the way. Strips of fresh cucumber or takuan (pickled daikon) and recently avocado, embedded in seasoned rice and wrapped in nori (laver) are the vegetable ones I am familiar with. No animals involved!

Mark Wiens' videos are always entertaining and informative. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm2dczXpBG0

One of my neighbors is selling genuine wasabi plants. This is a specialized crop that does best with the plant roots stretching out to cold running water. At least that is what he told me. We are at 4,000 ft elevation on the windward side of Kilauea Volcano.

I stand corrected. They moved to Toyosu, hence the new name. The old market was named after the reclaimed land it sat on. What's amazing, it took only four days to move house. Now, bigger and more modern. https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/2034 I visited the old market, once, in 1972. In my hometown we have a Japanese style fish auction run by a 100 year old company. In my younger days we would go early in the morning to pick up "fish guts" to use for bait in our crab nets. For lunch we would buy 5 or 10 cent tempura fish cakes from the fishcake factory. The fishcakes contained local shark meat which now banned. Times have changed.

The high end places buy their seafood from the largest fish market in the world, Tokyo's famous Tsukuji Fish Market.

I mentioned this in my first post.

I understand and can't blame you. Raw shellfish of any kind in Thailand is taboo for me. The bacteria in them does a number on me that requires an antibiotic like Ciprofloxacin to make me well. Never had that problem eating raw oysters elsewhere. What about tomatoes and other veggies that are served both cooked and raw?

When is a fish worth more than a half million dollars? https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-bluefun-tuna-fetches-632000-tokyo-tsukiji-fish-auction/ No, I am not Japanese, but everyone in Hawaii knows about high fish prices at this time of the year. Sashimi is a must at New Year's celebrations. Ahi, or yellow-fin tuna is the preferred fish for sashimi. Choice ahi goes for $20-$30/lb. and up. Red fish of any kind to steam is also in high demand. Even non-orientals honor this tradition by serving platters of sashimi at New year's parties along with other delicacies. Growing up, my father always took me along to New Year's parties put on by Japanese employees that worked under him. The food was always outstanding and it was considered rude for him not to attend. Those were the days.

If you know the right way to eat sushi, the wasabi adds to the mild flavor of the seafood and does not overpower the the taste. A slice of pickled ginger root (benishoga) is often used between each sushi to "cleanse" the palate. Stuck up and pretentious? The same thing could be said of connoisseurs of beluga caviar, Dom Perignon or Pule (donkey cheese).

I grew up eating sushi, sashimi and poke, which is Hawaiian-style seasoned raw fish, and kinilaw, Filipino-style seasoned raw fish. Here in Hawaii, ciguatera fish poisoning is more of a concern than parasites.

First of all, wasabi is not what you claim it to be. Coleman's mustard is made from white and brown mustard seeds, vinegar, turmeric, which gives it the yellow color, and other spices. Wasabi, on the other hand, is from wasabi root and quite pungent. Wasabi belongs to the ginger family. Sushi is made with rice usually seasoned with a vinegar based sauce. Not all sushi is made with raw sea food. In fact, some sushi, like futomaki is made with vegetable and/or cooked seafood. You are thinking of nigiri sushi which topped with various seafood. One of the reasons for steep prices is the high end seafood used, like prime tuna, abalone, etc. Raw tuna sold specifically for sushi in the U.S. must be frozen first. Raw freshwater fish should never be used. Unagi, or freshwater eel is always cooked,preferably broiled and seasoned. The information I have provided is from my years of experienced in making all kinds of sushi. NOTE: Imitation wasabi is colored horseradish.

Discussing religion OR politics is a sure way to start an argument. Discussing religion AND politics is sure way to start a fight. Sure holds true on this forum.

Over the years, I've had numerous custom-carved wood portraits made in a small village outside of Chiang Mai. I always hand carried the items back with me to the states. If the carvings are of teak or other protected species there may be a problem without an export license. I was warned by the wife of a close friend about this law. She worked for a large import/export company so I think she knew what she was talking about. The shops that regularly sell and ship these items are probably a good choice since they know how to comply with any documentation required. The guy and his brother that did my carvings not only worked out of their wood shop, but traveled to various temples around the country to do custom. work.

As long as Hamas is in control the people in Gaza will die. It has just been announced that Hamas and the Islamic Jihad have rejected Egypt's proposal for a ceasefire. The proposal lays out plans for a permanent cessation of hostilities.

The very reason why I mentioned guinea pig.

The Pope should clean house before condemning others. The Catholic Church has a horrendous record of human rights abuse.

Agree. Have you noticed they have not joined the other 20 or so countries in the task force? Like you say, they don't want to take sides.

Are you saying the leader of the world's fourth ranked military power will sit on his hands?

The is way past serious. Question: What will Modi do, besides cooperating with others? https://indianexpress.com/article/india/indian-flagged-oil-tanker-hit-by-houthi-drone-in-red-sea-us-military-9080799/

Also reports of another ships attacked in the same area. https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/initial-probe-of-ship-attacked-in-indian-ocean-confirms-drone-strike-india-deploys-three-warships-to-maintain-deterrent-presence/ar-AA1m0CEt Looks like Iran is raising the stakes. If so, a miscalculation on their part.

I agree Did you read the whole article. It gave the number of rockets fired and the number shot down. Although it is rather doubtful the Houthis can match this. As a U.S. Navy veteran, I would be the last to downplay the effectiveness of our Navy. The Aegis Combat System has a proven track record of excellence in actual combat. The USS Mason (DDG87) successfully shot down a Houthi barrage of 12 missiles. The USS Carney (DDG64) also shot down a barrage of missiles. I served aboard several ships, but none had these kind of advanced defense systems. I retired before these systems were developed. In doing a little research, I found out other countries in the task force have ships that were successful in shooting down Houthi missiles. Not sure what missile systems they use. Hopefully, the mission is a success. If it is, what will the Mullahs in Tehran do next?

Iron Dome "overwhelmed" https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-10-10/what-is-israel-iron-dome-air-defence-gaza-rockets/102952172 There are other links out there saying the same thing. Relevance is, no matter how good a defense system is it can be "overwhelmed." This has been a major concern with ABM defense systems.

What makes the head of this task force think they can provide the protection now. Commercial vessels were hit in the past even when naval vessels were in the vicinity. Israel's Iron Dome was overwhelmed when Hamas fired more rockets than the system could knock down. I read reports that some of those that got through did significant damage. I think someone is being over confident. If a barrage of missiles were fired at different targets, including both navy and commercial targets, what do you think the obvious choice would be? I am looking at this from logical point of view, not knowing what the plan of action is. I am quite sure there are standing orders governing such a situation.

What kind of assurance from what relevant government?

The continuous citing of the same statistics over and and over makes one wonder if some posters have run out of meaningful things to say. I realize this post has a different title, but the comments and statistics are the same. The best Christmas present they can give us is to knock it off. Maybe Santa will reward them with a lump of coal.