Please Explain Sushi Prices

[Chris Daley]

They do everything small in Japan except the prices.  A sack of rice is 100 baht.  So why is 4 cubes of sushi 60 baht?

 

Why would you eat wasabi with white meat?  We all know wasabi is Colman's Mustard.  And we eat that with red meat, onions and a rich gravy sauce.  The wasabi over powers the delicate fish.

 

So that's it?  They have two sauces, soy sauce and wasabi?  Why is the sushi scene so stuck up and pretentious.  It's just student food.

 

How about you?  Do you eat sushi often?

[CharlieH]

Nope don't eat it.Parasites potential is too high.Thought of raw fish would have me throwing up.

[Hawaiian]

5 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

They do everything small in Japan except the prices.  A sack of rice is 100 baht.  So why is 4 cubes of sushi 60 baht?

 

Why would you eat wasabi with white meat?  We all know wasabi is Colman's Mustard.  And we eat that with red meat, onions and a rich gravy sauce.  The wasabi over powers the delicate fish.

 

So that's it?  They have two sauces, soy sauce and wasabi?  Why is the sushi scene so stuck up and pretentious.  It's just student food.

 

How about you?  Do you eat sushi often?

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.

[Hawaiian]

4 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Nope don't eat it.Parasites potential is too high.Thought of raw fish would have me throwing up.

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.

[Hawaiian]

6 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

They do everything small in Japan except the prices.  A sack of rice is 100 baht.  So why is 4 cubes of sushi 60 baht?

 

Why would you eat wasabi with white meat?  We all know wasabi is Colman's Mustard.  And we eat that with red meat, onions and a rich gravy sauce.  The wasabi over powers the delicate fish.

 

So that's it?  They have two sauces, soy sauce and wasabi?  Why is the sushi scene so stuck up and pretentious.  It's just student food.

 

How about you?  Do you eat sushi often?

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).

[2baht]

Ask a Japanese! 

[Hawaiian]

1 hour ago, 2baht said:

Ask a Japanese! 

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.

[2baht]

I like my food cooked!

[Hawaiian]

2 minutes ago, 2baht said:

I like my food cooked!

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? 

[bamnutsak]

9 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

Do you eat sushi often?

 

Big fan of the conveyor belt sushi at Shushiro. Probably eat there once a week. Quite popular here. https://sushiro.co.th/branch/

 

There are quite a few highly-rated fancier places, with set menus (Omikase). Some are a bargain at the lunch price.

[KhunLA]

8 hours ago, CharlieH said:

Nope don't eat it.Parasites potential is too high.Thought of raw fish would have me throwing up.

That why in the real world, sushi must be from frozen seafood.

Edited December 27, 2023 by KhunLA

[FolkGuitar]

I'd be content to eat sushi and sashimi 2-3 times a week... and did for the 15 years I lived and worked in Japan.

I don't need a fancy sushi restaurant, just fresh ingredients. Here in Thailand, we keep our eyes open for sushi-grade tuna and salmon and have them for dinner at home often. I do miss the huge variety I would find in the Kaitenzushi places in my old neighborhood in Kyoto.

[pgrahmm]

We had fresh sushi available locally until COVID took it's toll....It was reasonable at 12 choices for 200 baht & he'd add a couple more.....

Truthfully, my wife & daughters can prepare sushi combinations at minimal costs.....

My wife would prefer to prepare it at home.....One daughter has a sushi restaurant that she favors for special days & birthdays....

In any case, we avoid "market" place conditions where it's prepared & sitting out on display - waiting - subject to the surrounding conditions.....

[Hawaiian]

2 hours ago, KhunLA said:

That why in the real world, sushi must be from frozen seafood.

I mentioned this in my first post.

[Hawaiian]

2 hours ago, pgrahmm said:

We had fresh sushi available locally until COVID took it's toll....It was reasonable at 12 choices for 200 baht & he'd add a couple more.....

Truthfully, my wife & daughters can prepare sushi combinations at minimal costs.....

My wife would prefer to prepare it at home.....One daughter has a sushi restaurant that she favors for special days & birthdays....

In any case, we avoid "market" place conditions where it's prepared & sitting out on display - waiting - subject to the surrounding conditions.....

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

[KhunLA]

31 minutes ago, Hawaiian said:

I mentioned this in my first post.

I rarely read all the posts, especially if more than 10.  Usually read last post (enter forum on 'new content').

 

Might read the OP, or just reply to the title.  Avoids a lot of 'drivel' and keyboard 'handbag slinging' 

 

I think many do the same, so incase they missed your post, they got the info from mine 

 

JIC they didn't know, but thought the frozen thing was common knowledge, as should be for people that eat sushi.   Why would you not research what you are eating, especially raw.

Edited December 27, 2023 by KhunLA

[spidermike007]

8 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

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.

Thank you, some posts are very difficult to respond to. How do you even reply to someone who calls sushi student food. Perhaps the stuff you see on the street here, yes.

 

It is obviously a gross misunderstanding of how exquisite and delicate sushi can be. I absolutely love sushi, it's one of my favorite foods on the planet and I've had some sushi that's absolutely sublime, never once gotten sick from it. It only gives me great joy! 

[Foxx]

1 hour ago, Hawaiian said:

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

 

I do hope they don't.  It closed in 2018, so the fish would be pretty ancient by now.

 

They now buy from its replacement, Toyosu Market.

 

Incidentally, and I don't think this has been mentioned before, but the freezing for the top quality fish is done using liquid nitrogen best to preserve the fish texture, taste and aroma.

[Iron Tongue]

14 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

They do everything small in Japan except the prices.  A sack of rice is 100 baht.  So why is 4 cubes of sushi 60 baht?

 

Why would you eat wasabi with white meat?  We all know wasabi is Colman's Mustard.  And we eat that with red meat, onions and a rich gravy sauce.  The wasabi over powers the delicate fish.

 

So that's it?  They have two sauces, soy sauce and wasabi?  Why is the sushi scene so stuck up and pretentious.  It's just student food.

 

How about you?  Do you eat sushi often?

Love the stuff.  

If you don't understand, then you don't understand.

Nobody will force you to eat it.

However, you will be judged by your utterly dense approach to understanding food.

Wasabi is Coleman's mustard?  Uh-huh.

 

 

[Thingamabob]

Killing and eating animals is disgusting.

[Wrwest]

2 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

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

A “must visit” in Tokyo. Great memories of studying at the University of Washington for the intense introduction to Japanese history, language, culture and then it was off to visit fellow educators in Japan. It would be my first of the five visits I would make. If I could have afforded it, I might well have retired in Japan.

[rwill]

9 hours ago, Hawaiian said:

Wasabi, on the other hand, is from wasabi root and quite pungent.  Wasabi belongs to the ginger family.

Most of the wasabi sold is not real wasabi.  

 

What is real wasabi and why you've probably never eaten it.

 

From the article:  

A shocking number of sushi restaurants don't serve real wasabi: The Washington Post reports that as much as 99 percent of wasabi sold in the United States is fake. It's not just the U.S., either; experts estimate that 95 percent of wasabi sold in Japan is imitation, too.

Edited December 27, 2023 by rwill

[Peterphuket]

19 minutes ago, rwill said:

Most of the wasabi sold is not real wasabi.  

 

What is real wasabi and why you've probably never eaten it.

 

From the article:  

A shocking number of sushi restaurants don't serve real wasabi: The Washington Post reports that as much as 99 percent of wasabi sold in the United States is fake. It's not just the U.S., either; experts estimate that 95 percent of wasabi sold in Japan is imitation, too.

You just beat me to it, I was looking for my visit to a big wasabi farm in Japan, factoid: they even make ice cream from it.

[Hawaiian]

1 hour ago, Foxx said:

 

I do hope they don't.  It closed in 2018, so the fish would be pretty ancient by now.

 

They now buy from its replacement, Toyosu Market.

 

Incidentally, and I don't think this has been mentioned before, but the freezing for the top quality fish is done using liquid nitrogen best to preserve the fish texture, taste and aroma.

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.

Edited December 27, 2023 by Hawaiian
Correction

[Hawaiian]

11 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

You just beat me to it, I was looking for my visit to a big wasabi farm in Japan, factoid: they even make ice cream from it.

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.

[BusyB]

3 hours ago, KhunLA said:

I rarely read all the posts, especially if more than 10.  Usually read last post (enter forum on 'new content').

 

Might read the OP, or just reply to the title.  Avoids a lot of 'drivel' and keyboard 'handbag slinging' 

 

I think many do the same, so incase they missed your post, they got the info from mine 

 

JIC they didn't know, but thought the frozen thing was common knowledge, as should be for people that eat sushi.   Why would you not research what you are eating, especially raw.

 

Actually I love sushi but had no idea the fish had to be frozen first, so thanks to you and Hawaiian. I wouldn't touch it anywhere in Thailand for plain reasons. 

 

In Germany I eat raw mincemeat with onion on bread rolls for breakfast (Hackepeter), the preparation, seasoning and regulation of which is closely controlled. I'd never eat raw laab though.

[KhunLA]

11 minutes ago, BusyB said:

Actually I love sushi but had no idea the fish had to be frozen first, so thanks to you and Hawaiian. I wouldn't touch it anywhere in Thailand for plain reasons. 

 

In Germany I eat raw mincemeat with onion on bread rolls for breakfast (Hackepeter), the preparation, seasoning and regulation of which is closely controlled. I'd never eat raw laab though.

I've only eaten it here at a few select places.   I see it all the time at fresh & night markets, sitting out, usually not covered.   Since not something I will microwave at home, I give it a pass.  Always looks tempting, then common sense kicks in.

 

Any other cooked meats I buy at fresh/night markets are fresh off the grill.   Not a fan of buying anything already on display, unless getting reheated at home.

 

I'm probably overly cautious, most of the time, but has worked so far.  

Edited December 27, 2023 by KhunLA

[Hawaiian]

Mark Wiens' videos are always entertaining and informative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cm2dczXpBG0

[freeworld]

17 hours ago, Chris Daley said:

They do everything small in Japan except the prices.  A sack of rice is 100 baht.  So why is 4 cubes of sushi 60 baht?

 

Why would you eat wasabi with white meat?  We all know wasabi is Colman's Mustard.  And we eat that with red meat, onions and a rich gravy sauce.  The wasabi over powers the delicate fish.

 

So that's it?  They have two sauces, soy sauce and wasabi?  Why is the sushi scene so stuck up and pretentious.  It's just student food.

 

How about you?  Do you eat sushi often?

You got a good deal there. They seem to be edging on the 20 baht a piece lately.

 

Also don't like the new way they seem to be making some sushi with the mayonnaise and sauces they put on it.

[freeworld]

2 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

Killing and eating animals is disgusting.

But the variety of meats is delicious and humans need something to use to exercise their gums and strengthen their gnashers.

Edited December 27, 2023 by freeworld