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| Lobster Lover's Roll and Chicken Tempura Roll, 5 Star Chinese Restaurant, Hazleton |
Why did that happen? Because, most "trends" have a lifespan of about a year, maybe a little longer. Ask the fashion industry. Ask the diet doctors. Ask the "As Seen On TV" inventors. Yet, there are also lifestyles and products that have been around forever, and will remain around forever, but were thrust into the spotlight for a short period of time because a public figure was doing it/wearing it/promoting it/talking about it. This lifestyle or product had a "trendy" moment but will also survive the moment.
Sushi, like pizza, has been around for ages. It became trendy, but then became a part of day to day life because of it's continued popularity. Supply and demand has made it possible for the common folk to enjoy sushi in their own back yards now. You no longer have to venture to a metropolis to try it. In fact, many Chinese restaurants have added the Japanese delectable to their menus as well.
Sushi successfully crossed over from "trendy" to mainstream in the US.
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| Sushi & Crab Rangoon @ Jumbo China Buffet |
Yet, 7 years ago, for whatever reason, I had a change of heart. I was shopping in Wegman's with my friend Jere. She wanted to pick up some spicy crab sushi from their sushi bar. I winced but followed her over to the stand. She was so excited that they had her favorite kind. She started explaining all the different flavors and varieties of sushi on display. I must admit, I found her passion and knowledge awesome. I thought the little packages were interesting and colorful. They were certainly art in my opinion. I still wasn't eating it though. No way.
Later that day, while we were hanging at her house, she asked me to try some of her crabmeat sushi. She knew I would love it. I must admit for the first time ever, I was a little curious. I was also starving. She held the tray in front of me. Reluctantly, I took a piece of sushi from the tray. It took me a moment or two to get up the nerve to actually put it in my mouth though. I literally had to talk myself into it.
The convo in my head went like this:
Miss Adventurous my ass.
Oh yea, I'm always up for trying new things and having new experiences.
Fraud!!!
It's not like I was going to jump out of a moving train. It's a piece of food for Christ's sake. Just try it. ( My head is a very interesting place to be sometimes. Sighs.)
Finally, I closed my eyes, shoved the piece of sushi in my mouth and began to chew. I was prepared to be completely appalled and ready to puke. I even had a tissue on stand by so I could spit the sushi into it because this was going to be so disgusting. But, that never happened. The crabmeat sushi was delicious and tasty and wonderful. I so was not expecting that. I stood corrected. I was gonna eat my own words but, Jere offered me another piece of sushi so I ate that instead.
Then something else happened. The Jumbo China Buffet in my town started serving sushi as part of the buffet. Or, maybe they always did and I never noticed. Who knows? All I knew was this gave me the perfect opportunity to try some different sushis.
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| Ni Hao Buffet At State College, PA |
Then another something else happened. Yes, Mirakuya happened. My world was about to be blessed with shrimp tempura, eel sauce and panko bread crumbs. Mirakuya is a Japanese Hibatchi and sushi restaurant and it opened in my city. Hazleton finally had a restaurant dedicated to Japanese food and sushi. Hello Godzilla Roll!
No worries though. The Godzilla Roll is not scary like the name implies. Not at all. The Godzilla Roll is actually a shrimp tempura roll coated in eel sauce then topped with tuna that is mixed with lots of spicy mayo and panko crumbs which actually makes it taste like crab, not tuna. I know that is really weird but that's what I taste. Then, they drizzle more eel sauce over the roll. Let me tell you, I destroy that baby every time I order it.
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| The M&L Roll, Valentine Roll & Shaky Dog Roll Ginza in Lancaster, PA |
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| The Shogun Roll, Autumn Roll and Honey Roll Mirakuya Hazleton, PA |
Sometimes I venture out and try a different roll but for the most part, these two rolls are my go to favorites. If I am craving a third roll, you can't go wrong with the fresh, clean taste of the veggie roll. It is very tasty and pretty healthy too. Whenever I am visiting a new Japanese sushi place, I know those rolls will be on the menu in some form or another so I always have a safety net in case there is too much funky stuff on the menu.
In closing, I will say that I am not a purist when it comes to sushi. I could never order the sushi and sashimi platter. I guarantee I would not like most of the selections the chef has made. I just don't care for the texture and flavor of most raw fishes in the sushi and sashimi. But, there are sushi rolls that I absolutely adore. I must say, I am so glad I finally tried sushi.
Even my son, who was one of the pickiest eaters on the planet, loves sushi. He tried it last year for the first time and now he is a regular connoisseur. He is even more experimental than I am. I think that is so great! See...you never know. Sometimes things we think we will not enjoy, turn out to be a real passion for us. Never Say Never!
Here are some links about sushi! 😁
Chrissy
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| Baked Maryland Crab Sushi. Aloha Sushi Club, Baltimore |
