Hi I’m Hiro, a resource coordinator in Techno-Pro Japan. Nice to e-meet you.
I used to work for a sushi restaurant in L.A., California.
I had started my career as sushi chef just 1 year before I arrived at L.A.
“Sushi chef”, people in US call so, is a little different from what we usually hear and think of men who profess making sushi in Japan.
First and foremost, sushi itself is completely different.
Sushi in US usually means rolls, while people in Japan think of it as small rice and a piece of raw fish on top of it.
But few people like raw fish in US, so they never see such a combination of rice and raw fish as sushi.
Also, they love sauces.
Especially strong ones, such as SPICY sauces, thick mayonnaise, eel sauces, whatsoever.
So for them, sushi is the combination of rolls and strong sauces, basically. That’s it.
What’s rolls here?
The most famous one is California rolls, in short, Cali rolls.
The ingredients for Cali rolls are here.
Rice, dried seaweed (nori), lettuce, cucumber, avocado and imitation crab (Kanikama in Japanese) marinated with mayonnaise.
Yes, you can make sushi easily as long as you have these stuffs.
And yes, you can be a “sushi chef” too, as long as you have these stuffs.
Also, how to make sushi is pretty easy.
Firstly, put rice and spread on the seaweed. And second, flip it over. And then thirdly, put and line up the other stuffs evenly on the center of the seaweed.
- Let’s roll them up. Lastly, just lightly mold it into the rolls form with a bamboo sheet.
Oh, don’t forget to cut the rolls into some pieces.
That’s it. Easy, huh?
Wouldn’t it be a company’s secret?
Not really.
Actually, sushi, I mean rolls, is very popular in LA.
And they use mostly the same ingredients, so you can guess what are in the rolls, even if you have not worked for such a restaurant.
And if you came make that, you can be called sushi chef.
Congratulations!
But in Japan, it will take more than 1-2 years to be recognized as a sushi person. Maybe a sushi chef?
When you can make sushi, the combination of rice and a piece of fish, make beautiful rolls, cut fish, make vinegared rice, and such and such,
taking some years, at least, then you can be recognized as a person who can make sushi.
For Japanese, making sushi is more art, or craftsmanship, than cooking.
So if it is ok to rephrase my second sentence, to make it more precise,
I had started my career as sushi person just 1 year before I arrived at L.A.
I had no idea at all to make sushi in LA when I graduated from my university,
but looking back, that was one of my greatest experiences, so far and probably in my life.
I will talk about that in the next time.
Thanks for reading.