JAS_OH1
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Anyone want to chime in on tartare, MG was kind enough to start us in a new thread!No need, I'm sure there's tartare threads already. Cheers.
Anyone want to chime in on tartare, MG was kind enough to start us in a new thread!No need, I'm sure there's tartare threads already. Cheers.
I just wanted to come back to this. Of course this depends on the restaurant and the commitment made by the apprentice becoming a chef that specializes in sushi. I worked with a chef who was Japanese and worked in a sushi restaurant before coming to Canada and where most of my knowledge, although limited, I understand better what these places were like to work in, and it's not all rainbows and ribbons.I also think the idea of sushi chefs training for 10 years to become an 'Itamae' (sushi master) is very strange.
I just wanted to come back to this. Of course this depends on the restaurant and the commitment made by the apprentice becoming a chef that specializes in sushi. I worked with a chef who was Japanese and worked in a sushi restaurant before coming to Canada and where most of my knowledge, although limited, I understand better what these places were like to work in, and it's not all rainbows and ribbons.
Like any skilled profession there is an apprenticeship that is required and as it relates to sushi restaurants it's a lifelong ambition that requires expert knowledge from taking out the garbage, doing dishes and mopping the floors, and these are done specifically and no short cuts. This is true with every level within the restaurant an apprentice goes through. Basically your going to slug it out as an apprentice for 3 or 4 years before your even allowed to prepare any actual food, with rice being the first and even then for the first while it's just smaller amounts for training which could be months. This regimen ensures the dedication required and weeds out slackers very quickly. If an apprentice happens to excel and has some apparent talent, they move up more quickly. Basically most would be lucky to be involved with food preparation before the 5 yr mark. A sushi restaurant and all the knowledge required to be able to actually open a restaurant is mind boggling when compared to other restaurant types. And the reason most sushi outside of Japan is a compromise at best. cheers
No, assembly is the easiest part once your there at that level, but very few are. As far as comparing a fish monger or butcher to a full blown sushi chef is like night and day. I think the problem is not experiencing a true dinning experience in a top sushi bar because the next level down from there is a different world altogether and it's really just rice with raw fish and vegetables and ginger and whatever. Each ingredient from a top sushi bar is treated in the same way as the fish and it comes together in an art form that few actually experience properly. I'm a decent chef with lots of experience and handle food better than most and know how to make decent sushi for most people but not even in the same league as a good sushi apprentice, let alone a sushi chef. It's a misunderstood cuisine because it's handled so poorly outside of Japan for the most part and people have nothing to compare it to. imoI researched this before posting earlier, so yes I was aware.
As a possibly crude comparison, operating as a fishmonger or butcher requires a lot of knowledge, for health and safety reasons alone, let alone how to carve, fillet, cut etc. But 10 years training would not be the norm.
In terms of sushi (apart from health and safety) isn't it all about the technique of how it assembled? Yet to me, it all looks a bit the same. Does the ultimate finesse of the assembly really make it taste so much better? Perhaps there is something I am not understanding.
It is perfectly clear to me that a true, Japanese Sushi Chef prepares food which is light years away from what we (erroneously) believe is sushi.As far as comparing a fish monger or butcher to a full blown sushi chef is like night and day.
Yep, and it's difficult to verbalize that, but you did a pretty good job, I'd say.It is perfectly clear to me that a true, Japanese Sushi Chef prepares food which is light years away from what we (erroneously) believe is sushi.
They make vegetable sushi and also have some land animal (generally cooked in the US) types of sushi. So you could realistically avoid eating any seafood. And also they typically offer some other sorts of Asian dishes that have nothing to do with seafood. At. All.We’re going to a place today that serves sushi. I’ll try it and let you know what I think.
Hahahahha, no I won’t!
It is perfectly clear to me that a true, Japanese Sushi Chef prepares food which is light years away from what we (erroneously) believe is sushi.
The same reasoning could be justified when referring to 3 star Michelin cuisine.I'm not saying you're wrong, but I still don't understand what the real difference is. What are the ingredients or techniques being used which make it 'light years apart' from sushi prepared by a top chef using ultra fresh fish and the correct type of rice etc? I'm not talking about comparing it to the average supermarket offering.
The same reasoning could be justified when referring to 3 star Michelin cuisine.
I'm not saying you're wrong, but I still don't understand what the real difference is. What are the ingredients or techniques being used which make it 'light years apart' from sushi prepared by a top chef using ultra fresh fish and the correct type of rice etc? I'm not talking about comparing it to the average supermarket offering.
Worst meal we've had in a restaurant was a Wolfgang Puck place.I can't imagine there is any guarantee that I would find 3 star Michelin cuisine superior to my favorite restaurant. One of the worst restaurant meals I've ever had was at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant.
CD