Teach Me About Sushi or Recommend a Movie

Posted on 11.08.07 in Marriage and there are 20 comments.

Jimmy and I are going to have a date night tonight - rent a movie and eat some sushi.

Small Problem

Except, we’ve never had sushi and we have no idea what movie to rent.

Jeremy recommended the last movie we watched and we both enjoyed it. However, I think we’ve watched about 73 sport themed movies in a row and it’s my turn to pick the movie (read: chick flick.)

So, we’re asking you, our blogging friends to help us out.

If you can recommend a movie (It doesn’t really need to be a chick flick...) or teach us about sushi we’d be much obliged.

The Comments:

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Sushi’s easy. Start with some California rolls - that’s what they’re usually called. They will be rice rolled around some avocado and (cooked) crab. A pretty painless way for people to get ready to dive into the “I’m going to eat RAW FISH?” experience.

Then order some nigiri - that’s fish on top of rice (you won’t be ready for sashimi, which is just the raw fish alone, your first time - you have to find out how yummy it all is first). Good bets are the various types of tuna they will have (usually three to four different types), yellow tail, and salmon. I like mackerel, but it has a stronger flavor that may put you off. These usually come 1-2 pieces per roll, figure one to two bites per piece. It takes a while for a good sushi place to get your order(s) to you, and you eat them slowly, savoring the tastes. You may also want to get another order of rolls - just look at what is in them and order something that sounds good. The “hand rolls” look like small waffle cones filled with fish and other goodies, the “cone” in this case being seaweed (it’s good, don’t worry about it). For two people and assuming two pieces per order of nigiri and six to eight piece per roll (not talking hand rolls), then five pairs of nigiri and two orders of rolls should be plenty. If you’re still hungry at the end, then you can order more. You don’t want to order too much because sushi doesn’t make good leftovers.

You will get little bowls in which you can pour some soy sauce to dip the fish in before putting it in your mouth. There will be some green wasabi (horseradish) paste on the plate with the order - you can mix some of that in with the soy sauce to your taste (or not). There will also be some slices of pink pickled ginger - this is for cleansing your palate between pieces. Some people make a show of eating sushi with chopsticks, but the Japanese eat it with their fingers, so feel free to just pick it up, dip it a bit in the soy sauce, and pop it in your mouth.

I would stay away from squid, octopus and eel the first time - the first two really have no flavor and are quite chewy, the latter has a taste you will either like or hate immediately. Similarly with fish roe, except perhaps as part of a roll, where it is used more as a garnish. If you like caviar, you will probably like fish roe sushi, otherwise not so much.

I personally like to eat at the sushi bar itself instead of at a table - that way you can watch the chef(s) prepare the sushi. It’s pretty cool, and will help you realize just how fresh the fish is and how painstaking its preparation.

If you drink, sake is good.

See also http://www.sushiyasuda.com/traditions.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sushi.

Fear not - good sushi doesn’t taste “fishy”. It tastes fresh and wonderful. You will fall in love with it, I bet. Have fun! Post about it!

Jim

If you want a good documentary..."yes"

God Grew Tired of US

it is very good.

Diana

No idea on the sushi--good luck!  I don’t know if I shouldl recommend this or not...we just watched Blades of Glory--it’s REALLY dumb, but pretty funny! I guess that’s sort of sports related, isn’t it?  We don’t watch so many movies.  The other one we watched recently is a sports movie too-We Are Marshall.  That one is really good!

We are Marshall.....ok Lisa.

Kat, sweethart....the 8th commandment encourages us not to lie...73 sports movies in a row?  I must have fallen asleep during the last 71, so I have some catching up to do. 

Besides, We are Marshall is a dramatic sports story so it’s the best of both words.

But - if you would prefer we get something like...oh say...Princess Diaries 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 or something along those lines, no problem.  You know I am a good sport about those kinds of things and can enjoy just about anything.

I just watched Reign Over Me, which I thought was excellent....but it is a serious movie, but also very touching.

I LOVE SUSHI!  Your best bet is to stick with salmon or tuna, the kind everyone loves.  Eel (as mentioned above) is actually one of my favorites.  I actually don’t like California rolls that much. Sushi is just the way it’s prepared...with rice.  Sashimi (raw fish as mentioned above) is actually my favorite way to eat it all.  YUM!  I have a hard time getting people to get sushi..it’s expensive and a lot of people are squeamish about it.  But the truth is that I prefer sushi/sashimi to any kind of cooked fish.  It’s delicious!  Oh, and you might want to try whatever that particular sushi chef’s specialty is.
Have you ever had Korean BBQ?  If not, I recommend it for the next date!

I should have said 9th commandment in my comment above.

And in the spirit of beng totally honest, we were thinking more along the lines of buying sushi from HEB and eating it while we watch our movie at home.

.....would that offend?

.....is that total sushi ignorance?

.....is that an upset stomach waiting to happen?

Buying it from a supermarket doesn’t offend me because I don’t like to be a food snob. However, I would worry about its freshness and even if it is made that day about the quality of the fish used (so maybe I AM a food snob . So if you want, go for it, but if you don’t like it, don’t write off sushi in general!

But me, personally? I would rather you ask someone knowledgeable of sushi places in your area what their favorite place is and then go there for your first time, just so you can get not just the food, but also the atmosphere, the different pace of service, watching it being made, etc. But all that said it’s y’all’s date night, so do what sounds good to YOU, don’t worry about the opinion of some anonymous dude commenting on your blog, like me.

Have fun, no matter what!

If you have grocery store sushi and end up not liking it, then please try going to an actual sushi bar sometime, that’s all I have to say about that.

I eat sushi from the grocery stores all the time.  But like Jim said, it’s not as fresh, so not always as good.

Okay, I know nothing about sushi, so I’ll stick to the movie recommendations.

Now, you must know that my movie tastes are excellent, but not always what most people would consider “family fare” or the “cleanest.” For my part, I’m not bothered by bad language or rawer content; it’s part of life and usually is an accurate reflection of the culture.  I look at the broader perspective, point, and message of a film rather than how many “bad” things are in it.  That said, I highly recommend the following if you haven’t already seen them: Moulin Rouge, Bend it Like Beckham, Monsoon Wedding, The English Patient, Knocked Up, Elizabeth, The Mummy, Stranger Than Fiction, Amelie, and Pan’s Labyrinth.  I could go on, but any of those is worth watching.  I’d be happy to elaborate on any of them if you so desire.

I see the sushi guys making fresh sushi at HEB all the time and I’ve had it before...not too shabby, though I would recommend going to a sushi bar sometime in your life just for the experience.

As for the movie, knowing you guys, here are some of our picks: Sahara, National Treasure, The Count of Monte Cristo, the Bourne movies, Pride and Prejudice (okay, that’s not really one of my husband’s favorites), School of Rock, Cheaper by the Dozen (makes me want to have a big family...and move to Chicago), Miracle, The Rookie, and, of course, The Lord of the Rings and Star Wars movies, which I could watch multiple times in one week.  (I’m strange that way.)

(By the way, we own all of these if you guys want to borrow!)

Cachinator and Psalm8410, thank you for the movie recommendations. 

Psalm8410...I am trying to decide if I want to use $2 in gas to go to your house to borrow one of your movies for free, or to pay $1 at the HEB movie vending machine.

If gas were 0.89 it would be a no brainer.

Although getting to say hi to your husband would make it well worth it...especially if he is not gonna make it to the chicken place for dinner tonight.  If he does come...maybe he could bring National Treasure, Sahara (what’s that about?) and Cheaper by the Dozen, and we can pick?  If not, no biggie.

California rolls are very yummy, and I agree with the sticking to salmon or fish that isn’t too thick until you get used to chewing raw fish!  (I still am not!)

Diana, I was wondering about that movie, I read a review but still can’t find it around to rent. 

I wouldn’t know what to rent for couples, sorry I am not that much help..... I am into the Gilmore girls dvd, but I don’t think Jimmy would appreciate that suggestion, however I think Brody secretly likes that show, he gets into it.  ha ha. 

Hope you have a good date!

Maybe this is a little late, but

Sushi - do the tuna, very good

Movie - classic: Pale Rider with Clint Eastwood romance and gunplay are always a good combination

Sushi is gross.

That’s what I know about sushi.

And as far as the movie goes, Stranger Than Fiction.

I just bought it for Seth for his birthday and we watch it all the time.  Great cast, excellent script, and really cool allegory.  Funny, serious, it’s really great.

But you’re probably done with your movie by now.  Hope it was fun.

What did you pick???

Hey, I was just hoping that you had a good time trying sushi.  I would start as the first person and try California (with soy sauce, then maybe wasabi).  It is served with Ginger (pink), but most people do not like it.  You can eat it with the sushi or after...it is designed to clean your pallette(sp?!?!)

I would then move to any rolls that sound interesting and try nigiri next time. 

My hubby and I have sushi at least once a week...it is awesome.  For a quick fix, usually not as tasty...Kroger, HEB, and some Randall’s have sushi to go or you can special order it---but it does fit the budget better!

I’ve heard Bella’s pretty good.

I love sushi.  I have always had sushi in my life.  The only difference is that when I was a boy growing up on the farm, we called it “bait.” As for a movie, I just watched “CRASH” for the umpteenth time.  I will never tire of the “life lessons” this film depicts.

Kristen,

My husband and I rented “God Grew Tired of Us” at Blockbuster.  We highly recommend it.

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