SDS Staff Hawk Wrote in his answer to the question about the black line on shrimp:
“Shrimp colon is far from the grossest form of seafood. Ever heard of ama ebi? It’s a type of sushi that presents a raw prawn on a small block of seasoned rice. The little morsel is deheaded, peeled, and deveined.”
Sweet shrimp (amaebi) is not gross. Don’t be such a damn rube. It is actually incredibly tasty.
gabe
The article being discussed is
Is that black line down the back of a shrimp what I think it is? (19-Oct-2000)
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I’ll be another person that admits to liking ama ebi. What is gross however is uni (sea urchin). The consistency is soft and repellent.
** Arnold ** Thats it!!! I was trying so hard to remember the kind of sushi I hated. You nailed it. God that was an awful taste/texture/experience! Love sushi, in general though.
Man, I can still semi-feel-remember trying to get that taste and texture out of my mouth. brrrrrrr.
thanks. ( I was going nuts trying to remember what kind it was).
But on the OP, you’re correct that particular little hummer is tasty! (never tried the nearly live one, though)
I love uni. It’s kinda looks like a little baby turd, but mmmmm. I also like Natto though, so who knows.
sublemon writes:
"‘Shrimp colon is far from the grossest form of seafood. Ever heard of ama ebi? It’s a type of sushi that presents a raw prawn on a small block of seasoned rice. The little morsel is deheaded, peeled, and deveined.’
Sweet shrimp (amaebi) is not gross. Don’t be such a damn rube. It is actually incredibly tasty."
I’d just like to state for the record that the posted article was changed slightly from the original submitted one. I would never say that anything was the “grossest form” because of two reasons:
Personally, I’m a big fan of sushi. Although I’ve never been big on octopi or squid, I did try these once in a sushi sampler, just so that I could make an informed opinion instead of one based on preconceived notions. My conclusion: no more eating things with tentacles or suckers. I swear I felt it grab my uvula on its way down my gullet.
Amaebi literally translates to Sweet Shrimp. It is tasty.
The Ebi Odori or Dancing Shrimp is more for presentation and to show how fresh it is. The poor shrimp is decapitated live and its’ head is placed in such manner as to show the moving legs. While enjoying the tasty morsel, you are entertained by watching the life of this unfortunate creature ebb out. When the movements slow down brush the legs with your chopsticks and they come to life again. This can go on for a good 15 minutes.
Another fascinating delicacy found only in Japan is the Hattaroika, young squid. (About 2 – 3 inches long.) You can get boiled young squid all year round, but you can only get raw young squid (Nama Hattaroika) around April, May. This is served whole, and you are meant to consume it whole after dipping it lightly in soy sauce. If you are really adventurous, you can try live young squid (Ikiteru Hattaroika) found at more exclusive sushi restaurants only in Japan. It is normally served in a wineglass filled with water. If you want to see something cool, and the proprietor is willing, ask them to turn off the lights for a few seconds. The live squid glows in the dark! Now, take your chopsticks and gently lift the poor creature out of the glass. Dip lightly in soy sauce and get your nerve up. Put the squid in your mouth and wait. You can feel the creature moving around on your tongue. The sensation, flavor, and feeling are amazing. When you are ready, go for the kill…CHEW! Being a gastronomic adventurer, I confess there has been little to top the sensation of killing something with your teeth.
The above post is the least appealing food-related thing I have read in a very long time!
Watching an Iron Chef Lobster Battle, I perceived a profound moment of cultural differentiation. The American Challenger dashed back to his kitchen and immediately plunged ALL the lobsters, every last one, into big pots of boiling water. The Iron Chef plopped his down on the cutting board and started chopping 'em up, legs still flailing, tails still arching, antennae still swiviling frantically–and this frenetic motion continued even after they were largely dismembered.
I’m not saying I was grossed out by it, but isn’t it easier to cook when the ingredients aren’t trying to escape?
Oh, occasionally, but cold, sleepy lobsters don’t run all that fast. Most of the time, when one wants part of a lobster, just meat, or merely wants to remove the nasty gunky bits, one will chop a live lobster into bits. It’s pretty hideous, but with a nice big sharp knife and gloves I could split in half and clean a little more than a hundred an hour.
As for sashimi/sushi, I’ll break ranks a bit with some of the above (and the OP). I like amaebi a lot, but I acknowledge that it is pretty gross.
I’m just the sort that doesn’t let the gross factor keep me frokm chowing down.
If you thought that was un-appealing, I better not tell you about my gastronomic adventures in China. You would be amazed at the broad range of “things” the Chinese consider delicacies. Only in China was I ever grossed out by what I was eating. Still get shivers thinking about it.
In Korea you can also get some odd specialties. Only in Korea did I feel guilt over what I ate. Sometimes get nightmares over that one.
Still my adventures go on. Tried stingray for the first time in Jakarta last weekend, cooked. It was incredibly tasty.
Once upon a time, I was a sushi chef. Ama ebi is great, but I’ll pass on uni. I’m not all that excited by its appearance, and the taste is not to my liking, either. My boss, the restaurant owner and my sushi partner, described uni as tasting, “…fresh…like the ocean”. I said, “More like a tidepool…”
I have heard that certain sushi (or some other Japanese dish) come covered in gold leaf - incredibly expensive - and you eat the gold along with the more-commonly-accepted-as-edible stuff. Has anybody ever tried it?
Yes, I’ve tried it. The gold leaf is extremely thin and cut into small strips. The strips are then added (in small quantities) as a garnish to the sushi. It does not add to flavor at all.
It is purely for presentation purposes. It does look spectacular, and that is traditionally a very important aspect of Japanese cuisine. A good sushi chef is not only adding a slice of raw fish to a ball of rice. A good sushi chef creates a piece of art, which should also be pleasant to the eyes. I can tell you, strips or flakes of gold, is quite eye catching.