# Sushi newb questions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 24, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414 "2014-08-24T23:33:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/1 "2014-08-24T23:33:12Z")
My new place is near a Kroger supermarket that has pre-made sushi platters. This is my first exposure to sushi. I’ve been trying the different combos and liking it, though it’s a little blander than I would have expected. Two questions; Is the sweetish spicy cabbage type thing kimchi? Is the green, horse radishy stuff wasabi? Just guessing that’s what they are based on what I’ve gathered from reading about it on the internet. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/2 "2014-08-24T23:54:21Z")
The thinly sliced sweet-spicy stuff (sometimes colored pink) is gari (pickled ginger). The green horseradishy stuff is “wasabi” - it actually is horseradish based and coloed green, in the US you’ll only find real wasabi at a high end sushi joint. > **[Gari (ginger)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gari_(ginger))** > > Gari (ガリ) is a type of tsukemono (Japanese pickled vegetables). It is made from sweet, thinly sliced ginger that has been marinated in a solution of sugar and vinegar. Younger ginger is generally preferred for gari because of its tender flesh and natural sweetness.\[citation needed\] Gari is often served and eaten after sushi, and is sometimes called sushi ginger. It may also simply be called pickled ginger. In Japanese cuisine, it is considered to be essential in the presentation of sushi. Some be... > **[Wasabi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasabi)** > > Wasabi (Japanese: ワサビ, わさび, or 山葵, pronounced \[waꜜsabi\]; Eutrema japonicum or Wasabia japonica) or Japanese horseradish is a plant of the family Brassicaceae, which also includes horseradish and mustard in other genera. The plant is native to Japan and the Russian Far East including Sakhalin, also the Korean Peninsula.: 133  It grows naturally along stream beds in mountain river valleys in Japan. > It is grown for its rhizomes which are ground into a paste as a pungent condiment for sushi and o... I’ve never seen kimchi served with sushi myself - it’s (generally speaking) cabbagey, sauerkrauty, spicy - it’ll come with most any meal at a Korean restaurant. > **[Kimchi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimchi)** > > Kimchi (/ˈkɪmtʃiː/; Korean: 김치, romanized: gimchi, IPA: \[kim.tɕʰi\]), is a traditional Korean banchan consisting of salted and fermented vegetables, most commonly using napa cabbage or Korean radish. A wide selection of seasonings are used, including gochugaru (Korean chili powder), spring onions, garlic, ginger, and jeotgal (salted seafood), etc. Kimchi is also used in a variety of soups and stews. Kimchi is a staple food in Korean cuisine and is eaten as a side dish with almost every Korea T... ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/3 "2014-08-24T23:57:35Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > My new place is near a Kroger supermarket that has pre-made sushi platters… it’s a little blander than I would have expected. Well, there’s your problem! I do eat supermarket sushi on occasion, but I’ve never found any that was very good. Good enough, but not what I’d want if I wanted _sushi_. Do try going to a sushi place. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2014, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/4 "2014-08-24T23:59:21Z")
There is another condiment, sometimes drizzled over the whole thing, sometimes in a small cup on the side. It’s roughly the color of Thousand Island dressing without the chunks of other stuff. What’s that called? ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/5 "2014-08-25T00:02:30Z")
I’ll add that I’d also highly recommend checking out the food at a good sushi restaurant sometime, it’s miles better than the premade supermarket stuff (which to me is, at best, just OK.) The “Thousand Island” stuff ls likely some spicy mayo-based condiment - not exactly old-school authentic 😉 ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/6 "2014-08-25T00:06:43Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Well, there’s your problem! > > I do eat supermarket sushi on occasion, but I’ve never found any that was very good. Good enough, but not what I’d want if I wanted _sushi_. Do try going to a sushi place. I should add that these platters are not prepared somewhere else and shipped here frozen. There are people slicing up fish and assembling these platters behind the counter. Maybe they are still lower quality than a true sushi place but this is on the end of town most likely to have people that know the difference. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/7 "2014-08-25T00:07:25Z")
> [@zombywoof](#): > > The “Thousand Island” stuff ls likely some spicy mayo-based condiment - not exactly old-school authentic 😉 [Mayonnaise](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayonnaise#Japan) is a very common condiment in Japan, even if it varies slightly from western mayonnaise, and can be sprinkled on sushi in Japan, as well as on other dishes. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/8 "2014-08-25T00:14:05Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > I should add that these platters are not prepared somewhere else and shipped here frozen. There are people slicing up fish and assembling these platters behind the counter. Maybe they are still lower quality than a true sushi place but this is on the end of town most likely to have people that know the difference. I think you would find that the Kroger sushi is just as expensive as actual sushi from a restaurant and much lower quality. That has been my experience specifically with Kroger sushi. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/9 "2014-08-25T00:17:58Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Well, there’s your problem! > > I do eat supermarket sushi on occasion, but I’ve never found any that was very good. Good enough, but not what I’d want if I wanted _sushi_. Do try going to a sushi place. I can’t imagine eating it unless I saw the person actually making it and I was able to get it immediately after. Sushi’s shelf life is about 10 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/10 "2014-08-25T00:18:29Z")
The first few times I tried it, I ate it while still chilled. lately I’ve been letting it get to near room temperature. Still kind of bland. Is it blasphemy to use chili garlic sauce? ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/11 "2014-08-25T00:22:46Z")
If I was to ask for a recommendation for a sushi place among my circle of friends the answer would be “Why would you eat bait?, Roadhouse has a shrimp special on Tuesday!” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/12 "2014-08-25T01:10:13Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > If I was to ask for a recommendation for a sushi place among my circle of friends the answer would be “Why would you eat bait?, Roadhouse has a shrimp special on Tuesday!” Do yourself a favor. Find a good Japanese restaurant, go there, and eat sushi. Sit at the bar and talk to the sushi chef. Compare and contrast. 🙂 I assume you’re eating rolls, right? That’s what you usually get in grocery stores. There are different kinds of sushi, (nigiri is what most people think of when they hear “sushi”-- that’s a slice of fish on top of rice, usually with wasabi in-between). But try some sashimi (just raw fish). Dip in soy sauce. Oddly enough, where I live (NorCal) most Japanese restaurants out in the 'burbs are run by Koreans, and they usually have some spicy stuff on the menu. Most Japanese food is not spicy. Flavors are meant to be “pure”. Try some Poke, if you can get it. It’s really a Hawaiian thing, but is basically spicy, raw tuna. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/13 "2014-08-25T01:51:38Z")
Kroger is to sushi as McDonald’s is to hamburgers. If it’s all you can get, fine, but it’s basically cardboard. Go to a real sushi restaurant. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/14 "2014-08-25T01:54:56Z")
Are you using the soy sauce? If I’m eating some from the store at home, I put soy sauce in a little cup and stir in/break up pieces of wasabi, to taste, in the sauce. It’s what you do at a restaurant. Dunk the piece of roll in that, pop the whole thing in your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/15 "2014-08-25T01:56:12Z")
FWIW and IME, most cuts of sushi are fairly delicate in flavor. There are exceptions (uni comes to mind, but you’re not getting that at a supermarket), but it’s just not terribly strongly flavored stuff, most of the time. From what you’re saying, it sounds like you’re probably getting some of the more “western”-style rolls and the like, which often use a sort of spicy mayo stuff, as well as Sriracha. More traditional preparation is (pretty much) rice, wasabi, fish, full stop. Nothing wrong with either approach–I usually tend towards being a traditionalist myself, but I’ve been known to enjoy the western rolls as well. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/16 "2014-08-25T02:02:33Z")
Actually, the most obvious difference between supermarket sushi and good-quality sushi-bar sushi is in the texture and flavor of the rice. Supermarket sushi rice isn’t properly flavored, and it’s not as tender and sticky and it’s a bit chewy from being chilled in the refrigerator case. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/17 "2014-08-25T02:09:09Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Do yourself a favor. Find a good Japanese restaurant, go there, and eat sushi. Sit at the bar and talk to the sushi chef. Compare and contrast. 🙂 And tell the chef about your experience, and that you’d like to learn what it should really taste like. He will be happy to prepare something different, based on what you like and don’t like. ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/18 "2014-08-25T02:18:53Z")
If I’m having nigari, I usually ask the chef to give me what he thinks is best that day. I’ve never been disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/19 "2014-08-25T03:13:05Z")
Well I’m going to defend Kroger sushi, if you go in the daytime when the sushi chef is there you can request any special order you want. I used to get just plain tuna and salmon rolls, just the fish and rice and nori.(they did not make this except by special request). For $5 USD I got a tray of sushi that tasted better than some restaurants and buffets, I’m not joking BTW. Most sushi restaurants in the area I was in were grossly overpriced, they seemed to waste money on making the place look like the headquarters of the yakuza in some movie.😛 (glass partitions with koi swimming through, $40 USD a plate sushi? 4 ROLLS?!?) ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414/20 "2014-08-25T03:13:07Z")
> [@River\_Hippie](#): > > If I was to ask for a recommendation for a sushi place among my circle of friends the answer would be “Why would you eat bait?, Roadhouse has a shrimp special on Tuesday!” It’s all relative. Eating shrimp IS eating bait, if you live near the coast. That said, when we had live shrimp as bait, my grandfather would routinely take the remaining ones home after we’d go fishing, clean them and fry them up for lunch, under the theory that it doesn’t get any fresher than alive a few minutes before. So I’ve eaten my share of bait. As for sushi, I’d say that while the grocery store stuff isn’t terrible, it’s not particularly good either. It’s like getting roast beef at a cafeteria, while getting good sushi is more like getting prime rib at a fine dining restaurant. Same basic dish, but much different in quality and execution. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sushi-newb-questions/696414.md?page=2)