# Worst sushi you've ever had? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 17, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398 "2009-09-17T02:52:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/1 "2009-09-17T02:52:32Z")
Inspired by tonight’s dinner. I realize grocery store sushi generally isn’t of the highest quality, but usually it’s passable as food. Tonight was an exception. I prefer Dominick’s to Jewel, but there’s a Jewel within walking distance of my condo. I went to Jewel and decided to pick up a combo pack of regular imitation crab and spicy imitation crab. The fish itself wasn’t so bad, but the “rice” was just terrible. It was impossible to make out individual grains of rice. Instead, it was like a coagulated mass of white goop. Not only that, the rice had sugar in it! Why in the hell would you add sugar to rice? Also, the wasabi tasted okay, but it was this nasty-looking green goo that you had to squeeze from a packet. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/2 "2009-09-17T02:54:42Z")
Actually, sushi should be made with sugar. The rice is mixed with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. That’s what makes sushi taste different from regular unseasoned rice. In my experience, the sushi at Trader Joe’s is generally pretty egregious. Oh, also edited to add that whoever cooked the rice in the sushi that you ate probably added too much water, which caused it to become mushy and congeal. I’ve done that before when cooking sushi rice at home. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/3 "2009-09-17T03:00:40Z")
Wasabi from a packet! Maybe somehow it’s cheaper than putting a little pea-sized bit in the container with a few ginger slices and a packet of soy sauce?..The sushi at Wegmans is always very good but they were advertising “Made with BROWN RICE” like it was so much healthier, and yeah, it was a slimy goopy mass of goo. :mad: Now, I will eat something if it turns out to be just mediocre, especially if I pay $5 or more for it, but this was disgusting and after two bites, I threw it in the trash. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/4 "2009-09-17T03:14:06Z")
Agreed on the sushi at TJ’s - bleh. Sushi from my workplace - it apparently had been made ahead long enough, or so poorly, that the rice was practically glued together and somewhat tough. Alternately, it might have been left exposed to air, like on big trays in a walk-in cooler, perhaps, for a while and only then transferred to the little tray. (Fortunately I’m a vegetarian so it was just a veggie roll.) Worst sushi I never ate: My father-in-law bought a sushi platter on sale at Jewel for a party. Unfortunately, the party was two weeks away, so he put it in the freezer. Then a few days before the party, he transferred it from freezer to fridge. Fortunately he’d shared this info with my husband, who after being unable to convince his dad (who fishes in Alaska for fresh salmon, and should know damned well how long raw fish is good for) not to serve the platter, warned all of his family members about it, so no one touched a piece. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/5 "2009-09-17T03:53:17Z")
I got some really nasty sushi from a Ralph’s supermarket last year. It was a spicy tuna roll with a decidedly odd smell and a slimy texture. I only ate two pieces before throwing the rest in the trash in disgust. The worst _non-supermarket_ sushi I’ve ever had was at California Roll Factory on Santa Monica about six years ago. I popped in for lunch because it was near my bank. The California roll I ordered tasted like it was made with miracle whip and candle wax. With so many great sushi places in L.A. I can’t figure out how they stay in business. Second worst non-supermarket sushi was at my in-law’s favorite sushi bar in New Jersey. They’re big fans of quantity over quality. The miso soup was sweet and the mackerel was rubbery. Bleh. And what’s worse my in-laws kept raving about how much they love the place and how they go there all the time! ---
**Author:** ![Lucky\_13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucky_13/32/13209_2.png) [@Lucky\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucky_13)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/6 "2009-09-17T04:23:16Z")
Worst supermarket sushi I’ve had: Costco (haven’t tried Trader Joe’s). Worst non-supermarket sushi: the Japanese take-out place near where I work. It just tastes bland, and even though it smells fresh, it tastes just a tiny bit less-than-fresh, but not enough to be actually going bad. Everything in that place is edible, just not all that tasty. ---
**Author:** ![JimmyFlair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce7236/32.png) [@JimmyFlair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimmyFlair)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/7 "2009-09-17T04:51:40Z")
I’ve never been personally, but I’ve heard reports of a place here in town that makes their sushi from: [ul] [li]Minute rice[/li][li]Tuna from a CAN[/li][/ul] Go ahead, find worse - I dare ya! ---
**Author:** ![RedWood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f08c70/32.png) [@RedWood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedWood)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/8 "2009-09-17T04:56:37Z")
Safeway’s. Enough said. Trader Joe is pretty terrible too. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/9 "2009-09-17T05:38:16Z")
[QUOTE=RedWood] Safeway’s. Enough said. Trader Joe is pretty terrible too. [/QUOTE] AFAIK, around here, Safeway and TJ’s sell the same brand of “sushi” - the stuff is like a surimi roll of uniform sticky sweetness rolled in sesame seeds. But, it was cheap, and I’d long ago forgotten about the icky sushi form TJ’s when I picked up some at Safeway. Oops. Worst actual non bulk-manufactured sushi I’ve ever had was from Costco. It’s also the first and so far, only food item I’ve ever returned to Costco and gotten a refund. ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/10 "2009-09-17T05:53:37Z")
I’m surprised how many people actually have bought supermarket sushi. (For the record, my local supermarkets don’t sell sushi; only the upscale ones like Whole Foods.) Perhaps a more succinct question would be is any supermarket sushi ever good? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/11 "2009-09-17T06:14:03Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Perhaps a more succinct question would be is any supermarket sushi ever good? I shop at Gelson’s in Century City and they have decent sushi. It doesn’t compare to what you can get in a restaurant, but the fish is fresh and tasty and the rice has the right consistency. Of course Gelson’s is a bit more upscale than Ralph’s. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/12 "2009-09-17T06:14:25Z")
> [@RedWood](#): > > Safeway’s. Enough said… No. Not enough said. Try: “7-11.” Yes. They sell sushi. You can eat it together with that hot dog that’s been rolling in that thing under the heat lamp all day. And with your “nachos,” too. ---
**Author:** ![Apricot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bcef8e/32.png) [@Apricot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apricot)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/13 "2009-09-17T06:20:57Z")
Trader Joe’s, Costco, both are bad, the flavor is just wrong, and the texture is off, although it tastes fresh. The upscale market has good sushi, Metropolitan market or Whole Foods, but it’s too spendy for me. I’d rather go to a real sushi shop for that price. Safeway is okay for inari rolls, but QFC or Fred Meyer has decent passable nigiri rolls (tuna/salmon + rice) and I really like their all vegi rolls (rice, carrots, cukes). It’s not gourmet, but it’s way better than subway for the same price. ---
**Author:** ![Second\_Star\_to\_the\_Right](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3bc359/32.png) [@Second\_Star\_to\_the\_Right](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Second_Star_to_the_Right)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/14 "2009-09-17T06:24:32Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > Perhaps a more succinct question would be is any supermarket sushi ever good? My local grocery (Publix) has decent sushi. I’ve had better, sure, but it’s quite good for the price. Also: 7-11? Sushi? Words fail. ---
**Author:** ![SawEverythingTwice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SawEverythingTwice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SawEverythingTwice)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/15 "2009-09-17T06:39:56Z")
Gas station sushi isn’t always bad. [This place](http://sanitypreferred.blogspot.com/2009/09/gas-station-sushi.html) in Memphis had a write up in Gourmet magazine. ---
**Author:** ![Omgalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/41988e/32.png) [@Omgalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omgalion)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/16 "2009-09-17T07:12:06Z")
I had nigiri sushi at a sushi train restaurant in Brisbane once, and the ‘tuna’ on top bled pink into the rice underneath. I don’t know exactly how you’d dye cheap fish to look like sushi-grade tuna, but that’s just what it looked (and tasted) like. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/17 "2009-09-17T11:28:23Z")
The first california roll I ever had. It was not the quality of the ingredients, it was the nori sheet in the wrap. I seem to be oversensitive to something in it, so to me it is a tough crackly nasty tasting sheet of blargh that I wouldnt feed to one of my chickens. Since the start of my favorite place making rolls with the soy sheets, I can now eat rolls! I am so thrilled, I finally can enjoy the neat sounding ingredient combos I had to pass up even though I adore sashimi and regular nigirisushi [it was just the nasty sheet of crap that prevented me from enjoying rolls] and my favorite place has a scattered sushi that is named for me as I designed it =) [salmon, tuna, egg, pickled veggies and sea urchin roe - they recommend it to all the beginners as it is pretty neutral] ---
**Author:** ![Arglefraster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3bc359/32.png) [@Arglefraster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arglefraster)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/18 "2009-09-17T15:05:15Z")
I don’t remember the name of the place, but there was a buffet place that had sushi when I lived in Cockeysville. I’d had decent but not great sushi at a buffet before, so I tried theirs. The fish was flavorless, and the rice was actually crunchy. I’ve had crappy rice before, but I’d never had crunchy rice. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/19 "2009-09-17T15:30:03Z")
Wegman’s (upscale grocery) has a sushi chef behind a counter and he puts out a wide assortment of sushi and sushi-like items. The Hawaiian roll (about $10) is to die for, and there’s eel, tuna, shrimp, California roll… I have never been in a sushi restaurant (not counting the questionable display at a typical Chinese buffet), but Wegmans sushi is very good. Except for the soggy, slimy brown rice ones, and I think they discontinued those. … Poor Price Chopper has a few packages set out near the fish section, no sushi maker in sight. I wouldn’t touch those with rubber gloves. ---
**Author:** ![Gesturing\_Mildly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/65b543/32.png) [@Gesturing\_Mildly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gesturing_Mildly)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398/20 "2009-09-17T16:12:20Z")
Our local Kroger makes decent sushi. Meijer . . . not so much. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worst-sushi-youve-ever-had/510398.md?page=2)