Majority of Sushi Lovers are Eating Sushi the Wrong Way
I have probably been eating sushi since I was around one, but my earliest memory of eating sushi starts at age four, at my aunt’s sushi restaurant in Miyazaki, Japan.
Fast forward over 50 years, and I suddenly concluded that I had been eating sushi wrong all my life.
This sudden realization came to me while writing a recently posted article on Medium. “Wealthy Eating – Intro.” The article discussed umami, the fifth taste sense on the tongue. I originally wrote the piece over a month ago, and the file just sat on my tablet. While transcribing the work on Medium, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Why are we eating sushi with the sliced seafood on the rice when the tongue is underneath the rice?
We should flip the sushi upside down so that the tastiest part of the sushi comes directly into contact with our taste buds.
My sudden realization of sushi and umami in this manner is a true life changer for me. I thought I was very knowledgeable on sushi, but this one, miss, I feel, is huge. The next time I dine on sushi, I will have to flip the sushi over before biting.
Some may say flipping the sushi over is not a huge deal, but I beg to differ.
Consider that you will eat various nigiri sushi with different toppings. The standard way of eating this sushi is that the tongue comes into contact with the rice first. Every piece of nigiri sushi you eat means tasting the rice first. Are you willing to settle for that, especially when paying two dollars or more for one nigiri sushi portion?
By flipping the nigiri sushi over and sinking your teeth into the nigiri sushi, the first impression will be the topping that touches the tongue and expands on your mind’s enjoyment of the food. This revelation, for me, is a truly eye-opening experience.
On a side note:
I enjoy dining on chirashi donburi. Now I understand why this dish is so significant for me. The seafood is eaten separately, thus allowing the seafood to come into contact with the tongue directly. For those unfamiliar with chirashi donburi, the sushi chef takes a bowl of sushi rice and tops the rice with various seafood-related items.
