Sushi myths dispelled by Reno restaurant owners
by Marcia Rohrer, Outpost Staff
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Ichiban Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar Sushi and Teri
A digital walk through Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo |
"Sushi is made from vinegar rice," Tony Sin, owner of Sushi Club, Reno, said.
He said there are many types of sushi that are pre-cooked, such as shrimp, fresh water eel, various types of hand rolls and long rolls. Some types of sushi also contain vegetables like cucumber or avocado. Sushi such as tuna, salmon and yellowtail are raw, however.
Gloria Salem, owner of Ichiban Japanese Steak House and Sushi Bar, said she has also heard people talking about sushi being raw fish.
"They do have a real perception of 'Ew this is raw fish,' she said. "Salmon is the most common for people to start on. It's easy. It's the most palatable. That's what I started out on."
Photo By Amanda Hammon |
Her restaurant has ovens at the sushi bar to cook anything the customer does not want to eat raw.
There are five all-you-can-eat sushi restaurants in the Reno/Sparks area in addition to the regular Japanese restaurants. Sin said there are so many because so many Californians come to the area and they tend to eat a lot of sushi. Many of Sin's customers are from California, he said.
Ichiban became the first and only sushi restaurant in Reno in 1982, Salem said.
"In the beginning, sushi was kind of something nobody caught on to," she said. "In the last five years there's just been a real rush of people going after health food and a much healthier way of eating.
"Some fish are fatty like salmon and fatty tuna but most of it is calorie-conscious with vitamins. It's just a good way to eat, a fun way to eat."
Making sushi is not an easy job, however. Sushi chefs must be professionally trained in technique and style and have a certain talent, Sin said.
"You either have it or you don't," he said.
Sin said anyone who cooks or cuts fish a hobby can learn within a reasonable amount of time. Then it takes about two weeks for sushi chefs to adjust to the individual policies and procedures for a particular restaurant.
"What you learn in school is not always practical," Sin said. "Each restaurant is unique."
Jon Pelep, sushi chef of Aloha Sushi, said it could take chefs up to five years to perfect sushi making. He said it is easier for people who are familiar with fish and rice.
There are no professional sushi schools in Nevada. The closest ones are in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Sin and Pelep said. Pelep said he also trained in Hawaii.
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