Sushi Class

Last weekend, I woke up really early for a Saturday. Heck, really early for a week day, since the earliest I ever start work is 3:30!  But I had to be in Escondido at noon, which is an hour and a half away. I stopped at a gas station and filled up on road trip essentials: ghardettos, lemonade, and reese's pieces. I had looked for sushi making classes in my area, but this one was the closet I could find that completely suited what I wanted to do. Plus I love just being able to get out and really drive, like away from the crazy city traffic (like I used to be able to do in the South).

The drive was beautiful, through the mountains and next to the Pacific Ocean. There was so little traffic, that I actually got there an hour early!  There were about 20 people in the class, and when the class started, I was so nervous! I just wanted to do really well. However, the teacher was really kind and patient. Her name was Meinko, and she is the author of the book, Sushi for Dummies.

We spent the first half of the class talking about ingredients, cooking the rice, and Sushi etiquette. Did you know that if you use tons of soy sauce on you Sushi in Japan, they will kick you out? It's like asking for ketchup at a fancy restaurant! Meinko is on a mission to stop Soy Sauce abuse, which thankfully I don't even like. After learning a little bit about sushi and sushi etiquette, it was time to get down to business.

She showed us how to add the rice to the kelp, and where to put the ingredients.  Most importantly, we learned how to roll the sushi. We learned how to make regular rolls and inside-out rolls. It was a lot easier than I expected it to be! We made three types: a cucumber/ginger roll, a wasabi salmon roll, and an inside/out roll with avocados, sesame seeds, crab, and radish sprouts. The last roll even included a mixture of fish eyes and Japanese mayo. Umm, I tried the fish eyes, and it tasted OK, but I couldn't get past the pop/crunch of the fish eyes. It just reminded me I was eating FISH EYES.

My rolls turned out well, but unfortunately my knife was a little dull. So when I sliced them, they didn't turn out as pretty. But I still think they looked pretty good for a first timer, and they tasted fantastic. I had eaten all of them by the time I arrived home!

I'm so happy I did this, and I'm even happier to cross it off my life list!  I really can't wait to get some more practice in. My mother is also demanding sushi when she comes down for my 25th birthday in May!