Saturday, August 04, 2007 Tokyo treat By Jigs Arquiza
IT comes in different forms. Sometimes it’s just sticky rice and a slice of raw fish, either salmon or tuna, or cooked, shelled prawns, octopus or cuttlefish pressed together to form a finger-shaped treat. Other times, nori, or pressed algae sheets, is rolled around the rice, with a sliver of raw fish in the middle.
Occasionally, it comes in the form of cones, with the filling spilling out from the open end. And it’s not just seafood that is used to make the fillings.
Vegetables such as cucumbers, different kinds of meat, eggs, fried bean curd, even fruits like mangoes can be used as ingredients in this popular Japanese delicacy. Some people say that it actually originated from the Chinese, as a way of preserving fish, but it is widely accepted that it was a Japanese vendor who made it extremely popular.
Yohei Hanasa, a street-food stall owner in nineteenth-century Tokyo, then called Edo, started selling hand-formed fingers of vinegared rice and raw fish to workers on a short break, travelers looking for something to eat or just about anyone who happened to be hungry. His products, called nigiri-zushi, roughly translated as “hand-formed rice snack” became so well liked that other vendors followed his lead, and nigiri-zushi stalls started popping up everywhere. Nowadays more commonly called sushi, it has become popular not only in Japan but also all around the world.
Continuing Yohei Hanasa’s legacy to the gastronomic world, Kokichi Sushi Restaurant, along A.S. Fortuna St. in Mandaue City may be considered a descendant of Yohei’s food stall in Edo. Meaning “small, happy place”, Kokichi Sushi Restaurant offers sushi lovers a cheerful setting in which to enjoy the gustatory delight that is sushi.
Manager and sushi chef Tsuneo Yokoyama probably personifies best the name of his restaurant. Himself a cheerful, always-smiling individual, it is obvious that he takes pride in being able to serve sushi that’s as authentic as the snacks Yohei Hanasa once served in Edo. Sushi at Kokichi is not run-of-the-mill; rather, most of the fish he uses is of the toro variety, or fatty tuna, which is more pale in color, unlike in inexpensive sushi, where akami, or regular red tuna is used.
Aside from sushi, Kokichi also serves sashimi, another popular Japanese delicacy. Like the sushi, the sashimi comes from high-quality tuna and salmon, and is served freshly cut from fresh slabs of fish. Staying true to Japanese tradition, Tsuneo encourages customers to complement their sushi and sashimi by drinking sake (rice wine) or umeshu (plum wine). For those who prefer non-alcoholic beverages, Tsuneo suggests green tea as an alternative.
Of course, other Japanese dishes like tempura and noodles are available at Kokichi, but sushi and sashimi rule in this restaurant. And though some people consider raw fish and algae as an acquired taste, sushi and sashimi will always be a favorite, not only among the Japanese, but also among the Cebuanos who appreciate great food.
