Every Olympics season, Local 4 News in Detroit produces a nightly special that features local athletes and their families, which is always heart-warming to see.
The special also includes a look at the cuisine of the host country, featuring either a great home cook or a restaurant.
This year, because the host is Japan, the special has focused on the Japanese food served at Sharaku of West Bloomfield, Mich.
It’s considered a top-quality, traditional restaurant (no massive sushi rolls topped with everything but the kitchen sink).
Its lead sushi chef, Suzuki-san, is considered a legend in the area, with many people dining at Sharaku just to have him prepare their food.
Detroit is home to a number of good sushi restaurants and izakaya, which began opening here in the 1980s when Japanese automakers including Toyota, Mazda and Nissan launched joint ventures with Detroit companies.
Later, as the companies opened their own technical centers, Japanese engineers and their families flocked to the area, giving us a sizable Japanese population that has since brought other Asian professionals to the area.
Lessons In Eating Japanese Food
As far back as 1990, the area had about 3,500 Japanese expatriates, Paul Ingrassia and Joseph White wrote in their book, Comeback.
Japanese schools sprang up to offer Saturday classes to Japanese children, while there was a Japanese newsletter that gave the newcomers tips on American culture (don’t ask how old people are, or how much money they make).
I learned to eat Japanese food thanks to the arrival of one restaurant, Sushi-Ko. It was a Japanese chain which opened a small outpost in the Hyatt Regency hotel in Dearborn, across from Ford’s world headquarters.
There was a larger branch in Flat Rock, near the Ford-Mazda plant.
Japanese friends at the auto companies took me to dine there, and gave me kind lessons in what to order, and how to address the staff and the sushi chef.
These stood me well on my trips to Japan and the time I spent living there. But watching the Local 4 News segments, it struck me that even after all these years, not everyone is comfortable eating Japanese food, especially sushi.
That’s probably because they were never shown a way into it, like I was. If their go-to is steak or pizza or burgers, Japanese food can seem like a challenge.
Tips for finding your way in
Here’s some advice that can apply to any new cuisine, not just Japanese, but something that you are trying to learn.
When you’re approaching an unfamiliar kind of cuisine, look for a way in that will fall into your comfort zone.
For instance, I wouldn’t recommend that beginners start with tuna sashimi, for instance, because the words “raw fish” are clearly off putting for some diners.
The same with kibbeh nayah, the Lebanese raw lamb: some people simply have an aversion to eating uncooked food.
If that’s the case, I would definitely recommend that you begin with a sushi roll, and one of the simplest is cucumber roll.
It’s just cucumber, perhaps a dab of wasabi, the bright green horseradish, rice and a seaweed wrap. This type of sushi is called “maki” or “futomaki” in cast you’ve seen that on a menu and wonder what it means.
If you only stick to vegetable sushi, rather than anything with fish, it’s just fine, and you can pat yourself on the back for being so healthy.
In fact, one of our local Japanese restaurants, Wolverine Sushi Bar, has a weekly vegan sushi special. (I can’t help laughing at the restaurant’s name, because it’s definitely not something I would eat.)
Likewise, Middle Eastern restaurants often have grilled beef and chicken skewers. Do a kabob first before you explore other parts of the menu.
If in doubt, ask your server or a friend in advance for some guidance.
The last thing you want to do is wrinkle up your nose and declare, “I don’t eat _______” in front of the people whose livelihood depends on you enjoying your meal.
The cooked and the raw
Let’s say you’re still put off by raw fish, but you’re tired of cucumber and avocado and carrots. Japanese restaurants always have cooked options.
You can try shrimp sushi, which is steamed shrimp on top of rice, sometimes held in place with a little strip of seaweed. Eel sushi, if you are open to eel, is usually grilled and topped with a lovely sweet sauce.
Restaurants often prepare different types of tempura sushi dishes, which is seafood or vegetables deep fried in batter. I like shrimp tempura in a sushi roll, for instance.
Sushi restaurants also serve a sweetened omelet item called tamago — tamagoyaki is a rolled omelet. It’s usually served without rice, and it’s the consistency of quiche filling. If you like quiche, you’ll enjoy it.
I mentioned shawarma a minute ago and it’s definitely approachable for newcomers.
Shawarma is essentially shredded, spiced meat, similar to what you’d find in Mexican restaurants for tacos or burritos. You can get it on a platter or in a pita wrap.
Once you start venturing out, you’ll find lots of similarities between cuisines, and those comparisons could help you feel more comfortable.
Don’t be Shamed
There’s definitely some shaming — even bullying — that goes on among food snobs who think everyone should be at a certain level of sophistication.
Likewise, eating can turn into a competition to see who can stomach the spiciest food or pour triple-X hot sauce on their meal.
Well, if you really don’t want to eat it, don’t eat it. I don’t like fried eggs, and I’m turned off by dishes that have a fried egg plopped on top of them.
My mother didn’t like raw oysters. Other people don’t like the hassle of opening a lobster. Some find crab and crawfish boils kind of barbaric instead of communal.
That said, there might be a version of the dish you don’t like that you might enjoy.
I will eat an omelet, if it has fillings I like. My mother would eat oyster stew. You can almost always get crab cakes at a crab house.
Especially now that our ability to eat inside restaurants is threatened again, the idea of eating out should be pleasurable, not a chore or an endurance race.
Know a little etiquette
Different cultures have different types of etiquette. In Japanese and Korean restaurants, and really, in almost any cuisine, you should not pick up something from a shared platter and put it directly into your mouth. Transfer it to your plate or place it on a bowl of rice, if applicable.
If you are dining with older people, it is polite to serve them first or gesture to them to serve themselves first. They will often refuse, especially if you are their guests, because they want to see whether you enjoy the food, but they will know that you offered.
Don’t pour your own beer or sake; pour for those around you, and then someone will pour for you.
There are rules regarding the youngest or most junior in the group, as well: in Korea, the person with that status is supposed to run the barbecue grill and serve the other guests. The oldest pays, so there is a reward for your service.
No one expects you to know every detail of every cuisine’s etiquette, but a little homework can go a long way in the way you are treated by the staff and your fellow diners.
If it had not been for Sushi-Ko and the gentle instruction from my friends, my food knowledge would have big gaps. I’m grateful for the lessons and have applied them many times through the years.
An Upcoming Cook Book On Grains And Legumes
I hope that you own Ruffage, the wonderful vegetable cookbook by Abra Berens. In it, she described techniques for cooking 25 different types of vegetables, and provided countless smart ideas that created colorful and tasty dishes.
In October, Abra will publish Grist: A Practical Guide To Cooking Grains, Seeds, Beans And Legumes.
In this book, she looks at 29 different types of grains and legumes with easy cooking techniques and offers 140 recipes with more than 160 variations.
“I wrote this book to continue to celebrate and demystify these pantry staples,” Abra says. “We have all heard over and over that we need to eat more whole grains and plant-based proteins but that too often comes with a sense of drudgery. Shelf stable pulses are great ways to showcase seasonal vegetables and never need to be same old same old.”
You can read more about it on her website and place a pre-order at your favorite bookseller.
What You Win When You Enter A Giveaway
CulinaryWoman Community member Anna Bradshaw was kind enough to post a photo on Instagram showing her prize package from our most recent book giveaway.
Anna received a copy of World Travel, by Anthony Bourdain and Laurie Woolever, a CulinaryWoman apron and a toque, with our thanks.
You can automatically be entered in future drawings by becoming a paid subscriber to the CulinaryWoman Newsletter or a founding member. You’ll be supporting our journalism and making it possible to offer more giveaways.
Thank you, Anna!
Keeping Up With CulinaryWoman
As I mentioned last week, the publication of my Zingerman’s book has been moved up to Feb. 22, 2022 — yes, Washington’s Birthday. (I use associations like that so dates will stick in my head. Needless to say, this one will!)
If you’ve placed a pre-order, that means you now will be getting it earlier than originally planned. Be sure to email me a copy of your pre-order receipt by Feb. 22 in order to get a special bonus, which will go out on publication day.
Thanks to everyone who has done so — the list is growing!
I’ve been hearing back from the wonderful food figures who’ve agreed to write endorsements — aka blurbs — for the book jacket. After all these months working on the book in my bubble, it’s exciting to get the first reactions.
You can contact me at culinarywoman at gmail dot com. I’ll try to respond as quickly as possible. I’m on Instagram @michelinemaynard, on Twitter @mickimaynard and my Tik Tok is @culinarywoman.
The Delta variant has been spreading and we’re now hearing about the Lambda variant, which might be even more treacherous. Please wear a mask if your authorities recommend that you do so, and stay safe.
See you next week!