These edible masterpieces are created by itamae, the title bestowed on a sushi chef, which translates to “in front of the board,” since only the head sushi chef is allowed to stand in front of the cutting board, interact with/entertain customers, and calculate the bills at the end of the meal. While in the United States, we may not always have this experience, even at a true sushi restaurant, these traditions carry on very strongly in Japan to this day.
Sushi, however, like most other cuisines, is available in a range of qualities, and buyers should beware of bad sushi restaurants and the consequences of eating their food, including potential foodborne illnesses and food poisoning as a result of consuming old fish, poorly stored fish, or even fish that has been substituted for the fish on the menu. Here are some important tips to consider when trying a new sushi restaurant:
You Can Smell Fish When You Walk In The Door
While this first point may not seem like a surprise, when you’re looking to dine on raw fish, you want to be sure that the fish you’re eating is as fresh as it can be. And fresh fish doesn’t have much of a smell - so if you can smell fish as you walk in the door, chances are that your meal may be riddled with bacteria, without the benefit of cooking to kill it off.
A good sushi restaurant should instead smell clean and may smell more like sushi rice. Or, according to acclaimed sushi chef, Hidekazu Tojo, when interviewed by the Vancouver Sun, “In my mind, good sushi restaurant smells just like cucumber or watermelon.”
If something smells fishy, you should turn around, head back out the door, and keep walking, lest you subject yourself to a night of gastrointestinal pyrotechnics.
The Fish Looks Old And The Prep Area Isn’t Spotless
Raw fish can be full of bacteria and parasites, and while an obvious smell when you walk in should send you running, so, too, should a messy prep area. Harmful bacteria can quickly multiply on dirty work surfaces and contaminate your sushi, which is especially dangerous because sushi doesn’t have the benefit of cooking to potentially eliminate these bacteria before it gets to your plate.
Fish should be kept cold and in clean storage. Prep counters and utensils should look spotlessly clean. And the chef should be well groomed with a clean uniform and apron. For best sushi experiences, look for restaurants that cut sushi to order rather than pre-slicing it and having assembled rolls ready for distribution.
One sushi blogger from Scout advises “When at an unfamiliar sushi restaurant, start out by ordering something small from the sushi chef and working your way up. If the first item you order is not good, you may consider taking your bill and going elsewhere.”
Be Wary of Discount Sushi
The old saying, “You get what you pay for,” is especially true for sushi. Just like high quality beef or pork isn’t easy on the wallet, most of the types of quality fish that are served in sushi dishes are imported from around the globe and cost money. Beyond the fish itself, if you’re looking for true sushi, you should know that a top sushi chef who has both the training and the experience to understand the intricate techniques involved in preparing these dishes will earn $100,000 a year or more in a restaurant, which obviously affects the cost of the food served.
The Restaurant Serves “White Tuna”
If your sushi restaurant lists “white tuna” on the menu, that should raise a red flag for you. For one thing, there is no such fish as white tuna, so you don’t know what you’re actually getting when you order. In some better restaurants, you’ll be getting albacore tuna. In others, you’ll be served a fish called escolar, or snake mackerel, whose indigestible, waxy ester, called gempylotoxin, can cause cramping, diarrhea, or anal leakage an average of 2.5 hours after consumption. Other people may also experience nausea, vomiting and headaches.
In some countries, escolar has been banned for sale because of the side effects associated with its consumption, but it is still for sale in the United States, although the FDA advises against its sale and distribution.
The Restaurant Doesn’t Have An Itamae
In Japan, becoming an itamae of sushi requires up to 20 years of job training and apprenticeship. After about five years of training, the apprentice is given the opportunity to prepare the sushi rice on his own for the first time - an important ingredient prepared differently by every master chef, with a closely-guarded recipe that is passed down to the apprentice.
Once the apprentice has mastered the daily preparation of sushi rice, he may be promoted to a “wakiita” - which translates to “near the cutting board.” At this point, the apprentice is involved in the preparation of the restaurant’s ingredients, including blocks of fish, ginger, and scallions. He or she may also become involved with taking orders and interacting with customers. After several more years of this, the apprentice will be given the title of itamae, or “in front of the cutting board.”
While having a fully trained itamae isn’t necessarily a requirement for a good sushi experience, a restaurant that has one as the head sushi chef will almost guarantee that you’ll be enjoying your meals.