Something Un-Fishy's Afoot » JAN O'HARA

Something Un-Fishy’s Afoot

I will begin by stating what you are not to do: take note of the dinnerware.

Corelle’s practical, okay? I’m a practical woman.  

That alright with you?  

Having established that boundary, you may now admire my latest culinary endeavor.    

Not bad for a total newbie, huh? Yup. This is the first time I’ve ever tackled making sushi, and I’m rather thrilled with the results. The cucumber and ginger are off-center, and I haven’t really figured out the point of using a rolling mat when my fingers work just as well, but yum.  

It only took me a few decades to tackle this job, too. :)See, I fell in love with sushi when I was seventeen and in Japan on a six-week Lion’s Club exchange. Just for fun, here’s some retro pictures of the trip:

That photo’s the only time in my life I’ve been asked if I modelled. Ha!

Now for proof of what you’ve suspected all along: when required, I can be gritty, earthy, and spontaneous:

  

 
So are you a sushi master? Got any tips on how to get the most aesthetically pleasing rolls? I’m not unreasonable in my standards; I just want my neighbors and enemies to gasp in delight.

And how do you feel about Corelle? I can’t be the only one with a secret stash…


16 Replies to “Something Un-Fishy’s Afoot”

  1. Hope, you are indeed a woman of many talents. I have no Corelle. I have no former “modeling pics” (hottie!). And I’ve never made Sushi (or frankly had any desire to eat it…) But I can appreciate the aesthetics. I am gasping in delight 😉 xo

  2. I think I have those dishes. My grandma gave them to me when i graduated from college so I didn’t have to go to Goodwill for mismatched ones…

    Nice job with the sushi! I like it but am not culinarily inclined, so I just buy some on occassion.

  3. Slamdunk, thank you.

    Dawn, you are so photogenic you hardly need former modelling pictures. And I will introduce you to vegetarian sushi so you may gasp with true pleasure.

    Hart, ha! My grandmother loved Corelle. My husband too. He romanticizes it as a byproduct of space exploration – something to do with the hull of the space shuttle, I believe.

  4. Corelle …yes, yes, yes. It was made for someone as clumsy as me. Have the entire set intact after years of use.
    Sushi….never!!The thought of raw fish (burp) nauseates my senses. I googled it, just to make certain I was barking up the right culinary tree (I was)
    However…..you should be commended for time and effort. Making Sushi sounds complicated.
    Is it on a vegan’s list of foods or are we *cheating* which would make you, Hope, human as the rest of us!!
    The pic.. points out what all of us envy….sleek, seventeen year-old bodies…we never appreciated how easy being thin wuz!!!

  5. I don’t do sushi but I can appreciate that your endeavor is beautiful.

    I don’t do Corelle either but I have 2 boxes of IKEA plates and they are mostly indestrutible, too.

    And the pics! Gorgeous:)

  6. CBlaire, when I stray off the vegan path, it’s with dairy. (Read chocolate). The above rolls are only rice, seaweed (yum!), sushi seasoning, ginger and cucumber.

    I *used* to eat sushi that contained raw fish, and I loved it except for the octopus; the tentacles grossed me out. 😉

    As for my human foibles, they are all too real, I assure you! Just ask my husband.

    Stephanie, ooh, I like some of that Ikea dinnerware. Good to know it’s pretty durable. Carol and I might be related in our tendency to be clutzy.

  7. Oooh, pretty! And how cool that you spent time in Japan.

    My dishes are Fiestaware. I’m not into collecting, but I am into color. I love opening the kitchen cupboard!

  8. As a recent addict of sushi, I’ll be picking YOUR brain for technique and ideas, you little hottie 🙂 Corelle? Is for stress release 😛

  9. After years of juggling heavy stoneware or wondering if my (crash!bang!) husband would ever learn to treat china with respect, I am now Corelle all the way!

    As for the above California Rolls, I love them! I’m also from California, where chopped avocado is often added.

  10. Don’t do sushi, but for Christmas I got my first set of Corelle and loving it. 🙂

    Lovely pictures; the background on the first from Japan is incredible. What a memory!

  11. Laura, I’ll have to try the avocado. Sounds excellent.

    Glinda, did you get the china-y modern kind? And yes, I had a fantastic six weeks there. If I can find the pictures of me in a real silk kimono I might even post them.

    1. Ooh, I haven’t seen those in my neck of the woods. Quite classic.

      I prefer stoneware to Corelle for drinking, myself. I’m very particular about the shape and of my mugs and the round Corelle ones are too small and have the wrong texture for me.

  12. I have never really given sushi a chance. I’ve tried it once or twice, California egg rolls I think they were called, but that’s about it. I will say that looking at your masterpiece I might just have to give it another shot. Looks delicious!!

    WOW to your model photograph. Very beautiful.

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