Buddha’s Bones is a collection of short stories that tells various parts of my story as a Black, female sushi chef. Previous: Buddha’s Bones Intro How Sushi Made Me an Honest Woman, Part 1 Like many Black women, I had spent years coming to terms with my hair. Each experimental phase became an expression of myself that [...]
Traditionally, okonomiyaki is a type of pancake or pizza that is cooked on the griddle then layered with an assortment of ingredients. Sometimes the ingredients are cooked inside the batter. The batter typically contains cabbage and the toppings vary as the word okonomi roughly means favorites or whatever you like. Yaki means grilled, though not necessarily [...]
Ever feel like you’re overspending at the sushi bar but just can’t kick the sushi habit? There’s no need to give up sushi. One of the great things about preparing sushi from your home kitchen is the money you can save. But just how much can you save? I decided to find out. I [...]
Rarely a day passes when I am not faced with questions: How did you choose to become a sushi chef? How did you learn to make sushi? What is it like to be an African American female sushi chef? When asked politely, I am happy to answer. I made the decision to pursue a [...]
Furikake (say foo.ree.ka.kay) Furikake is a blend of seasonings often used as a topping for rice. Each blend varies depending on the brand, but most include seaweed, dried bonito (fish) flakes and sesame seeds. If you’re looking for a way to jazz up steamed white or brown rice, furikake will give your grains just [...]
Would you eat this guy raw? Or are you too chicken? I admit that when the idea of chicken sashimi was presented to me in sushi school, I was a little grossed out. As a Southerner I love my chicken fried. Grilled, okay. Broiled or steamed, passable. But raw? I wasn’t so sure. Weren’t [...]
With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’ve been thinking of holiday inspired ingredients such as green beans in butter sauce and butternut squash as components for sushi rolls. Apparently, I’m not the only one thinking of Thanksgiving inspired sushi. Thrill list discovered this restaurant serving up sushi with a Thanksgiving twist. Takami sushi bar is featuring a sushi roll with roasted turkey, [...]
I was just thinking the other day how president-elect Obama’s presence as the leader of our country could potentially change the way people view sushi chefs in this country. Was it a stretch to think that if people could accept an African American as president that accepting a black female sushi chef or of any [...]
With the holiday season upon us, entertaining is the focus of many. If you’re making sushi at home, chances are you will share it with friends as most sushi rice recipes yield more rice than most can consume alone in one setting. Sharing your home made sushi with friends makes the process festive and [...]
Does this plastic make you hungry? When flipping through some vacation photos, I ran across this photo I took in front of a Japanese restaurant in San Francisco. And just like the day I took the photo, my mouth began to water looking at the perfect display of food items that look deceptively [...]
