Squeamish about Sushi

by Betty Reynolds

Book Overview

What's uni and how do you eat it? What are "dancing shrimp" or tako yaki? Do you pick it up with your fingers? Dip it in sauce? And just what is that sauce? Dining in Japan can be intimidating, but... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 080483301X
• ISBN13: 9780804833011
• Release Date: November 2000
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Length: 72 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 9.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

What a terrible title for a wonderful book!

Betty Reynolds, an American artist who lived in Japan for six years, is NOT squeamish about sushi-or any of the other Japanese foods she lovingly illustrates and describes in this slender but well-packed sketchbook of culinary adventures in Japan. With her bright watercolors and good-humored descriptions, Betty Reynolds brings back happy memories of many dining experiences in Japan: how to recognize a restaurant by the signs outside the door, the etiquette of eating sushi (and which of the decorative leaves are edible!), slurping noodles the Japanese way. She goes on to do the same for tempura, yakitori, sukiyaki, and dozens of other Japanese foods. Many uniquely Japanese experiences are portrayed: stopping by a Japanese pub (izakaya) where strangers are assured of a warm welcome; the joys of yatai, the open-air food stalls that show up on streets in evenings and at festivals; the pure bliss of unwinding at a ryokan (traditional Japanese inn); picnicking at a cherry blossom-viewing party in the park; attending a sumo wrestling match; even how to grapple with a Japanese toilet.A keen observer, Ms. Reynolds is enough of an "insider" to go beyond the obvious in delineating a myriad of Japanese foods, and enough of an "outsider" to remain objective in recognizing the kind of only-in-Japan zaniness that occasionally crops up (sweet potato ice cream, anyone?). Each food is identified with hand-lettered descriptions in English, Japanese roman-ji (the Roman alphabet) so you can pronounce it, and kana (the Japanese syllabary) so someone Japanese can read what it is.Just leafing through this yummy, entertaining book makes me hungry. As I write this review, I'm itching to catch the next plane to Japan (or at least go out to the nearest Japanese pub)! This book is a great introduction to the wealth of Japanese cuisine, a fine gift or memento for travelers to Japan, and useful even to identify items-and wow the chef with your knowledge-at your local sushi bar.

For long-term residents too..

Not only is this book helpful for people about to visit Japan, but as someone about to leave this wonderful country after 3 years, Ms Reynolds book is one I'll cherish as a souvenir of my time here. Her drawings are amazingly observant and accurate as well as humorous. I look forward to seeing more of her work.

A must read for gaijin children (and their parents!)

Young, foreign children making their first trip to Japan *must* read this book - their parents will love it too. I really wish it had been available for my (then) 11-year-old son when we went to Japan in 1999; it would have prepared him for not just Sushi (he was looking forward to eating it but had no idea what it was and was somewhat appalled by the experience), but also for all kinds of funny and fun things to look for throughout Japan. The book also functions well as an introductory Japanese phrase book for children. Many of the expressions illustrated throughout the book were words that my son learned to speak in his 3 weeks in Japan.

Don't Leave Home Without It

This book is absolutely brilliant!! I am in awe of Ms. Reynolds' delightful way of presenting crucial information for the foreign tourist or resident in Japan. It covers just about everything you'll need to know in order to lose your fear and strike out of your hotel into the authentic world of Japanese cuisine. How she has managed to cram so much invaluable information (cultural as well as culinary) into one slim book is a triumph in itself. The illustrations are charming, and the advice is impeccable. Read it and you'll be able to go, not only to a restaurant, but also to a Japanese bath, a Japanese bathroom, or a sumo match with newfound confidence. Plus, you'll have quite a few laughs as you learn what to do and what NOT to do. As a current resident of Japan, I only wish that she had written it sooner. But, she did solve my problem of what to give newcomers and visitors to Japan. I can't think of a more useful or delightful gift.