Refined sushi eaters like you have been practicing it long before #physicaldistancing became a hashtag. But for many others, they’re still partying like it’s 2019 when it comes to #wasabi and #soysauce
Getting waSOYbi just right is like a spiritual exercise for them. They could be in the middle of a conversation about their failing marriage, but their patient partner will still pause to let them finish making their beloved paste.
“You done now, honey? Okay, good. Yes, I need space. And no, it has nothing to do with what’s been happening these past few months. I’ve been wanting this for years.”
Yes, I know. The very idea of creating that greenish-brown silt in a dish is as revolting as a stranger on the subway offering to lend you their homemade mask because you forgot yours. It’s a testament to your uncompromising stand against bad form that you don’t do it.
You know better. You know that diluting wasabi in soy sauce makes it effectively defenseless against the dangerous H.pylori bacteria in raw fish. You know that undiluted wasabi is one of the best inhibitors of streptococcus mutans, the cause of tooth decay.
But we mustn’t judge others who don’t know any better.
We’re Canadian. We’re kind.
And I must confess: I’ve not always been so charitable myself. A student, Zach, once blurted out in a class that I was acting like a dictator, that making waSOYbi wasn’t an act of barbarism.
I didn’t respond.
He later apologized.
I didn’t respond.
Last night, I made sushi. I also made waSOYbi. Colour saturation was perfect (green, with hints of dark caramel); exact 2-1.5 proportion of soy to wasabi. It was the most delicious condiment I’ve ever had!
Zach, you were wrong then, but you are right now.
I accept your apology.
#quarantinestories #sushimakingforthesoul #thetimestheyareachangin #soysauce #wasabi