There are so many ways to go with that subject line...

I'll start with Liver Sausage!

I'm not partial to many of the ingredients added to sushi these days - mayonnaise in particular - but the Intercontinental San Salvador had a decent yellowtail plantain tempura maki.

Also, at a kaitenzushi (conveyor belt sushi) near the Tokyo Dome I thoroughly enjoyed an avocado supaishii mentaiko (marinated cod roe) combination.

Love the sound of Spam Sushi you can get in Hawaii.

Spam musubi. Yumm... A nice treat occasionally, a little Hawaiian mix plate place close to my house makes them up fresh so the spam is a little crispy.

This subject was given a good kick about earlier in the year.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/dinin...-but-food.html

To this thread I'll just add this:

Quick, hide the sushi. The health inspector is here!

OP, the sushi with the cream cheese is a Philadelphia Roll. I've had it lots of times. Not traditional, but tasty.

Artificial crab meat is used in sushi bars in Japan. I've seen it many times. Not cream cheese though.

I love vegetarian sushis - sweet potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms other than the usual - cucumber, carrots, celery, avocado!

The middle example is the Philadelphia roll.


I've never seen cream cheese used in any of the higher end sushi restaurants I've been to, but in the cheaper places (and in the food areas of department stores), American styles of sushi often feature, so you do occasionally see a Philadelphia roll in Japan. My take on it is that these alternative sushi styles "age" quite well, in other words, they make good takeouts and packed lunches as the taste and "mouthfeel" doesn't deteriorate terribly for a few hours after being made.

For this and many other practical reasons, cream cheese is a popular addition in home made sushi that is made for informal gatherings and bento boxes, particularly those for children's lunches.
Here's a list of Japanese recipes for sushi featuring cream cheese:
http://cookpad.com/search/クリームチーズ%20巻き寿司
- I'll bet frankfurters and cream cheese is a double no no for many people.

I know there are adults who cherish the experience of great sushi made by a great itamae (goodness knows I'm one of them), but sushi can also be fantastic finger food for kids.

Haven't tried the more unusual stuff, but cucumber Maki is one of my favourites, even as a strong non-vegetarian Once they tried to give me that with loads of mayo in there though, that's an absolute no-no in my book!

One thing I can't stand on my sushi - egg, I think they call it Tamago. I also don't like pieces that are so chewy (for example, cuttlefish) it takes incredible effort to get them down. What's the point? Almost choked on one once.

I used to be a purist - sashimi only. However some of the rolls we've had at better places are downright outstanding and I'm a convert.

Our Ralphs recently added a sushi counter, they'll even make to order. It's pretty good.

I am a sushi omnivore for the most part. It's ALL good.

My SO used to be like that too - "rice is a waste of money"! Luckily I managed to convince her that, if done the proper way, the contrast of fish to rice is heavenly! I find sashimi too boring after a bite or two.

That's my reaction, too. "Philadelphia rolls" with salmon and cream cheese are common at sushi restaurants in the US. It's true that such a combination is not traditional Japanese, though you can find it now in Japan as the Japanese have imported the idea back from the US. But such rolls are so common here that even a purist for traditional sushi would have to be living with blinders on to be unaware of their popularity.