Things that don't belong in sushi
 

I grabbed a roll at the grocery store Friday night. It's not as bad as it sounds - there's a young couple that, I think, rent the space next to the fish counter and make it. It looked okay, tuna & salmon. When I got home, I read the label more carefully (their handwriting is terrible) and confirmed that the white substance in the middle was cream cheese. I had to throw it out. There are things that are otherwise edible (to some) that I don't think belong in sushi.

1. Cream cheese
2. Artificial crabmeat

Others?

Little slivers of green pepper that I have to use my needle nose pliers to extract ;)

Things that don't belong in sushi
 

But without cream cheese it will taste all fishy :p

Why all the fuss from the sushi police? If sushi makers want to deviate from a traditional product, what's the problem? If you don't like it, don't order it (or buy it). I make a point of reading the label before I buy from the kiosk at my local market. Or I ask if the sushi maker is present.

Ah, the voice of reason.

Though I agree that cream cheese is for bagels.

Frankly, I think anything but fish, rice, and wasabi doesn't belong in sushi...but sushi that violates that rule can also be pretty tasty. :)

I've tried conversing with the lady. Her English is not up to the task. She does not know the meaning of the word "dairy". I've tried. Her penmanship is no better. The bulb over my head didn't light up until I opened the package and saw the cream cheese. At that point, two of her handwritten words looked like they could read "cream" and "cheese".

Maybe I could suggest a divider across the case: traditional on one side, Americanized on the other. I understand the need to modify the product to sell to the unwashed. I just don't want it.

Interesting perspective.

I read the title of this thread and immediately thought "cream cheese." I have gotten it exactly once because it sounded interesting (and I love cream cheese on bagels). Never again...

Grocery store sushi in Florida? Sounds scary already.;)

I agree in principal. I don't buy it at Winn Dixie. I have no idea where it comes from or when it was made. I'm not even sure about the other Publixes in the area. But this is the closest Publix to my home and I get to watch this stuff being made. The seafood counter next to the sushi cell hasn't let me down yet either. Everything has been fresh (or freshly thawed), however overpriced.

I don't mind the vegetables: celery, cucumber, carrots, radishes are all okay with me. Maybe my short list is comprehensive enough.

It's not so bad if you get sushi that's not off!

Cream cheese, bananas, etc. Ugh.

Things that don't belong in sushi
 

For me I can't understand the desire to put mayo in everything

I understand it - mayo is delicious and makes almost everything better!

I like both traditional sushi and the Americanized rolls. I think just about anything is game in the Americanized rolls, as long as the end product tastes good. Though I must say that the proliferation of American roll places is frustrating when I just want a good traditional sushi dinner. Those roll places are fine, but they are a wholly different kind of food, and they make it difficult to find the real thing. Indeed, I have yet to find the real deal in Chicago.

I guess it was only a matter of time til....

Bacon Sushi!

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:
http://wanggouyizu.com/xin/meishi/im...ong%20(24).jpg

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.
http://dagwood.biz/img/4617.jpg

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.

But cream cheese goes exceedingly well with smoked salmon - a.k.a lox. which I seem to recall seeing as a typical sushi ingredient as well.

Where did you seem to recall seeing smoked salmon/lox as a typical sushi ingredient?

Cream cheese is used in Philly rolls...

Corndog sushi
 

Raw fish :) It just doesn't work for me, it's primarily a texture thing. My work colleagues in Japan know that a good sushi place is wasted on me.

Fish floss, in Taiwan. My issue with fish/meat floss is the texture, but here...well, I'd try it once.

Sakura denbu is fish floss (you can get katsuobushi as a floss too: katsuo denbu - makes great okaka).
Sakura denbu is particularly popular around Girls' Day (Hina Matsuri) in March and is a common ingredient in futomaki and casual sushi (esp. Chirashizushi)

http://pds.exblog.jp/pds/1/201202/04...23_1640395.jpg

A repressed memory has just resurfaced. I spent a few months in Spain earlier this year and Sushi is just starting to penetrate the mass markets there. I got called over by an aunt to a stand giving out "sushi" samples and asked what I thought of them. Here's what I saw:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cm7ZZ7G54E...20/sushi+2.jpg
A lot of Spaniards (I'd say the majority, the figure is definitely over 50%) are pretty fussy eaters who don't like leaving their food comfort zone. Just as with the North Americans, nori seaweed is a turn off. So the food Czars at the Carrefour megamarkets have come up with an innovative idea to suit the Spanish palate: crushed dried fried onion bits, the kind that come in bags and cans.
First I was amazed that a norimaki had been deep fried in breadcrumbs, getting closer I realised that I was wrong. Finding out they were coated in dried onion pieces actually made me think that deep fried sushi might not be that bad after all. I backed off, gag reflex in action. This is how thousands of people are being introduced to sushi.
At least they aren't made with olives.

In London, you can find sushi in supermarkets featuring coriander/cilantro.

Do you have a favorite low-end sushi chain in London? I went to Yo! the other day because I was quite hungry and wanted something very fast. Not bad for the price. By the way, we tried the Tesco sushi. Yuck

Yes, mayo, especially mayo with food coloring in it, does not belong in sushi.