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rite of spring sushi
One of the things I love about sushi is
its ceremony. Based on etiquette and order, sushi demands
a distinct method of preparation and dining. At the sushi
bar, the sequence of service never alters: It starts with
a hot towel and ends with a sweet orange cut into segments
and speared with toothpicks. There are Japanese customs
to follow, such as eating sashimi with chopsticks, but
sushi with fingers; dipping the fish, not the rice, into
your soy-wasabi mixture and never pouring your own drink
but ensuring your friend's glass is always full.
In Japan, spring is welcomed with Setsuban, or change
of season, a holiday celebrated with rituals to welcome
good luck. Setsuban is also known as mame-maki (bean throwing,)
because more than a thousand years ago, daizu (soy beans)
were offered to Toshitokkujin, the rice god. In this day
and age, the Japanese toss beans around their home as
they loudly call out, "Oniwa soto fukuwa uchi,”
meaning out with the devils and in with good luck. It
is also customary to eat as many beans as one's age, and
one extra for the new season, considered the beginning
of the year. This ensures good health and fortune for
the coming year.
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Setsuban is also celebrated by the consumption of “good
fortune-direction sushi rolls.” Normally, plump
nori-covered rolls are cut into pieces, but in this
instance slicing them would cut good fortune. One legend
has it that a great samurai downed an entire roll in
this manner before heading into a battle he eventually
won.
Welcome spring with the ceremony of sushi and the spirit
of Setsuban. Preparing sushi at home is easier than
you think: Maki-sushi, the rolls that invite countless
variations, is simple if you have a bamboo mat for shaping
it into a cylinder. Along with sushi rice, sushi-quality
fish, nori (dried seaweed,) and a sharp chef's knife,
you'll need chopsticks for dining, a dash of wasabi
and pickled ginger. Start out with miso soup, edamame
and, of course, Japanese beer or sake. Or create a sake
infused with fresh fruit or herbs. Salute spring, Setsuban
and your inner Iron Chef with a cheer of “kapai!”
recipes
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