The Truth About Wasabi
When it comes to sushi, people have a wide variety of tastes. Some people prefer salmon over tuna, while others are confident that anyone who hasn't enjoyed a real Diver Scallop Sushi Roll have no idea what they are missing. In Tyler Texas, there is a huge rift between sushi lovers and people who think sushi is just bait. But the one argument we keep hearing from table to table on almost a daily basis is about Wasabi. So we want to chime in with our humble opinion.
Now, depending on who you are, Wasabi sucks, is complete garbage, and has no place being in the sushi game at all. It's gross and does little more to ad to the flavor of food than to burn your nose hairs and hoping to cover sub par sushi and sashimi in Tyler. It's worse than drowning your expired Ikura in soy sauce, like it wasn't salty enough in the first place. For these people, the only reason to use wasabi is to make sushi not taste like sushi and you might as well just get a blob of wasabi sushi and forget the fish altogether. On the other side, wasabi fans just want to enjoy their meal and whether a straight dab on a piece of a Shaggy Dog Roll or mixed in varying percentages into soy sauce and then used as a dip, it elevates the experience for them and sometimes the occasional sinus clearing, eye watering, sudden silence is worth the plunge into the hotter and hotter is just a part of the dining experience.
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When it comes to whether or not Wasabi sucks, we think a simple fact is important here: the vast majority of wasabi provided in sushi establishments, over 95%, does not comprise authentic wasabi. The substitute commonly served is a concoction primarily consisting of horseradish, mustard flour, cornstarch, and a green food colorant. This prevalent practice suggests that a significant portion of consumers may not have experienced the genuine taste of traditional wasabi. So most sushi restaurants in Texas, including Ohayo, don't make real Wasabi available for their customers. The biggest reason is cost. Wasabi is way too expensive and overpriced. Is it tasty? Absolutely, on occasion we have it here and have to say it's pretty good. Would it justify us raising our prices at a rate that would have people saying Wasabi isn't worth the price tag? Absolutely not. Now, as long as we establish that this argument about wasabi is not targeting the real deal, but is instead targeting the green nasal clearer, we shouldn't have a problem moving on from here.
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So, does Wasabi suck? To answer this properly, we need to understand that everyone is different and their reason for wanting sushi in the first place. Much like those of us who remember our favorite WhataRestaurant before the masks, for some Wasabi is about a tradition that brings back memories of how they were taught to eat sushi. Even the most mediocre sushi in the world is made more nostalgic with wasabi. Sushi without character is given just a bit of excitement with the quickly fleeting burn of the green stuff just isn't the same. So, we'd argue that for many people the thought of not using a dab of green paste on their fish is as alien as people wanting to move from the Lone Star State looking for freedom.
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But here is the bigger question. When we live in a great country where people can put ketchup on steak, can spell ketchup like Catsup, and can choose to enjoy sweet and unsweet tea; do we really care whether we personally think Wasabi in Tyler sucks or not? Personally, we aren't impressed by Wasabi sushi lovers preferences over or less than non wasabi sushi lovers. Then again, because Ohayo Sushi uses only the freshest sushi and sashimi ingredients and doesn't make a single roll until it is ordered by a customer, we do take pride when we see someone eating a Snow Crunchy Sushi roll without wasabi and enjoying themselves. But if someone enjoys it just as much or even more with a dip or a dab, we are just as supportive of their decision to be here.
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But yes, if you put a big blob of it on rice and called it Wasabi Sushi, we wouldn't be adding it to our menu, because we'd have to agree that Wasabi Sushi is Gross.
