Tweet of the Week #86: Wasabi Farmers Cringe At The Thought of Wasabi-Free Sushi

Ah, wasabi. The polarizing Japanese horseradish traditionally found in sushi has a pungent taste that triggers a burning sensation in your nose. A plentiful swipe of this delicious green paste will generously clear your sinuses and make your eyes water.

Served grated or as a ready-made paste, wasabi is usually served with sushi because of its sterilizing effect on the raw fish. Sushi chefs will typically add a thin layer of wasabi between the rice and the slice of fish.

Sushi with wasabi or without wasabi?

Wasabi is a key ingredient in Japanese cuisine but its strong flavor is not to everyone’s liking, in particular children. One bite too many and we’d probably ask for help too.

Sushi chefs themselves aren’t always lovin’ it for they feel wasabi actually ruins the flavor of sushi’s raw ingredients.

In recent years, sabinuki (without wasabi) seals have popped up in supermarkets and bento shops. Sushi restaurants started offering both sabinuki and sabiari (with wasabi) options—the color of the plate letting you know which one is which. Some conveyor belt sushi restaurants went as far as no longer serving sushi with wasabi. Like ketchup at a fast-food restaurant, diners can help themselves freely to wasabi packets to add some spicy green to their meal.

While our sinuses highly approve the sabinuki option, wasabi farmers see things differently and aren’t thrilled by the idea of a wasabi-free world.

さびぬきシールに対してワサビ農家が思っていること pic.twitter.com/SPEJchArkR

— テクダ (@FAXXXX) June 11, 2020

さびぬきシールに対（たい）してワサビ農家（のうか）が思（おも）っていること

=

“What wasabi farmers think of wasabi free seals.”

The illustration lists the most frequent わさび抜（ぬ）き and わさび入（い）り seals you can find in Japan. Next to each one of them is a strong-minded reaction to the words and logos, showing disapproval of no wasabi and approval for the options with wasabi.

抜（ぬ）くな = Don’t take it out!

ありがとう！= Thank you!

別（べつ）にすんな！= Don’t separate them!

笑（わら）うな = Don’t laugh!

ピースすんな！= Don’t do the peace sign!

ウインクすんな! = Don’t wink!

笑え = Laugh

Expressing “without” in Japanese

抜き, which can be written with or without its kanji, is an adverb and suffix attached to a noun that expresses something is not included or has been left out. It can be used in various sentence constructions.

わさび抜きの寿司（すし） = sushi without wasabi

寿司はわさび抜きで、お願（ねが）いします= please give me sushi without wasabi

冗談（じょうだん）は抜きにして、そろそろ本題（ほんだい）に入（はい）りましょう = Joke aside, let’s get down to business

Are you a wasabi lover or would you rather spare your nose and eat your sushi without this pungent green paste?

Vocabulary

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