Sunday, July 27, 2008

Colorful mixed nigiri from a deli in Taiwan

Fishcake (not pigcake!) sushi at a Bangkok market

Tamago and masago sushi from a Phuket deli

Two-piece packs to go at Tesco Lotus

Sushi Bites

In Thailand, the deli sushi very much resembles the same ready-to-go variety in Taiwan: individually wrapped! Rows upon rows of cutesy, cartoon character-stamped fishcake nigiri; tiny two-piece fake crab servings dabbed with Japanese mayonnaise and colorful fish eggs; skinny, almost child-size hand rolls (smaller hands?) with lettuce and cold shrimp tempura tails sticking out of their tops.

You grab the shrink-wrapped pieces you want and shove them into a flip-top plastic container that strangely won't close until they wrap a rubber band around it. Or just hand-carry them all at once on your way to the register. Maybe the packaging is a bit strange, but the food tastes good....

It's a far cry from the style seen in refrigerated aisles in the U.S., where you choose a box of sushi rolls and/or nigiri already overstuffed with bite after bite of the same thing. (Ick! This conjures up images of Pavilions and 7-Eleven sushi in boxes, which don't allow you the fun of sampling.)

These Asian countries have a better idea. Not only is the sushi cheaper, but the concept of individually wrapping one or two pieces at a time allows the fickle fancy more choices and asks for less commitment to one flavor, making the veritable grab-n-go rush all the more fun. Plus the pieces are small and cute....

Of course if you can only do the deli sushi thing (as opposed to a sit-down restaurant), here's a tip: get there early. Refrigeration hardens the rice and makes it less tasty. Sometimes, at your request, the deli chef may even make you a fresher one of anything.

Look for deli sushi in Phuket at the Tesco Lotus supermarket; in Bangkok, at Oishi Sushi in the Japanese sector, otherwise known as Thanon Thaniya. And if you're in Taipei, Taiwan...check out the deli section of the supermarket located in Global Mall.