My recent sushi fascination began when my mother insisted on venturing to Franklin, Indiana. If you are familiar with Indiana geography at all, you may be wondering how and why my interest in sushi originated in such an....interesting location. I am still perplexed myself but I'll attempt to explain the sequence of events leading up to my new fascination.
My mother absolutely adores the Heartland Film Festival and follows their films quite devotedly. Being a good sport, I agreed to adventure to Franklin, Indiana where Heartland was showing a unique film called East Side Sushi in the historic Artcraft Theatre. The theatre featured vintage vending machines, old-fashioned chairs and the smell of real butter drizzled on freshly popped popcorn. The audience was even required (for political correctness, strongly recommended*) to sing the National Anthem before the film. Overall, the experience was enough to remind me why living during the early twentieth century would have been fun.
The film, East Side Sushi, is about a Latina woman pursuing her dream to become a sushi chef. She encounters many obstacles along the way but is strong and self-motivated in the face of discrimination. After watching the film, I was eager to learn more about Japanese sushi and perhaps eventually learn how to prepare it myself. (think East Side Sushi 2- Blonde Norwegian American becomes sushi chef despite discrimination & utter lack of knife coordination)
My next step was finding a quality Japanese sushi restaurant in Indianapolis. Luckily, my mother happened upon Sakana of Tokyo and we went for lunch the following day. I can proudly announce that I managed to eat the entire meal in chopsticks, although apparently I hold them completely wrong and look like a fool in doing so. My mother ordered the Bento box with chicken while I opted for an "intro to sushi" combination with California, Yum Yum & Cucumber Rolls. The specialty sushi creations offered here are named after Indiana traditions & locations which I found particularly interesting. We chose the 'Hoosier Roll' which featured tuna and avocado, topped with spicy honey mustard. Although I have not had much sushi with which to compare, the Hoosier roll was by far my favorite.
I look forward to eating more sushi and expanding my culinary expertise once I obtain a sushi rolling kit. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress and until then, happy eating!
(Or as they say in Japanese according to Google translate, 幸せな食事)
Mary
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| Hoosier Roll |
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| Bento Box (Chicken) |
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| Sushi Roll Combo: California, Yum Yum & Cucumber |
