INTRODUCTION
This is an introduction to our online sushi school, Sushitrainer. We introduce everyone here, and show you how we operate at our school. We will start by learning from the everyday diets of Japanese people. Compared to the U.S., there are very few overweight people in Japan, due to the healthy diets of many people. In Japan, moderation is stressed when it comes to one's diet. I will introduce everything here from this perspective. In addition, constant updates will be made to this section.
A GREETING FROM OUR PRODUCER
I, Masahiko Noguchi, first came to America as a Japanese international student in 1974. The first place I went was to a private school in Scottsdale, Arizona. That was in 10th grade. From that point on, I continued my education in America, all the way until I graduated from college and even went to 64 units of graduate school programs too. I will now talk about how I got involved in sushi and how I got the idea to start sushitrainer.com. In 1980, I began an apprenticeship as a sushi chef. I worked as a sushi chef at a restaurant in L.A. for over 10 years. I had not pictured myself as a sushi chef, because my parents had their own business.
The man above shown to the left is my teacher who taught me about the business internationally for 12 long years. At the time, I could still not picture myself as a sushi chef. I was involved in developing computer software systems for years. In 1999, I started software to help people using interactive distance learning. And now with sushitrainer.com, I would like to offer everyone information on sushi in an easiest way. The sushi that was made in L.A. when I was a chef is very different from what is being made nowadays. I would like to tell everyone about sushi and its origins though this site.
In Southern California in 2007, there were about 1,675 Japanese restaurants. About 70% of these restaurants serve sushi today. This is truly a very large number of restaurants, and is proof of the growth of sushi's popularity. With so many places that serve sushi, it is possible to get very high quality sushi in California. It is very popular because it is so healthy. In Southern California alone, there are over 6 millions sushi eaters and 550,000 serious sushi fans (by LA-TIMES).
However, the sushi being served in L.A. today is for the most part, very different from true Japanese sushi. In the 70s, the sushi here was much better. It was slowly becoming more and more popular at that point, but it did not have nearly as much popularity as it does today. One of the most popular types of sushi, the California Roll, was actually first made in Los Angeles in the 1970s. The second famous kind of sushi to come out of L.A. was the Salmon NIGIRI. These two types of sushi eventually found their way to Japan, where they became very popular.
The third major kind of sushi to come out of Los Angeles was the Salmon Skin Hand-Roll. This roll also became very popular in Japan. To have three different types of sushi come out of America and become popular in Japan is something that we should be proud of in L.A. I am proud of this sushi myself, as a sushi chef who has worked in L.A. In the 200 year history of sushi, there have been many developments, and I believe that these sushi deserve to be placed in the history book with all of the other kinds of sushi. Being able to contribute to that history right here in L.A. is a very large accomplishment.
Now things are changing with sushi in America. In a 2007 New York Times article, there was an article about the two different kinds of sushi that exist in America. This article is similar to ones we have at sushitrainer.com. There are types of sushi that are developed here, and there are types that are more traditional and were first made in Japan many years ago. I have made this site with the goal of telling everyone about both types of sushi. I would like to show people traditional sushi, as well as new sushi, and how sushi culture is changing everyday. I would like sushitrainer.com to be a useful guide to everyone in L.A., that can be used as a reference to the history of sushi that has taken place here. There is much history that has taken place here since the 1970s and I would like to tell everyone about it. I would also like to help differentiate between new and traditional sushi, and help everyone understand the correct way to eat and enjoy it.
Our Plan
First of all, we would like to have as many people as we can learn the correct way of eating, making, and enjoying sushi. Therefore, we have taken a great effort to describe the specific sauce and ingredients required for each and every type of fish, and many other things such as where to buy these fish, and all of the tools and techniques needed to prepare them. We hope to keep expanding upon our already extensive collection of articles, and to answer any questions regarding sushi that you may have. Please send any questions or requests to info@sushitrainer.com. We are looking forward to your correspondence.