Supermarket Sushi
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Japanese Osaka Sushi

A big article on sushi is coming later this week, so we wanted to preface it with some thoughts in an Editors' Note. Right before we arrived in Japan for this series on Japanese cuisine, we chose a photo of boxed, refrigerated sushi to use as a teaser, plus a provocative little title ("Sushi's Not Supposed To Be Like This"). Why? We wanted to reach a certain kind of reader: the guy who thinks that boxed sushi from Wegmans is authentic or good, doesn't mind when it's runny or dry, and possibly even considers the pricing to be reasonable. If you're that guy, we need to have a talk. As much as we like Wegmans, and we really do, there's no doubt that the prepackaged sushi there can be pretty bad - as sushi fans, it's the sort of stuff we've literally fed to our dogs rather than finishing it ourselves. On the other hand, though virtually none of it is great, some supermarket sushi isn't bad, and in Japan, it can even be pretty close to good; competition for sushi customers is such that even department stores sell sushi and sashimi, aggressively replacing and discounting old stock to maintain a certain satisfactory minimum level of freshness. Consequently, you can find some beautiful, interesting, and occasionally semi-obscure items in the basements of Japanese stores, even including the deadly pufferfish (fugu) shown in the photos here.

If risk adversity was the leading measure of IQ, going to a supermarket or department store to eat the notoriously poisonous fugu - also known as globefish or blowfish - might initally sound pretty stupid, but in Japan, it would almost be smart. Fugu is a fetish fish, with very little flavor to recommend it in raw or cooked form over, say, chicken, yet it commands high prices due to the risks involved in its consumption. Anything that comes in contact with the toxic organs or skin of fugu can kill quickly after ingestion, so Japan has for 51 years required chefs to be trained and certified to prepare the fish without bringing their knives in contact with the poison. This isn't an abstract concern; every year, some people die from eating improperly prepared fugu, generally fish that has been prepared by untrained chefs. Thus, in trying or even contemplating trying this fish in the past, we've stuck to well-established specialty restaurants that only sell fugu: our logic has been that if they ever failed and killed someone, they'd be out of business, a risk so great that it would need to be avoided at all costs. The same theory sort of holds true for a supermarket chain - die from the food sold there and either the chain or its supplier, in this case a company that prepares fugu for sale in fancy department stores, will have deep pockets for your family to dig into.

But the safety of fugu or any other sushi or sashimi served from a supermarket or department store doesn't necessary guarantee its flavor; in fact, the quality of fish chosen and prepared by a competent sushi chef should and almost always does outstrip what you'd find elsewhere. Thus if fugu sashimi at a dedicated high-end restaurant is a two-star-caliber item, it drops at least a star in its boxed store form. Like most of the sushi served from refrigeration units, it's on the dry side when the plastic wrap is taken off, and so bereft of flavor that the included vinegared soy packet is all but necessary to reconstitute the fish. This isn't a great thing for any piece of sushi or sashimi, but it's a particularly acute issue with fugu, which is served in delicate, razor-thin slices and would really benefit from some slight natural flavor or tongue-numbing hint of the toxin as is sometimes the case in fugu restaurants. Stripped of all taste, moisture, and the experience of dining at an interesting restaurant, there's little left to distinguish fugu sashimi from other options except for its high price: it sells at around $13 for a small plate or over $60 for a large platter. Of course, $13 could buy a filling and better tasting complete meal for one at a restaurant, assuming you're willing to compromise on the restaurant.

Other supermarket sushi follows the same pattern: in virtually any city where it's available, boxed sushi preserves much of the cost of the real thing, but offers a lower-quality experience; convenience is its primary asset. For that reason, and if you're "that guy" who thinks Wegmans sushi is fantastic, it may well be a good time to try thinking outside the plastic fridge box: start by sampling a mix of past favorites and unfamiliar, challenging items at several different local Japanese restaurants with talented chefs. Be sure to ask your server or the chef what's especially fresh, and you'll have a chance to experience certain fish at closer to the peak of their flavors. Once you've taken this step, you'll be in a better position to experience sushi as it was meant to be enjoyed, rather than as it has been dumbed down in recent years.

As we'll explain in our upcoming article, finding a good chef at a place with fresh fish will yield dividends, and once you're done, you'll discover that you really needn't go to Japan to get great truly sushi. But then, as you begin to appreciate the differences between what's great, good, and bad, you just might want to do so, anyway.