Real wasabi, Wasabia japonica, is apparently one of the most expensive vegetables to grow. That green stuff you're eating? Ground horseradish, Chinese mustard, and, you guessed it, green food coloring. Yum.

According to The Atlantic, "Worldwide, experts believe that this imposter combination masquerades as wasabi about 99% of the time."

Above, meet Shigeo Iida, 75, whose family has grown real wasabi for eight generations.

(via NextDraft)

image: HK 北角 North Point 和田 Wada Japanese Restaurant 放題 Buffet dinner 山葵 green Wasabi Mar-2013 Read the rest

Montreal-based CandyLabs is back after far too long with a lovely demonstration of how they make hard candy that looks like a sushi roll. Read the rest

Asian Boss asked Japanese people on the streets in Tokyo to try American style sushi.

"I can see that they try to hide the fish flavor by using mayonnaise and adding a bunch of avocado."

Indeed. Read the rest

You have probably seen sushi restaurants where plates of different kinds of sushi move past you on a conveyor belt. These kinds of places are called kaitenzushi. Here's one where you order sushi on a touch screen and the sushi arrives on a little rail system, stopping right in front of you. I want to go and see how it works. Read the rest

At Tokyo's Sushiya no Nohachi (すし屋の野八) you can order sushi made with just one grain of rice (粒寿司). Fortunately, after the novelty wears off, you can also order regular-sized sushi that's said to be excellent! A plate of tiny sushi is free, so long as you also drop around US$50 on regular sushi. The tiny sushi plate includes Toro (tuna), Tai (sea bream), Chūtoro (medium fatty tuna), Hokkigai (surf clam), Uni (sea urchin), Tako (octopus), Tamago (egg), Gari (pickled ginger). From Tofugu:

The tiny sushi idea originally came from a customer in 2002 who challenged the owner's son (Ikeno Hironori) to see how small he could make a piece of sushi. Over time, it became something they were known for.

That said, when we asked how often they need to make a plate of small sushi, we were surprised.

"Just a few times a week and at most five times in a day." Though when customers from overseas order, they tend to be extra enthusiastic about the tiny sushi.

He told us that one woman from Europe burst into tears and cried for an hour and a half after seeing the cute, little sushi.

Read the rest

Tide's laundry detergent pods look good enough to eat. In fact, since the brightly-colored product's introduction (a bestseller for its creator, Proctor & Gamble) six years ago, children have frequently gotten sent to the ER for consuming them.

Despite the dangers, the "eating Tide Pods meme" remains strong.

In March 2017, this CollegeHumor "Don't eat the laundry pods" video emerged:

Now, in 2018, we finally have "Tide Pods" you can actually eat, in the form of vegan sushi. While recipes for Tide Pods candy and a gelatin-based dessert have been floating around, Hilary, a friend of Redditor dweron, has attempted to crack the "edible pods code." Her sushi retains the squishiness of the swirling "purple" and "orange" sections using truly edible foods like carrot, cabbage, and rice paper.

I say "attempted" because, in my opinion, Tide Pods would taste like candy or frosting not vegan sushi. Solid try, though!

(Mashable) Read the rest

At the new Magic Touch Bullet Train Sushi restaurant in Cerritos, California, you order off an iPad menu and the rolls arrive via model bullet trains. I can't wait for them to upgrade to maglev trains. (via Laughing Squid)

Read the rest

Oona Tempest is an apprentice sushi chef at New York City's Tanoshi Sushi. I do love my sushi, but I definitely wouldn't have the fortitude or filleting-skills to be trained as a chef. (Eater)

Read the rest

"It's a uramaki sushi roll filled with spicy salmon tartare then topped (with) a unique mango agar gel." (MakeSushi)

Read the rest

The National Sushi and Space Administration's @Spacesushipic account is your best source for keeping track of the stirring imagery of our program to launch delicious raw fish into space.

(via IO9) Read the rest

They're $5.39/pair from Otaku Mode. Read the rest

Brian Ashcraft sez, "A Japanese art student named Mayuka Nakamura created 'sushi warships' based on famous Japanese warships of the past. In Japanese, ikura is often served as 'gunkan maki', which means 'battleship roll sushi'. Nakamura took that imagery and went one step further by creating sushi that actually looked like real battleships."

Imperial Warships Made from Sushi Will Make You Fat

(Thanks, Brian!) Read the rest

[Video Link]

Boing Boing pal Joe Sabia, who works with me to create our in-flight Boing Boing Virgin America TV channel, shares his latest project. This delightful short film was 7 months in the making, all done with hand-made miniatures. It's a promotional video for Bamboo Sushi, a restaurant in Portland.

Joe says:

Lori Nix/Kathleen Gerber were the brilliant miniature model makers. Vincent Peone directed. Michael T scored. Matt McCorkle did Sound FX.

Full cast and credits here. Read the rest