Hong Kong is famous for lots of great food, but it’s also famous for its avant-garde culinary creations like you might find at Akimasa Sushi (Japanese pronunciation). Last year we reported on their menu which included gunkan sushi topped with sweet beans and mayonnaise as well as fruit jelly and wasabi nigiri sushi.
Their creations have only gotten weirder since, and Akimasa Sushi has earned the nicknames “murderer of sushi” and “sushi hell” from locals. However, now the internet in Hong Kong is buzzing over a new sushi variant that some believe might strip Akimasa Sushi of those titles with its own uniqueness.
This new dish is called Shoaji Sushi (Japanese pronunciation) and actually doesn’t come from a restaurant but from the lunch counter of a supermarket chain named Taste. Shoaji Sushi comes with grilled toppings such as pork, duck and chicken for a more Chinese flavor.
That might not sound so strange, and even in Japan one wouldn’t be shocked to come across such toppings here and there. However, one rule that all sushi tends to adhere to is the use of vinegared rice. Even Akimasa Sushi seems to follow this law as do eshomemade sushi which appear to be topped with an appendage from one of those District 9 prawns (bottom right in the image below).
On the other hand, Shoaji Sushi uses soy sauce instead of vinegar in their rice and in doing so has pushed the boundary of what should be called “sushi.” Despite not being a visually outrageous food and actually sounding really tasty, Shoaji Sushi has created a firestorm of controversy among Hong Kong netizens since its debut earlier this year.
Here are some reactions:
“The creativity of Taste is no joke…”
“A challenger to Akimasa Sushi has appeared!”
“A Japanese person would faint at the sight of this.”
“That is not sushi.”
“Isn’t that just regular fried rice with pork?”
In addition, not relying on internet comments alone, Apple Daily Hong Kong took to the streets to see what people though of Shoaji Sushi. Opinions ranged from “It’s very ‘Chinese’ sushi.” to “It’s more disgusting than McDonald’s rice, but more delicious than Akimasa Sushi.”
However, as I am the grand arbiter of sushi (a power bestowed on me by some grimy man on the street with a wild look in his eyes) I’m afraid that I must rule Shoaji Sushi not to be actual sushi…as delicious as it looks. And so, Akimasa Sushi shall remain the one and only “murderer of sushi” for the time being.
That being said, none of my previous sushi decrees have been followed at all…I’m beginning to think I was lied to.
Source: YouTube – HK Apple Daily, Apple Daily Hong Kong 1, 2 (Cantonese)
Original article by Meg Sawai
[ Read in Japanese ]