"Dan Logcher" wrote in message
...
BarryO wrote:

"Veracosa" wrote in message
om...

"Alyn Miller" wrote in message

...

Sometime in April I got sushi in a local Japanese Cuisine/Sushi

restaurant

and got fairly sizeable rib bones in two pieces of a white fleshed fish

that

I did not recognize. The Unagi was crunchy in a way that made me think

of

fins or spines, as well. I haven't had any sushi since and am
wondering

if

this is a common occurance. It was the first time for me in maybe 30

sushi

meals to get bones. Was I lucky before, unlucky when I got them or is

this

about the average occurance?

AD Miller

I have never gotten any bones in my sushi at a restaurant. However,
when I buy frozen Unagi fillets, there are some bones. In fact, the
package politely tells me to "Take care of tiny bones."
I would think that since filleting fish is an integral part of being a
sushi-chef, that there should not normally be any bones. However, you
are eating a (once) living organism, and not all living things are
exactly alike. Maybe that particular fish had extra bones!

It does seem to me that asian cultures are less offended by things
such as fish skins, scales, innards and bones. Perhaps that was a
particular way to serve that fish? I cannot say....


Actually, it is the American culture which considers that only the
boneless
skinless lean white filet
of fish is the only part of a fish to be consumed.
To call using other parts of a fish "asian" displays an ignorance of the
European approach to using
fish where using heads and bones for stock, or serving a fish whole with
head and skin on is considered
the norm.

It wasn't said that using other parts of a fish is more "asian", it was
said they Asians seem less offended by finding bones, scales, skin, and
innards with their fish. I can attest to this, since my wife's family
often orders whole steamed fish. We had a Chinese wedding banquet and
her caucasian friends were freaked by the whole fish and whole chicken
with heads on..

--
Dan

Hi Dan

The poster is right to the extent that fish is served whole and on the bone
certainly
in Italy and Greece where I've had it that way. Also in Greece I had what
was called
Tipuri a Sea Bream (very much like a porgy) whole fried with herbs including
the scales.
As you well know, you're not going to find scales in Japanese cuisine. The
skin yes,
but no scales. Bones in whole fish, even in kirimi (like steaks) are common
and
I personally find it easy to pick my way through with chopsticks. Watching
people in Italy
eat a whole fish including taking a head apart with a knife and fork really
impressed me,
probably because I doubt I could do so good a job.
Well I can't speak for othert asian countries' cuisine as to whether they
serve fish with
the scales, but I would love to hear from the original poster as to where
he/she saw
fish scales in a Japanese restaurant.

Shad