Jay Eats Worldwide

June 18th is International Sushi Day! Not sure what that means... Here in Los Angeles, we have two originals that have been a worldwide sensation for over 20 years. Not many people know this, but the California Roll and Spicy Tuna didn't come from Japan, they're native to the Los Angeles area. In the late 60's, the California Roll was created in a restaurant in Little Tokyo in Downtown Los Angeles. The sushi chef at Tokyo Kaikan was brilliant! He took ingredients that Americans would eat (crab, avocado, and cucumber), rolled it with the rice on the outside (hiding the black seaweed) and gave it an American name. This my friend is how the sushi boom began... The Famous California Roll Created by Tokyo Kaikan Los Angeles It would be considered a sin to add ingredients to fresh tuna in Japan. Remember, Japanese food is simple, subtle, and seasonal, and they really don't eat spicy food. Japan is not known for spicy foods, they leave that to China, Korea, Thailand, V...

On a recent trip to the Bay Area, my friend Curtis suggested that I try this pho place. Pho is a Vietnamese rice noodle soup, with either beef or chicken, and served with garnishes and a variety of sauces. Curtis mentioned that the place he wanted me to try is a Northern Vietnamese style pho place in San Francisco called Turtle Tower, which really intrigued me. I was wondering what the difference was between this Northern style and the style that I was familiar with? I asked around and not many knew the difference, hence this blog entry. Southern Vietnamese Style with Garnishes The style of pho that I'm most familiar with is the Saigon style (Southern Vietnam). This style uses a noodle similar to the size of linguine and served with a variety of garnishes: bean sprouts, cilantro, Thai basil, sliced jalapenos, limes, chili sauce, hoisin sauce, etc. Northern Vietnamese Style with Garnishes The style that I tried at Turtle Tower is Hanoi style (Northern Vi...