On Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:02:20 -0700, Gerry >
wrote:

>On 2007-04-30 10:29:10 -0700, John Doe > said:
>
>> On Apr 30, 12:55 pm, "Musashi" > wrote:
>>
>>> "20th century style Edomae nigirizushi" would probably be the correct term
>>>
>> Yes, I agree, it would be a perfect way to express what is meant by
>> "Traditional" if it were referred to as "20th century style Edomae
>> nigirizushi". That does explain it very well. From now on when I read
>> a post from you that refers to "Traditional" sushi, would I be correct
>> in assuming that this is what you mean?
>>>
>>> By the way, nigirizushi that was around 20 years ago was also around 40 and
>>> 50 years ago.
>>
>> Were there nigirizushi that were different 20 years ago from that
>> which was widely accepted 50 years ago? Perhaps the people in Japan 20
>> years ago told their children that they preferred "Traditional" sushi
>> rather than the "new stuff"....
>
>I was under the impression that nigirizushi was a relatively
>more-recent innovation in sushi, that is it came to be around the
>mid-1800's. I know that there was "raw fish" particularly in such
>guises as bozushi that were around long long ago.
>
>In anycase I'm not sure what whittling on the word "traditional" is
>suposed to accomplish whether it works or it doesn't. In common
>activity is this suppose to exclude soething with a balsamic vinegar
>drizzle on the plate or something? Or California rolls.
>
>I'm not sure I'm following the intent.

to me, traditional also includes appreciating & observing cultural
nuances as much as the ingredients. i expect it to be difficult to
comprehend unless you have insight into asian cultures - asians who
have been imprinted with their ethnic structure of social
relationships tend to see life as a circle while westerners see life
as a straight line. an example of how this might play out would be to
show a picture of fish swimming in a pond and ask someone what they
see; a westerner is more likely to point out a fish, perhaps the
largest or most brightly colored, whereas someone from the far east is
more likely to say "a pond".

while westerners tend to emphasize individuality, asian cultures tend
to emphasize the importance of responsibilities to each other as part
of something larger than themselves. while this tends to promote
conformity, diversity is also appreicated - as long as it's kept in
balance or in harmony with everything else. so rather than eating a
series of dishes in a otherwise disjointed sequence, a traditonal meal
of sushi should result in an experience of contrasts & segues that
create a tapestry appealing to all the senses.

maybe a musical analogy would help - some musicans are great soloists,
but are not great ensemble players; collaboration is not a strength
for them, or their tone is such that it's hard for them to blend with
other musicians. that kind of sensibility should be applied when
categorizing sushi.

"i can spell. i just can't type."