The sushi experience

[Benjamin Barrett]

The reason I included "agari" is because I think I've seen it on those "speak Japanese" cards the beer companies put out. I agree that "shari" is probably not so common. "Gari" is a word rarely used in Japanese; on a three or four occasions, I have heard Japanese people ask what it means, but I agree that in English it is fairly common.

Of course the determination isn't whether the term is specialized for people in the sushi business in Japan, but what the use is in English.

BB

On Sep 4, 2011, at 5:12 AM, victor steinbok wrote:

> Although I recognize the term "agari" and have seen it in Wiki and other
> articles "explaining" sushi, I have never heard it live in a sushi bar
> exchange. Other experiences may vary. Even Japanese cookbooks rarely, if
> ever, refer to sushi rice as "shari" (and they never have an occasion to
> mention tea because it is not a part of the cooking process but may be a
> part of the ceremony), but "gari" is quite common in cookbooks, TV cooking
> and restaurant shows, articles on sushi and on packages of actual (if
> somewhat fake) pickled ginger. Of the three terms, "gari" certainly deserves
> a mention. The other two--not so much, unless we are compiling a complete
> sushi phrasebook.
>
> VS-)
>
> On Sun, Sep 4, 2011 at 10:56 AM, Randy Alexander
> <strangeguitars at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>>
>> It might be noted that a few of these are special terms only for sushi,
>> e.g.
>> "agari" specifically means tea when it is served with sushi, and is not the
>> normal word for tea (o-cha) in Japanese.  There is also "shari" (sushi
>> rice)
>> and gari (pickled ginger).
>>
>> Randy

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