Why are flat whites served in such small portions?
Well, because the anatomy/composition of a flat white is generally very specific. With one or 2 shots of ristretto (under extracted coffee) there is certain amount of steamed milk that goes with it in order to make it a flat white as opposed to a ristretto latte. The overall composition is like a hybrid between cappuccino and latte with the benefit of ristretto shots. Absolute heaven.*See image.Source: https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&...
How much sushi should I allow per person if it's not the only food being served?
I am a former chef and would first find out how many people are into sushi, then check with places as to there platter sizes and how many pieces they accommodate, the other are helpful but not professionals, I have made this for non-Japanese people in a party selection, and you can order enough or way to much, so as the budget may be tight, just make a few enquiry's to make it less wasteful, and the type will also make a difference, Maki or rolled sushi is less likely to have alot of fish, were as nigiri the one with the raw or cooked fish/seafood may not be as well excepted.
Why do sushi restaurants give you so little wasabi?
If it's the green toothpaste that is served as 'wasabi' in 99% of the Western world, it's because you should only use a little, if any. In quantity, it steps all over the flavor of good sushi.Some places will give you huge amounts. I saw one place recently that dispensed paste 'wasabi' with a large melon-baller…making chunks about the size of my thumb (and I've got big hands). They do this because lots of spicy green gunk covers the smell of slightly off fish, and desensitizes you to the fact that the ‘crab’ is really Krab Brand Ocean Product.On the other hand, if you are at a place where they give you real wasabi, freshly cut by a true master, dipped gently in a mix of rice wine vinegar and secrets, then schmeared with the back edge of the knife before being placed in a lovely ceramic bowl; the reason they only give you little is simple. Real wasabi is bloody expensive.There's exactly one place I know of in this state that serves real wasabi. It comes by special order from Japan, and is treated with the same respect given to real truffles, caviar, and foie gras. It's rare, and beautiful.Also anyone serving the real stuff is probably serving sushi that needs no additional spice, wasabi or otherwise. In the last three visits to my local amazing place, I've gone through less than an ounce of real wasabi, and have not touched the soy sauce at all…. It doesn't need it, and would be an insult to the art.
Do most people really hate uni sushi???
Maybe I am just loco but I love uni. In fact, when I ordered it as takeout with coworkers 3 days in a row, the manager of the restaurant (also a friend) told me that I had cleaned out his supply! I am just curious as to what others think of it.
What are those orange specs on sushi?
Your dad is correct. The "orange specks" are called Tobiko or flying fish roe. Tobiko is sometimes used as an ingredient of California rolls. The eggs are small, ranging about 1mm in size. For comparison, tobiko is larger than masago (smelt roe), but smaller than ikura (salmon roe). Plain tobiko has a red-orange color and a mild smoky/salty taste. Sometimes, tobiko has complimentary flavors added such as wasabi (green-colored), ginger (orange-colored) or squid ink (black-colored). I know this from Japanese cooking class.
Fish is relatively expensive compared to meat in most of the world countries. How can "All-you-can-eat" sushi restaurants be so cheap?
I have been to two all you can eat sushi restaurants. One was awful and not worth talking about. The other was actually really good. Here is what I noticed about it and would explain how they may be making up for things. First, the menu for all you can eat is limited and I suspect some of the limitation for that menu is on less expensive rolls. Second, the sushi rolls for all you can eat are made smaller than for the regular menu items. Sushi rolls aren’t huge to begin with so you must realize that a roll isn’t going to require an entire fish, or even really that much fish in it. Third, any changes are going to have an additional cost. For example, I don’t like nori (seaweed) so I request that all of my sushi rolls be wrapped in soy paper. This is an additional $1 per roll in addition to the all you can eat price. Fourth, the all you can eat was limited to just sushi, so if you take advantage of the other meal options like appetizers, you’re going to be full before you order a bunch of sushi.
Why are the portion sizes in many American restaurants so much larger than those in other countries? People often blame large portion sizes for contributing to an obesity epidemic. How and why did they become so large?
If you are looking for big portions in the USA, you can certainly find them and we did often when we had a teenage boy in our household, but I would not brag about portion sizes to most of my European friends.My experience is mostly in Germany or Austria and I am always impressed more by the quantity of food than its overall quality. I have had Schnitzels of various permutations that literally filled a plate. And they always come with about 1.5 times the number of fries than in an upsized #2 from McDonalds.In Italy, you finish a perfectly filling square of lasagne and they bring out the main course, meat and vegetables. And an artery-clogging hunk of Tiramisu finishes the meal. And it's about 10 p.m. by that time and you realize that you are going to sleep on a perfectly full stomach.In fact, I'm trying to think of a place where portion controls are really limited and the only places I can think of are those chic Parisian eateries that are too precious for my tourist budget.I always drop pounds in Europe but not because of portion sizes; it is because I do so much walking there