Tom Aaron

Japanese cuisine and images

Japanese cuisine includes a number of dishes combining parent and child together, an image that seems to resonate with the Japanese public. In sushi, eating male and female reproductive organs together does not resonate with the Japanese public, but eating all the different parts of both genders of the same fish does resonate with some.

On some Japanese restaurant menus, you can see oyakodon, a chicken and egg rice dish. Chicken, egg, green onions, and several other ingredients are simmered together with condiments including soy sauce and then served over rice in a large bowl. Oyakodon may taste slightly sweet due to the mirin. Mirin, which is used for cooking, is a rice wine with a very high sugar content. Eat chicken, beef, pork, or another Japanese dish that tastes sweet, but is not dessert, chances are good that the sweet taste comes from mirin.

While this image of parent and child together on the table in front of you may not resonate with most Westerners, the image seems popular in Japan. You can also find shake oyakodon, which is salmon parent and child, on some menus too. This is salmon and roe, which are served raw, over rice. You can also find cooked salmon served together with raw salmon roe over rice. Some sushi bars and restaurants serve sushi with salmon and salmon roe together too. They could be combined inside a gunkan, which is how sea urchin and salmon roe are generally served. This could also be a regular piece of salmon on rice, adorned with a few salmon eggs on top.

Many Japanese seem to derive great satisfaction from these combinations of food that can be eaten in many forms. Out for sushi a while ago, my friend Fred saw shirako on the menu. Not knowing what it was, he asked.

The sushi master said that tarako, was the eggs, and shirako was the male part. Fred, knowing that tarako was cod roe, immediately put two and two together, realizing that tarako was cod sperm. Later, he found the term cod milt, which sounded much better, on the Internet. The same as millions of Americans prefer calamari to octopus, Fred imagined that almost all Americans would prefer cod milt to cod sperm, or at least be less revolted. Fred thought about this a while, and then ordered one.He can't even recall the cod sperm taste, just a taste that was neither delicious nor revolting, simply another variety of sushi, perhaps a little slimy.

What Fred does remember is that the sushi master seemed quite pleased that both the soft roe, which is sperm or testes depending on the marine species, from the male cod and the hard roe from the female cod could be eaten. If you would like to see what Fred ate, do a google for "sushi in English with pictures" and "cod sperm." A piece of shirako sushi should pop up in your browser.

Fred finds it quite interesting that shirako is looked down on in America as cod sperm while the soft roe from sea urchin is quite popular. Sea urchin is not mild and is an acquired taste for some people. Shirako, however, doesn't have a strong taste. Shirako is available in Japan only in the winter months. If you have the chance, don't miss the magic moment.

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