Onigirazu: Japanese rice sandwich

AUGUST 21(Reuters) Onigirazu, Japanese rice sandwich, is tickling American palate. San Franciscans were introduced to the new rice cuisine at J-Pop Summit earlier in August.

Kenichi Kawashima, owner chef of a California-based caterer Kawashima’s Kitchen, made some 800 onigirazu for the two-day event.

“Everybody knows sushi such as nigiri or rolls. So this time, I wanted to introduce a new item onigirazu,” said Kawashima.

Scott Ysebert, a visitor who tasted onigirazu, also said he like how onigirazu is easy to eat

“I love it. It’s not, it’s not messy, and I can just pick it in a little ball and put it in my mouth all at the same time. It’s r
eally good,” said Ysebert.

San Franciscans are not the only ones who are using Japanese rice to make onigirazu.

Christina Pardo, play and music teacher in New York, prepares lunch both for her and her husband every day.

Pardo said that there is no place to buy healthy lunch of her choice in downtown New York where she works as a play and music teacher at an early childhood development class.

“I think it’s a good way to pack a good, healthy meal. I feel like, in America in general, it’s either you buy something like pizza or burgers that’s not good for you, or you buy a salad,” said Pardo.

Pardo, a long-time Japanese culture and anime fan, has been making lunch with Japanese rice.

“So onigirazu is where you kind of make a sandwich. Your bread is two layers of rice, then you put your filling inside.” said Pardo.

As Pardo said, onigiri is indeed so rooted in the Japanese diet that convenience stores offer them for around US$1.

Now onigirazu as well as onigiri has become a popular choice for many occasions such as picnics and lunch in Japan.

Back in San Francisco, more onigiri stores are opening and customers believe the number of onigirazu enthusiasts will be growing.

“I mean, sushi became very popular, so I think this is familiar enough for them to be willing to try it,’ said Beth Deye.

“It’s something you can eat while you’re moving or doing things, so I think it’ll be popular,” Max Vargas.