Desperately Seeking Sushi Trivia Quiz

Answer: Meat pie with mushy peas (and tomato sauce)

If Americans eat Hot Dogs at baseball games, Australians consume just as many meat pies at football games. The "meat" is of dubious origins, but the meat is covered in thick gravy so this mystery is never considered. No Australian worth his salt would consider eating what is potentially a sloppy meal, with two hands: A meat pie must be eaten with one hand because undoubtedly there will be a glass of beer in the other. It goes without saying that the pie will be smothered in tomato sauce (ketchup). A more luxurious version is when mushy peas are inserted between the meat and the upper pastry lid. This requires increased dexterity to eat as the pie is now closer to semi-solid. It tends to be eaten by either the highly skilled or a teetotaller.
A traditional Australian seven course meal is a six pack (of beer) and a meat pie but these days, most footy-goers are alcohol smart and restrict themselves to only one or two beers.
Sometimes instead of a meat pie, we might have a sausage roll (not what you think) or a Chiko Roll, ostensibly chopped meat and vegetables in a thick deep fried pastry with emphasis on the thick pastry so it can be eaten with the required single hand.
Poutine is a dish from Quebec and is hard to find in Australia. However, it would be a winner if you could get a version of this dish at the football.
I am not sure what a Russian pancake wrapped around meat with a thick sauce is, or what it would be called but I would be willing to give it a go (if of course there were no pies at the footy).

Answer: Turkey

Doner Kebab, Turkish meaning rotating meat has variations in nearly every country. The version described in the question is an Australian version, sometimes served with tabbouleh and often with a choice of sauces (the ubiquitous tomato sauce is, of course, the most popular). Sometimes, in Australia, falafel can be substituted for meat to provide a vegetarian alternative.

In Australia, Greek versions of doner kebabs are called "Gyros", the main variation being served with a yoghurt sauce, though again, many variations are possible. Tiny, not known for his acumen in worldly matters, said between mouthfuls, "Why don't they sell these things inside the ground. You can eat them with one hand". Good point. (Now I know why he bought two).

Answer: Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding with a cup of tea

The American diner is an American icon. First built as lunch wagons in Providence, Rhode Island in the 1870s to serve workers who worked night shift, the mobility of diners continued until the early 20th century where they assumed a distinctive architecture when they started being built in fixed spots.

The 50s version was stainless steel, rounded corners, neon signs, booths inside with a mandatory juke box. Sadly, traditional diners in the US are on the wane these days with many roadside restaurants, usually with uninspiring architecture, daring to call themselves "diners".

Some entrepreneurs have tried to emulate their popularity in other countries with mixed success. Charles, our mate from London, was very disappointed not to find Roast Beef with Yorkshire pudding on the menu.

Answer: Vietnamese

Vietnamese cuisine is considered one of the healthiest cuisines on the planet. This cuisine is all about balancing five elements: Spicy, sour, bitter, salty and sweet which correspond to five organs - gall bladder, small intestine, large intestine, stomach and bladder, respectively. There are five elements to food: Powder; water/liquid; minerals; protein and fat. Ideally, each dish will have the five colours: White; green; yellow; red and black.
Pho is an important dish in Vietnam: it is a clear soup consisting of thin rice noodles, herbs and meat (usually beef or chicken). The broth is made from boiling beef bones with charred ginger and onions. Herbs and spices used include cinnamon, fennel, clove, cardamon and coriander seeds. There are northern and southern Vietnam differences in this dish.
Rice paper rolls or Goi cuon have and endless varieties of ingredients. The rice paper wrapper often encases protein such as prawns or pork, herbs, rice vermicelli with a peanut sauce (nuoc cham).

Answer: Mexican

Mexican food is a fusion of native American foods (corn, beans and peppers) with the European foods introduced by the Spanish (meat, cheese, herbs and spices).
A Burrito is an example of northern Mexican food (Some attribute it to Tex-Mex cuisine). In Mexico it tends to be a grilled or steamed wheat flour tortilla with meat and re-fried beans. American versions tend to have other ingredients added such as Mexican or plain rice, guacamole, lettuce, cheese, salsa and sour cream.
A Quesadilla is a tortilla (corn or wheat) with cheese (preferably Oaxaca) which is grilled until the cheese melts, then additional fillings such as guacamole, chopped onion and green or red salsa are added. There are many variations.

Answer: Spanish

Spanish cuisine is really a series of regional cuisines influenced by the peoples that have invaded Spain: the Romans introduced mushroom foraging and wine-making; the Visigoths, in the eighth century, influenced by the moors and the Arabs introduced brewing and foods such as rice, almonds, peaches, citrus foods, spinach and eggplant.

After Columbus visited the Americas in the fifteenth century, foods such as beans, tomatoes, corn, paprika, vanilla and cocoa were introduced. The dish most associated with Spain, paella, a rich seafood and vegetable rice dish comes from coastal Valencia. Patatas Bravas are the equivalent of the British chip or the American French fries.

Originally from Madrid, they are nearly universal in Spain in Tapas bars. Essentially they are a fried potatoes dish with a spicy, hot sauce.

Many variations are known, each region seemingly having their own variation.

Answer: Pierogi, Kielbasa, and Kvass

Polish cuisine is influenced by the surrounding countries' cuisines as Poland has been invaded many times. It is a cuisine based on pork and winter vegetables with eggs and cream featured in many dishes. There are several national dishes: Pierogi are dumplings, firstly boiled and can be served at times with melted butter or another sauce, or, more popularly, they are stuffed with ground meat, cheese and potatoes and then fried with onions. Kielbasa is sausage, either fresh or smoked, made from pork, turkey or lamb, sometimes beef. All are heavily spiced. Each region seems to have its own specialty.

The most well known type is Kabernosy, a thin air-dried pork sausage spiced with caraway seeds. Kvass, a fermented rye bread drink is not uniquely Polish, being more popular in Russia and Ukraine, and not as popular as Vodka and now beer in Poland. Nevertheless Poland has a thriving Kvass industry, being popular as a soft drink as the alcohol content is low (1-2%).

Answer: French

French cuisine is characterised by rich food, with subtle savoury sauces and complex deserts. There are many national dishes from the simple pot-au-feu (pot on the fire), a simple peasant beef stew through to the complexities and mysteries of foie gras. Desserts in France are an essential part of the gastronomic landscape.

The ones listed are typically French: Crème Brulée is a custard with a hard caramel shell covering the contrasting softness of the custard underneath. Tarte Tain is an upside down apple cake where apples are sauteed in cinnamon sugar, covered in pastry and then turned upside down to serve. Profiteroles are moist balls of choux pastry filled with custard and dipped partially in chocolate.

Answer: West Coast, United States

Fortune Cookies are crispy folded cookies with key ingredients of vanilla and sesame oil with an enclosed piece of paper with a pithy saying or aphorism. Their origin is erroneously thought to be Chinese as they have been served in Chinese restaurants in America for many years, starting on the West Coast.

They are are absent in China. Their origin might be Japanese where the cookie is different (made with sesame and miso rather than butter and vanilla) but the necessary slip of paper is enclosed. Jennifer Lee writing for the "New York Times" in 2008 said fortune cookies were "introduced by the Japanese, popularized by the Chinese, but ... consumed by Americans."

Answer: I did

Kimchi and gimbap (sometimes kimbap) are Korean foods. Kimchi is the national dish comprising of fermented cabbage with seasonings and other vegetables. It has a spicy and sour taste. Kimbap is a Korean adaptation of a type of sushi: fresh ingredients such as fish or vegetables are wrapped in sheets of seaweed (gim) and sliced. Different to sushi is the use of sesame oil rather than vinegar.
So as we settle into the Sushi Japanese restaurant, watching the plates of dozens of different types and styles of sushi pass by on the conveyor belt (Well, I watch them pass by, Tiny has already grabbed three plates), I can't help but think of today as a day I'm desperately seeking sushi. Sushi is simply vinegared rice served with other ingredients. It is the most common Japansese food served outside Japan but not within Japan itself. We have westernized the most popular version of sushi - makizushi (Vinegared rice wrapped around vegetables wrapped in nori (seaweed)) by the American development of the California Roll (nori then rice wrapped around imitation crab, avocado and cucumber. Since then we have the Boston, Michigan, Philadelphia and Alaskan Rolls. New types seem to develop from the California Roll rather that the original sushi forms themselves. Also popular in the western world but rare in Japan is Urimaki (inside out roll) where the nori wraps the other ingredients and rice is wrapped around the outside.
So while I have found my sushi, I draw a heavy sigh as I yearn for "real" sushi, the type found in tiny restaurants near Japanese railway stations, where a cup of hot sake is the perfect accompaniment to sushi. It is then I realise my day of desperately seeking sushi is only part of a bigger wish and that really I am desperately seeking Japan.