Learning How To Make Sushi

sushi making 2Japanese language students can learn the centuries-old art of sushi-making while at Dickinson.

Divided into stations, the students learned how to create maki by topping seasoned sticky rice with fish, vegetables and other ingredients and then rolling it all up in sheets of dried and pressed seaweed or collard greens.

“It’s harder than it looks,” says Chloe Mandell ’09, an East Asian studies major who says she made and ate a fair amount of sushi while studying in Japan. “But I love it.”

Trout Gallery attendant Satsuki Swisher (left) demonstrates the art of sushi-making.

Trout Gallery attendant Satsuki Swisher (left) demonstrates the art of sushi-making.

The class has been taught by Satsuki Swisher, a retired library cataloging coordinator and Japanese language professor who now works in The Trout Gallery and who learned to create sushi as a youngster. The secret to perfect sushi, Swisher advised, lies in the rice, which must be cooked properly and seasoned with rice vinegar, sugar and salt.

As the students sampled the sushi they’d made, Swisher smiled in approval.

“I think the students are doing wonderfully,” she said.

Trout Gallery attendant Satsuki Swisher demonstrates the art of sushi-making.

Trout Gallery attendant Satsuki Swisher demonstrates the art of sushi-making.

The Japanese Program at Dickinson is Multidisciplinary.

At Dickinson, the East Asian Studies major focuses on China and Japan but with increasing attention to the broader East Asian and global contexts of these two civilizations. Students explore East Asia from multiple perspectives: from ancient origins to contemporary realities through the study of history, society, politics, business and economics, literature and culture. The major is language-based (Japanese or Chinese is required through the intermediate level) and multidisciplinary in the many directions for in-depth analysis and reflection offered to students. Students gain broad and focused knowledge on historical as well as modern topics in Japan. Courses are offered to engage students’ interests and expose them to new areas of studies. The East Asian Studies department offers various extra-curricular activities throughout the semester so that students can explore various Japanese activities such as sushi making, ikebana flower arranging and tea ceremonies.

A message from the current East Asian Studies department chair:

This leads me to another key development in our department, our Luce Foundation Grant to encourage pedagogy on Asia and the Environment. Last semester was the first semester of support from the grant. In addition to various lectures, we were able to invite an ikebana master to campus, have a workshop on bonsai and travel to a bonsai exhibit. The grant also allowed us to subsidize our successful summer program “Seismic Japan.” This was a unique opportunity to combine the sciences and the humanities to look at both the science and the culture of earthquake in the country.

-Professor Alex Bates

362 Advanced Japanese II

362 Advanced Japanese II
The emphasis in these courses is placed on polishing and refining the students’ language skills. Emphasis is placed on covering more sophisticated materials such as newspapers, magazine articles, film and literature.
Prerequisite: 232 or permission of the instructor. This course usually follows 361 Advanced Japanese II.

232 Advanced Japanese

232 Advanced Japanese
The emphasis in these courses is placed on enhancing the students’ fluency and acquiring increasingly creative skills through composition, oral presentation and discussion.
Prerequisite: 212 or permission of the instructor. This course usually follows 231 Advanced Japanese.

212 Intermediate Japanese

212 Intermediate Japanese
The aim of these courses is the mastery of the basic structure of Japanese language and communicative skills. The student will have an opportunity to get to know more of Japanese culture.
Prerequisite: 102 or permission of the instructor.  This course follows 211 Intermediate Japanese.