Vinegared Crab and Squid

In spite of my recent outburst, I've decided to continue on with the project. Maybe I'll make a few off recipes, but so what. Julie Powell make some crap she didn't like thanks to Julia Child.

So my next meal was grilled squid with vinegared crab. All in all, the meal was a success. The vinegared crab had a nice tangy but sweet flavor. The squid was tasty with a teriyaki type taste. I missed part of the directions because I tried the marinated version. I wasn't sure if I needed to paint the outside with egg whites or not. It still tasted fine.

Disaster Strikes... Twice

Dear Readers,

My commitment to project Dashi has been shaken. I have had a hard time getting back in the groove since we got back from Las Vegas and then I had two recipes turn out terrible in short order.

I have to admit, I was feeling a little suspicious about Tsuji since the salad dressing with way too much miso. (I have read the recipe over and over again and I can't imagine why you'd put 3/4 of a cup of miso in anything.)

So now, I have tried the sake simmered mackerel. Theresa thought it was ok, but I felt sick all night. I think the fish was salted, or a little off. I couldn't even think about fish for days.

Also, I've tried making salt pickled Chinese cabbage. It was, again, way too salty. I felt like saying, Tsuji, I'd like a little cabbage with my salt. I am a little sensitive to sour foods, so I thought maybe it was me. I let Theresa give it a go and the "bleaaah" sound she made confirmed it.

Tsuji, what's going on. I thought you were the Julia Child of Japanese cooking. I thought you spent years writing this book, testing every recipe. Damn it, am I missing something. I'm pretty sure I've learned how to read and follow directions, in spite of my high school biology teacher's prediction about my classmates and me.

I'm still committed to getting through this book, but I'm giving it second thoughts. Should I be looking for another book? Should I cross reference all of Tsuji's recipes?