Sushi Beginnings

This was an article called “Sushi in America “ written by Ray Isle http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/sushi-in-america

It was very informative and gave lots of facts and statistics. First it gave a little history of how sushi was integrated from the Japanese to America. It all started after World War II in the 1950’s when a restaurant in San Diego opened up. At the time sushi was only around $1.25, compared to now when a regular roll sells for about $12.95, depending on where you go. In L.A there are even high-end restaurants that are very intimate with little seating that have extreme prices. I’m referring to dinner at Urasawa where the fixed price is about $250 per person. Of course this includes all the finest fish and gourmet ingredients created by top chefs. While crazy expensive, it’s heard to be the best you can get.

            The article also included an array of definitions that explained the different types of sushi there are. They included:

“Sashimi Sliced raw fish without rice; sashimi should be eaten with chopsticks rather than fingers.
Nigiri sushi A bite-size mound of vinegared rice with a similar-size piece of fish, shellfish or other topping.
Maki sushi Rolled sushi; basically, a sheet of nori wrapped around rice and raw fish (or other fillings).
Temaki sushi Known as a hand roll; the nori wrapper is rolled around various fillings into a cone shape.
Chirashi sushi Literally, "scattered sushi"; raw fish and vegetables served over rice, most often in a bowl.
Omakase The root word means "to trust"—the chef serves you whatever he or she likes. No menus.”

            Isle’s also listed some of the best sushi restaurants in the country. Ranging from New York to L.A to Miami to Chicago. According to the article sushi bars have quintupled from 1988 to 1998, and it still continues to grow. Just in L.A alone there are over 270 sushi bars. It just goes to show how popular it has become.