Asian culture spreads its influences through different brands of technology, cars,
interior designs, and food worldwide. Asian cuisine has become the most recent influence
from this culture. Many classic restaurants worldwide have Asian inspired dishes on their
menus to show their diversity and class. Japanese food, especially sushi, has gained
popularity outside of Asia in recent years. Japanese cuisine, as said by Bestor, is having a
growing cultural influence on upscale nouvelle cuisine throughout North America,
Europe, and Latin America. Sushi's unique taste, structure, and can appeal to a diverse
population. It is very intriguing with its different shapes, sizes and colors. Consumers in
these places have assimilated sushi as an everyday food.
Sushi does not originate from Japan, as commonly thought. The Chinese were the
first to use the technique of fermenting fish with salt and rice. At that time, this was the
only way of preserving their food. The Chinese introduced sushi to the Japanese in the 7th
century. The word sushi means “vinegar rice”. The Japanese have developed sushi to
what is currently known for with the combination of seafood and rice. In 1929, the
Ladies' Home Journal introduced Japanese cooking to North American women, but
discreetly skirted the subject of raw fish. By the 1960s, articles on sushi began to show up
in lifestyle magazines like Holiday and Sunset. It was at this time that Japanese cuisine
had spread from outside the continent of Asia to all over the world.
Sushi has made its way all over the world. It is setting a fashionable trend from
Europe to North America as turning into a sign of class and educational standing. People
consuming sushi regard it as symbol of sophistication. With the introduction of sushi,
people looking to better their status in society had a way of eating a high-class meal at an
affordable price. Sushi became a middle ground for all walks of life that wanted to enjoy
a taste of the good life. The complexity presented by sushi’s design and yet its simplistic
function made it appealing to a diverse group of people. As time went on, sushi evolved
from an extravagant delight to being assimilated to a common dish. This Japanese
delicacy, according to Katarzyna, has become an everyday dish with Europeans and
Americans consuming these dishes on a regular basis, at lunch corners and business
receptions, as well as in restaurants and bars. “Sushi has become not just cool, but
popular” (Bestor).
In North America, Japan’s emergence in the 1970’s has caught the attention of
many people. Sushi has transformed from being an exotic, ethnic fare to a trendy and
influential dish. The intrigue brought upon by sushi comes from its exquisite background.
This original dish presented a new and foreign cuisine unknown to people across the
globe. People were provided an opportunity to taste sushi, which a vast majority enjoyed
this new food. Japanese influences are evident in many restaurants in various countries.
Sushi’s influences on numerous menus add a new and diverse culinary variation. It
became the new hot commodity everyone wanted. As stated by Katarzyna, many classic
restaurants continue to provide Japanese expatriates with the taste of home and offer
Europeans a “taste of Japan,” represented by waitresses dressed in kimono and interiors
featuring lampions, bonsai plants, and calligraphy. Sushi has become so trendy that it can
be bought at local grocery stores. At this point, consumers do not have to go to an upscale
restaurant to eat the sushi they enjoy. This exemplifies how far sushi has come from an
ethnic food to being considered an everyday food. These influential innovations reinforce
sushi’s popularity.
Upon laying eyes on sushi as stated by Sokolov, a neophyte cannot neglect the
artistic sublimation of fish and shellfish in which the variations in texture, grain, shape,
and color of the raw materials present in this cuisine. People want to eat sushi because it
is attractive, thus making it popular. Sushi comes in all different shapes, color, and sizes.
Sushi can be cut into specific shapes by the way it is rolled and served. The most familiar
shape for sushi is a circle with fancier shapes being squares and triangles. The
presentation makes sushi more striking, which adds to its appeal and taste. For those
people who have never had sushi, they may be inclined to try it for its appearance. Sushi
chefs can get creative with their creations, as if producing masterpieces from sushi. Sushi
catches one’s eye with the colorful ingredients consisted to tantalize taste buds. The size
of this delicacy depends on the quantity of ingredients within it. Some sushi rolls may be
smaller or larger regarding what someone may prefer to eat. The variety from which to
choose from, help sushi to garner attention from a diverse group of people.
There are four principle types of sushi that are served in the United States. The
first type of sushi is called Nigiri-sushi, which are slices of fish or other items on pads of
rice. A second type of sushi is called Maki-sushi, which is rolled sushi. Another type of
sushi is Inari-sushi, which consists of ingredients stuffed into a small pouch of fried bean
curd (tofu). The final type of sushi is called Chirashi-sushi, with fish and other items
served on top of a bowl of sushi rice (vinegared rice). These are not all the types of sushi
that are available, but these are the main types served in this country. One important
aspect that fuelled the spread of sushi in countries like Great Britain and the Netherlands
was its popularity in the United States. The most popular type of sushi in the United
States is the Maki-sushi. The trends set by sushi has influenced the way it is made. In the
United States and in Europe, sushi rolls are straying away from their traditional names.
Rather, sushi naming has become a popular way to praise the origin or to present a
unique aspect of this dish. The popular California roll, consisting of crabmeat, avocado,
and cucumbers, is a type of Maki-sushi. As stated by its name, this sushi roll originated in
California. This also suggests Japanese culture transforms to appeal the needs of people
around the world. The variety of sushi gives consumers choices to please their appetites.
Within two decades, sushi transformed into one of the newest must have dishes in
the world. First, sushi was considered by Katarzyna as an exotic, almost unpalatable
ethnic specialty, which evolved to haute cuisine of the most rarefied sort. Then, it became
a hip and trendy food that has assimilated to menus all across the globe. Finally, “it
ended up in supermarkets and take-out corners next to pizza, burritos, bagels, and other
hallmarks of the contemporary American food culture” (Katarzyna). The influences
Japanese cuisine has an appeal to a diverse consumer base. People can enjoy this delicacy
while choosing the appropriate ingredients one may desire to eat. The elaborate shapes,
color, and sizes convey an artistic creation that a sushi chef can produce with this cuisine.
Sushi's appealing form has the ability to capture an on-looker's eye, while entrancing
one's palate with the unique tastes. It is important to know the differences between sushi
and sashimi. Sashimi consists of raw seafood, whereas the seafood in sushi may be raw
or cooked. As a parting word, knowledge of sushi will help one to select the suitable
entrée to satisfy one's appetite. Knowledge is power and “sushi has become not just cool,
but popular” (Bestor).