Dined There, Sipped That

There's no other way to describe sushi in Japan other than "the way it was intended to be." As Westerners, many of us grew up knowing sushi to include asparagus, chicken, mango, etc., but the same way we are Westerners, our sushi has been, well, Westernized. In all my time in Japan I did not see anything close to what we know as rolls, or described as mainstream sushi in North America. I did, however, consult with a friend that lives in Tokyo who mentioned that casual, family oriented, fast food sushi, grocery stores, etc. do indeed serve rolls, but with more traditional ingredients than those mentioned above.

 The Japanese take their sushi training and preparation seriously as I briefly wrote about in my first sushi post at Azabu in New York City. Seeing as I've previously touched upon the discipline of becoming a sushi master I thought that mentioning some historical facts would help us appreciate sushi as it has developed to what we know it as today. Almost like …