7 Things Americans Get Wrong About Sushi
Why I hate hearing “ew, sushi" or “sushi is a no-go”
Please excuse me, Japanese Americans, American chefs, and other American sushi fanatics. This story isn’t speaking directly to you even though you are, of course, very much American.
MYTH 1: Sushi = raw fish
Definitionally, there is one thing that sushi absolutely must have, which is vinegared rice that has been prepared in a particular way. Sushi does not have to involve fish at all, and some dishes containing raw fish are not sushi. For example, sashimi is not a kind of sushi (although they are often both served at the same restaurants).
If you like steamed white rice but say you don’t like sushi, I will definitely look at you funny.
MYTH 2: All sushi has seaweed
Nope. A kind of seaweed preparation, called nori, is in a lot of makizushi (rolled sushi) and gunkan, but other nigiri almost never have seaweed.
If you’re grossed out by the idea of seaweed, I will try to respect that, but even this taste preference doesn’t exclude all sushi.