The dish is centuries old in Asia, but now sushi is surfacing in East Lansing.
“It’s not as popular in Michigan - not yet, but every year the sushi population is increasing,” said Don Kim, manager of Midori Sushi and Korean BBQ, 436 Elmwood Road in Delta Township.
The delicate combination of fish and condiments has been popular on the West Coast since the ’80s, and has been slowly creeping eastward into restaurants and stores.
Sushi is often misunderstood as raw fish. Although the rice is accompanied by raw or cooked fish or vegetables, the term actually sushi refers to the rice itself and not the toppings served with it.
Both Meijer, 2055 W. Grand River Ave., and Kroger, 4884 Marsh Road, have sushi booths for people to try and buy the affordable snack while they shop in Okemos, increasing the reach, awareness, and availability of sushi to the average person.
The origin of sushi is ancient, but not necessarily Japanese. Although it is served in Japan, and it may have started there.
But Don Kim said that is not entirely true - it origin comes from China.
“Two Chinese men were sent to Japan by the emperor, and they couldn’t find anything to eat,” Don Kim said.
“They caught fish and mixed it with rice, and this is the first time for the original sushi.”
Other restaurants in the East Lansing area have seen the popularity increase with their customers.
“This is our 16th year, we opened in August of ’87, and we are the only one that had sushi back then,” Hiroshi Tanimoto said.
Tanimoto is the manager at the Murasaki Restaurant, 116 Bailey St.
Sushi’s aura makes it appealing to first-timers, because it is so different from the norm and the simple experience of trying something new and exotic can capture the senses, Ben Bartlett, a political theory and constitutional democracy junior, said.
“I’m a leader in a Chinese Christian Fellowship, and they wanted me to try new things, foods that were a little outside of my comfort zone, but I enjoyed it,” Bartlett said.
“I think it’s the combination of a good taste with the exotic feeling that you get from trying foreign food.”
Sushi’s popularity also might be because it’s easy to eat, healthy and affordable. It’s considered fast food, which can be enjoyed at anytime without the grease and fat.
“Well, first of all it tastes good, and second of all it’s good for the health. It tends to be white-meat fish with high protein and low calories,” Tanimoto said.
“And fish such as the sardine, salmon and mackerel - they have a fat-chain, which reduces cholesterol.”
The Korea House Restaurant, 978 Trowbridge Road, also has recently put in a sushi bar to keep up with the trend.
“Our sushi is very fresh and healthy, we do not use oil and there is no MSG. It will give you a longer, fuller life,” owner Woo Yeol Kim said.
