Get it while it's...raw.

Sushi has recently become the hottest - or coldest - lunch and dinner option downtown and in neighboring communities.

Local spots serving the dish have been popping up in past months since sushi popularity has been increasing in the Midwest. Sushi restaurants are located near the edges of campus and offer a fancy-feel alternative to the local pizza joint.

SanSu, 4750 S. Hagadorn Road in Hannah Plaza, is no more than a quick walk from students living near east campus - a good location to draw in college students.

"More and more young people are getting into it," Assistant Manager Soo Ahn said. "It used to be taboo, people weren't eating it because they thought it was gross and slimy."

But that seems to have turned around, she said. As a local resident throughout college, the 1999 MSU graduate said she enjoys seeing the increase of sushi restaurants around East Lansing.

"That means there are more sushi eaters out there," Ahn said. "It's neat to see East Lansing is getting into the sushi boom."

Japanese in origin, Sushi is often raw fish, wrapped with seasoned rice and seaweed, served as sliced rolls. Other variations are thin cuts of fish served atop a bite-sized bed of rice.

Sushi is usually served on small wooden platforms with accompanying dishes for dipping sauces and is traditionally topped with ginger or wasabi, dipped in soy sauce and eaten with chopsticks. Tuna, salmon, yellowtail and eel are commonly used in sushi.

Not feeling very fishy? Sushi restaurants often offer options for vegetarians or those phobic of fish. Cucumber, shitake mushrooms, asparagus and pickle rolls replace salmon and shrimp.

The California roll is often recommended by restaurants to rookie sushi eaters because of its popularity, she said. The rolls wrap crab meat, avocado and cucumber in seaweed, sometimes sprinkled with fish eggs.

"Avid sushi eaters often try Sashimi, a thicker cut of the fish - it's for people who are gung ho about sushi," she said.

For those who want high-class flavor on a McDonald's value-menu budget, Sushi-Ya, 124 W. Grand River Ave., serves 99-cent sushi until 11 p.m. The restaurant opened in May and is East Lansing's newest sushi provider.

Waitress Alison Murray said she used to think sushi was "kinda strange" and never wanted to try it. But working at a sushi restaurant has caused her to give her grown-up taste buds a workout.

"I've tried a lot of really interesting things and I like sushi a lot," the psychology senior said. "I hate fishy stuff, but sushi doesn't taste like that at all."

Even though the portions look small, Murray said sushi can fill a belly just as much as pizza, only lighter and not greasy. But, for those who miss the grease, Sushi-Ya also offers fried rolls.

The restaurant is competing to become a hot spot downtown, in more ways than one. Sushi-Ya serves a Hawaiian volcano roll with spicy tuna and red snapper, brought to your table on fire.

Most sushi restaurants offer a sushi bar where customers can eat while watching the chef prepare their meal. Murray said watching a sushi chef is like watching an artist.

"They make everything look so decorative, you almost don't want to eat it," she said.

Joe Peligro, a Sushi-Ya regular, said he likes dishes such as tofu stew as a healthy addition to his sushi rolls.

"(Sushi) is high in protein and it has an original flavor," the communication junior said. "You don't taste food like this anywhere."

Peligro said while he likes sushi, one restaurant is enough for the area. Almost 10 restaurants from downtown to Okemos are currently serving sushi up.

But Omi General Manager Won Jin Choi said he welcomes the competition.

"At first, we were a little worried with the other restaurants, but with all the places popping up, it gets people aware of the food," he said. "Many people see all the places, but it's good because that means at least a small percentage will be interested enough to try it."

Choi said his restaurant has less of a traditional Japanese atmosphere than other local sushi bars. He said the modern atmosphere of Omi, 210 M.A.C. Ave., better reflects the look of sushi.

"Sushi is more about presentation and about art, and it fits in a contemporary environment," he said.