What’s With the Mean Sushi Chefs?

Some days I think the most influential Japanese chef in America might actually have been John Belushi. If you’ve seen Belushi’s “Samurai Delicatessen” skit, originally performed on Saturday Night Live in 1976, you’ll remember him channeling a touchy Japanese chef, perpetually on the verge of violence, who screamed out loud while slicing ingredients with a…

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The Michael Jackson – Sushi Connection

I didn’t think there was one—until now. American sushi chefs are reinvigorating the traditional cuisine in surprising ways at the moment. One of the more unusual chefs in this movement is an African American woman in Memphis named Marisa Baggett. She’s just written a touching vignette about how Michael Jackson became part, in a roundabout…

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Why There Are So Few Women Sushi Chefs

In Japan, sushi is a man’s world. Male chefs use all manner of excuses to defend their sushi bars against women who want to work there. Women can’t be sushi chefs, they say, because makeup, body lotion, and perfume destroy the flavor of the fish and rice. Some male chefs claim that the area behind…

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Shopping Around vs. Getting to Know a Chef

A sushi lover in New York just asked me: “What do you think of Yama on Irving place? My roommates are addicted, and I think it’s good, but just wondering the thoughts of a real critic! :)” Here’s the thing—I never recommend sushi restaurants. And here’s why: I sometimes make references to specific sushi restaurants,…

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New York Times Features My Article on American Sushi Chefs

Illustration by Craig Phillips for The Atlantic. A nice surprise reading the Times with breakfast this morning and discovering that the Week in Review section featured an excerpt from my article in the June issue of the Atlantic on how American sushi chefs are helping to bring the cuisine back to its Japanese roots.

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What If Your Sushi Chef Isn’t Japanese, or Even Asian?

Photo: Danish sushi chef Fie Kruse, who is depicted in Trevor Corson’s book The Story of Sushi, prepares dinner for a customer. Photo by Trevor Corson. Say you walk into a sushi bar in America hungry for an authentic Japanese meal and you’re faced with a choice. There’s an empty seat in front of a chef…

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