Can you remember the exact moment sushi became the hottest food in America? I don't. But I do know it happened while I was in college. From August 2000 until June 2004, I lived in the remote town of Lexington, Virginia (population: really small). There were two "nice" restaurants, seven Italian pizza shops/delis*, and a host of fast food outlets. Sushi would likely have been outlawed by some governing body in Virginia, as nearly everything else is.
At some point, while sleepy Lexington snoozed, sushi took over America. A first date in 2005 would just as likely have included California rolls, nagiri, and sake bombs as it had once featured dinner and a shabby chic pizza parlor (see Rom Coms). When I moved to Baton Moulin Rouge in the fall of 2004, sushi was as omnipresent as purple and gold paraphernalia. Well it is pretty safe to say, unlike slap bracelets, sushi isn't going anywhere.
If you subscribe to the internet, you are well aware that Japan is dealing with catastrophe right now. The earthquakes, tsunamis, and aftershocks have reminded many of us of the fragility of human life. If you have half a decent bone in your body, you are probably wondering, "I wish I could help."
David Glaser, Noelle Cantarano and Andy Kutcher (the latter from FSC-Interactive) have put together an opportunity for you to both eat sushi and help the Red Cross relief efforts in Japan. Sushi for Sendai will occur every Wednesday in April as local restaurants will donate a portion of their proceeds to the Red Cross. You have to do little more than eat. A full listing of the participating restaurants is here.
So eat sushi and help out. Or else it is cheesesteak pizzas for you.
*The story is because Lexington sat at the cross roads of two major interstates it was the de facto center for drug trafficking on the East Coast. Thus, all of the organized crime families in America had outposts in Lexington, VA. They all also opened up restaurants serving pizza by the slice and cheesesteaks to launder money. The stuff you believe in college (see also "Go to law school...you can do anything with a law degree").
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
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8 comments:
I don't know about that. I tend to place the beginning of the American sushi fad somewhere in the mid-80s. I knew it had "arrived" so to speak when my mom started eating it and that was certainly early 90s.
Well there is a difference between when it began and when it became hotter than a Paris Hilton catchphrase.
I date that after shiny ties that were similar in color to the button up shirt below but before Growing Up Gotti.
I remember the shiny tie and matching shirt thing. It went well with the onion I wore on my belt. Which was the style at the time....
You would be happy to know that little ol' Lexington (my home town) has a sushi restaurant called Matsumoto Sushi on Main Street!
Katie,
Is Frank's still there? I sure hope so. That is pretty exciting news about a sushi restaurant in Big Lex. Do you remember that restaurant that opened on Washington Ave in about 2002 with a name that was just the numbers of the street address (something like 129). It was short lived but very trendy. Dammit hate being redundant.
Yes, Frank's lives on! I vaguely remember the place on Washington you are talking about, but I was in high school in 2002 and pretty much kept to Macados and City Steaks & Subs! I was born and raised in Lexington, though I am now a New Orleanian :) My mom works at W&L.
Katie,
Just learned last night that the Southern Inn moved to where Hunan's was. Hunan's would deliver beer and volcanoes to the dorms.
The building that Southern Inn was in on Main Street caught fire this past summer, so they are temporarily in Hunan's old spot. But I hear they plan to return to the original place ASAP!
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