CJ can mention whatever year and state he wants, this is a yuppie fad. not to say you couldn’t have your oddball here and there who had had sushi whenever. it was not widespread. it is STILL not commonplace everywhere in this country, though much more so than heretofore.
I had one piece of sushi, in Tokyo. Choked it down with some sake and said “no more of that.”
Please reread what I previously said...it becoming a FAD is what ruined it for people who did know it and enjoy it prior to it becoming a fad.
There is an art to real sushi and the trendiness of it has been the downfall of it.
It’s been years since I have had TRUE sushi, yet I enjoy raw clams and oysters on a regular basis. The key to it is the freshness of the fish or seafood. For the lack a source for the proper rice for sushi, I had that in Dover, I lean more toward seviche now.
If I can get decent sushi in Helena, MT, Wichita, KS, New Braunfels, TX, Birmingham, AL and Evanshole, IN, it’s pretty frickin’ common. NONE of them are yuppie towns.