Eating raw food in this day and age is not the smartest approach. Ever consider the number of parasites that live there and will live in your intestines if you eat it? Sobering thought for the sushi crowd.
Unless, like me, you eat sushi without fish.
"Eating raw food in this day and age is not the smartest approach. Ever consider the number of parasites that live there and will live in your intestines if you eat it? Sobering thought for the sushi crowd "
Ok...First of all I have to say that to me any Sushi is delicious, and especially with the "raw fish". It practically melts in your mouth. It's so delicate and soft. Personally I can't understand why people find it so repulsive. Culinary ignorance is all I can think of. .This senseless paranoia stems from the 'western' tradition of cooking everything and eating meat from assorted game animals, beef, chicken etc... which must be cooked (due to parasites). We've just had this one view imprinted in our culture and some people are apparently not able to get their minds out of it.
The majority of fish that are used to make Sushi are salt water fish - which do not contain your standard parasites/viruses due to the fish living in salt water. Such parasites can only survive in freshwater fish. For example that's why freshwater salmon is never commercially caught for consumption. Plus (as mentioned) the chefs are trained to use the best cuts of meat. And don't the Japanese have the best longevity in the world because a large portion of their diet is fish?
The only valid argument is that of industrially polluted water with heavy metals and such. I'll grant you that one. However....what ISN'T polluted these days? The very air you breath is filled with toxins. And eating processed food that is not naturally grown is far more harmful than some raw fish. Chugging down Coke and eating KFC is much worse, in my opinion. Why do you think we have such an "obesity issue"? Processed food is easier to break down and goes through our system faster, so we don't feel as full and only get the basic nutrients out of the food (ie. fat) . To compensate for that we simply eat more. I'd take sushi any day over the garbage Americans normally eat these days.
If Sushi and Sashimi were unsafe, Japanese, who have been eating it for centuries would have died out a long time ago. But instead they have the longest life expectancy in the world.
Sashimi is raw fish.
In "this day and age" meat, when properly handled, is cleaner than ever. Sushi or other raw meat is handled very carefully by highly trained chefs--and meat itself is, internally sterile. Parasites and other food poisoning buggies come from surface contamination.
Considering how well people treat horses--I'd imagine horse-meat is not unsafe at all. Considering also the fact that Japan has a significantly higher average age of death than we do--sushi sounds healthy to me.
Eating sushi or other meats uncooked is no more unsafe--assuming its handled right--than a rare steak. Rare hamburgers on the other-hand...NOT a good idea.
In the words of the great philosopher, Alan Jackson...
"I like my sushi southern-fried...
There has never been a documented case of anyone getting parasites from sashimi prepared by a trained chef. The only cases have been from someone attempting to make it at home and using bad fish which a trained chef can spot a mile away.