Mr. Yamagata of the union of sushi chefs was recently quoted as saying: “We can learn from American sushi chefs. Sushi has to evolve to keep up with the times.”
Nightly news programs [in Japan] run in-depth reports of how higher prices are driving top-grade tuna off supermarket shelves and the revolving conveyor belts at sushi chain stores. At nicer restaurants, sushi chefs began experimenting with substitutes, from cheaper varieties of fish to terrestrial alternatives and even, heaven forbid, American sushi variations like avocado rolls.
To read: Waiter There's a Deer in My Sushi: go to Permalink
If you want more information on Our Sushi Planet, see:
Sasha Issenberg, the author of “The Sushi Economy” (Gotham, 2007)