"How Sushi Went Global"

The article “How sushi went global” by Theodore C Bestor majors on sushi and the Japanese art of cooking. The author, through the article, illustrates how Japanese food has been embraced in the U.S overtime. Theodore initially reveals an auctioning market where tunas are displayed for potential customers most of whom are Japanese. The author clearly depicts the auctioning of the fish before its transportation to J.F Kennedy Airport and then flown to Tokyo. In addition, the author notes that the exportation of tuna to Japan from the U.S has significantly improved in the last decade. This is due to the ever-increasing reputation of Japanese cuisine and the demand for tunas in Japan (Bestor 54).

In the article, the author portrays how tuna has gained popularity to become the most preferred seafood in Japan. Special attention is given to tuna such that there are several campaigns around the country promoting its recipes. Moreover, October 10 is set aside as a day for honoring tuna in Japan. In 1929, Japanese recipes were initiated in the United States. However, these recipes gained popularity after the World War II. In 1972, the first sushi bar in the US was opened in New York. In the same period, there was a shift in global tastes and Japan significantly benefited economically (Bestor 55). This corresponded to American’s change of eating habits from the red meat to the healthier white meat from fish and poultry. The author describes various procedures for catching and processing tunas. The rapid increase in the demand for tunas has led to overfishing causing controversies among environmentalist and the fish industries (Bestor 57).

Sushi has gained its popularity globally over time. However, the author fails to indicate the blue fins tuna’s population in Japan. The demand for these tunas in Japan is tremendously high such that in some cases they have to be imported. Furthermore, the author has not discussed the fish population in Japanese seas. After reading this article, the question that lingers is; is tuna’s population in Japan endangered? The author stated that Japanese food in the U.S first appeared in the media after World War II (Bestor 56). However, he fails to illustrate how the war contributed to the Japanese food popularity in the U.S since at that time there was enmity between Japan and the United States. This was because of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bomb attacks. However, in my opinion its popularity raised tremendously due to the Americans practices of embracing other races or ethnic values.