The ninth century in Japan was when the concept of sushi arrived and this was during the time when Buddhism spread. The diet required no meat so this allowed fish to become a staple food and create a dish of fermented rice and preserved fish. This was called nare- sushi or aged sushi. Fast forward a several hundred years and in a new continent, the city of Los Angeles was the first to embrace this food item. In 1966, in Little Tokyo, two men named Noritoshi Kanai and Harry Wolff opened Kawafuku restaurant. It was a success with Japanese businessmen who later brought their American colleagues. Osho, a sushi bar opened in Hollywood where celebrities would eat. From then on sushi bars spread to cities like Chicago and New York which opened doors to other places in the country. From then sushi has evolved with new ingredients and preparation.

A traditional type of sushi was the nigiri sushi which was a round- rectangular shape of rice that was covered with a slice of fish but in the US the cut circular rolls wrapped in seaweed have become more popular. Does this sound familiar?

Take the California roll which was introduced in LA in the 1960s. Ichiro Mashita, a man who owned a sushi bar named Tokyo Kaikan, created this now very American styled sushi. For one of the ingredients he used avocado rather than raw tuna in order to contend to the American taste preference of not eating raw fish back then. The roll was also made inside out with the seaweed on the inside to again fit with American preferences. Food changes when it had encountered another culture, American, and tends to incorporate some elements of the dominant and present culture, American. From then on chefs have added ingredients liek cream cheese, deep-fried rolls (Like how Chinese food is deep fried), and fruit which show the Western influence on sushi (PBS History of sushi).