Japanese People Try American-Style Sushi & Their Reactions Are Priceless

Japan has introduced countless game-changing innovations to the world -- from the Walkman and bullet trains, to emoji and karaoke. However, its best-known cultural export today may very well be sushi. You have to wonder, though, what people in Japan make of all the many, many, westernized versions of the traditional rice and raw fish dish that have cropped up since it became such a wildly popular cuisine around the globe.

Well, it turns out they think it's kind of ridiculous, at least judging by the reactions from a handful of folks in Tokyo, who were recently asked to sample American-style sushi for the first time on camera. 

In the latest video from the YouTube channel Asian Boss, passersby on the streets of Tokyo are asked to sample a few pieces of sushi, made in the American style. Specifically, they're presented with two different specialty rolls, a California Roll and Volcano Roll, and are told to rate them on how they compare to Japanese sushi. To put it bluntly, each and every Japanese taste-tester is confounded that the food in front of them even qualifies as sushi in the first place. They also don't think it tastes anything like Japanese sushi.

Despite their straight-up refusal to acknowledge the rolls as proper sushi, the reactions to the general flavor is pretty positive (except for one older man, who looked offended by the whole concept). Still, when pressed, most confess that they prefer the fresh and raw stuff they're more familiar with. One guy even explained that he understands "why they try to hide the fish flavor by using mayonnaise and adding a bunch of avocados," which, ouch. However, they're also quite accepting of how the style of sushi has evolved stateside, considering in America it's much tougher to track down super-fresh sushi-grade fish, let alone know how to handle it or prepare it. 

Judge as you may, but facts are facts: California Rolls and Volcano Rolls are freaking great no matter where they fall on the authenticity spectrum.

h/tBoing Boing

Sign up here for our daily Thrillist email and subscribe here for our YouTube channel to get your fix of the best in food/drink/fun.