How sushi went global Theodore Bestor summary?

By focusing on sushi-quality tuna, Bestor is able to trace the commodity chains, trade centers, and markets that make up this global space. He argues that market and place are not disconnected through the globalization of economic activity, but reconnected generating spatially discontinuous urban hierarchies.

How and why did sushi become global?

Japan’s emergence on the global economic scene in the 1970s as the business destination du jour, coupled with a rejection of hearty, red-meat American fare in favor of healthy cuisine like rice, fish, and vegetables, and the appeal of the high-concept aesthetics of Japanese design all prepared the world for a sushi fad …

What is political food?

Food politics is a term which encompasses not only food policy and legislation, but all aspects of the production, control, regulation, inspection, distribution and consumption of commercially grown, and even sometimes home grown, food.

Where was sushi originated?

Origins. According to Eat Japan, Sushi; believed to have been invented around the second century, was invented to help preserve fish. Originating out of Southeast Asia, narezushi (salted fish) was stored in vinegerated or fermented rice for anywhere up to a year!

When did sushi become popular in America?

1960s
Sushi first achieved widespread popularity in the United States in the mid-1960s. Many accounts of sushi’s US establishment foreground the role of a small number of key actors, yet underplay the role of a complex web of large-scale factors that provided the context in which sushi was able to flourish.

What does sushi have to do with globalization?

As Sasha Issenberg argues in The Sushi Economy: Globalization and the Making of a Modern Delicacy, sushi both reveals the “complex dynamics of globalization” and proves what many critics regard as a singular impossibility, that “a virtuous global commerce and food culture can exist.”

Why is sushi so popular around the world?

If your taste buds have tried sushi, you know why. The most obvious reason sushi is so popular now is the taste. I think about it as an explosion of flavor in a small amount and you don’t often experience that in other dishes. There are three different ways to eat sushi.

Why is food and politics related?

Our food trade policies have a major impact on our economy and, as a result, on what farmers are incentivized to grow and produce. These policies can even go as far as to dictate whether or not farms can stay in business.

Did America invent sushi?

This may be shocking to you, as most people assume that sushi was first created in Japan. However, this is not the case. While Japan is certainly the sushi capital of the world – and responsible for introducing the dish to travelers – sushi traces its origins back to a Chinese dish called narezushi.

What is the history of sushi?

The History of Sushi By Masayoshi Kazato Sushi is said to have originated in China between the 5th and the 3rd centuries BC, as a means of preserving fish in salt. Narezushi, the original form of sushi, has been made in South East Asia for centuries, and nowadays, there are still traces of it in some parts.

Is sushi culture soft power or cultural propaganda?

Japanese sushi culture has shown both soft power and cultural propaganda effects. Sushi the “exotic” other (Nash 2009 9). minor victim to the systemic problem of loss of authenticity and the cultural message. This and consumption of sushi (Bestor 2000 61–3).

Why do the Japanese eat sushi?

The Buddhist dietary practice of abstaining from meat meant that many Japanese people turned to fish as a dietary staple. The Japanese are credited with first preparing sushi as a complete dish, eating the fermented rice together with the preserved fish.

What is sushi-ya?

This tragedy offered an opportunity for sushi vendors to buy rooms and move their carts indoors. Soon, restaurants catering to the sushi trade, called sushi-ya, popped up throughout Japan’s capital city.