Supermarket Sushi

When I went to lunch with AJC food critic John Kessler the first time out, I took the opportunity to ask him a penetrating question. The question went like this: "So, Mr. Kessler, let's let the cat out of the bag: what's your secret junk food?""My secret junk food?""You know," I continued, "what do you eat that's not-so-gourmet? Like Twinkies? Or Hohos?""Oh I see," he responded thoughtfully. "That's easy. Supermarket sushi."What's funny about that, I think, is that for many Americans supermarket sushi is the epitome of gourmet dining. In any case, it's rather fascinating to think about the cultural journey sushi took from Japan, to hole-in-the-wall sushi joints in America, and finally to our supermarkets. I took this photograph tonight at Whole Foods and I think it says a lot about how the American machine takes something genuine and exotic and spins it into the ordinary and mundane. Now supermarket sushi is--in the eyes of John Kessler, and many others--just your average American junk food.