Campus Life - Letters from Ohio State University From steaks to sushi By Akio Iijima	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
人気を集める日本食 飯島さんがアメリカに来たのは4年前。当時、分厚い肉に和風っぽいソースをかけたステーキが日本の典型的な料理だと誤解されていることに、少なからず驚いたものでした。しかし、最近では、本物の日本食レストランが増え、アメリカ人の日本食に対する考え方も変わってきました。

1ヶ月前、大学の向かいにオープンした和食レストラン&バー"Bento Go Go"

When I first came to the United States four years ago, the very first Japanese restaurant I went to was a steak restaurant. Referred to as a Japanese steakhouse, I found it very strange that many people at the time thought a thick slab of steak with a vaguely Japanese sauce was a typical, traditional meal in Japan.

いなり寿司、巻き寿司、総菜が彩りよく盛られた寿司弁当

I also remember grossing out my friends by telling them that my favorite food was sushi. Their reaction was typical of most American teenagers at the time, inexperienced as they were in terms of food. The idea of eating raw fish was still new to most Americans, and sushi disgusted people, especially those living in the conservative Midwest.

But Japanese food has been recently gaining popularity in the United States, and there are now a plethora of Japanese restaurants in Columbus to choose from.

Ingredients for Japanese cuisine are available at many places in Columbus. Every regular grocery store sells soy sauce, and there are some that sell sushi lunchboxes. You can also find two grocery stores in Columbus that specialize in Japanese goods. I'm particularly grateful to them for selling high-quality Japanese rice, and they even have mirin and sake lees. They target the many Japanese who work and study here, and yet there are always quite a few Americans shopping there too.

Sushi, too, is no longer only enjoyed by those with a sophisticated and experienced palate, nor is it restricted to those with money to burn. It is now widely available at reasonably cheap prices, and it is accepted by most liberal people, especially those who have grown up in large cities. Due to a broadening awareness of cultural diversity and its effect on trends and fashions, people are more willing to accept and experience other cultures. When I ran a program in a dormitory to teach residents how to make sushi, loads of students showed up and many of them enjoyed it.

Japanese food is "hip" right now in Columbus, and sushi is available at many locations around campus. At one cafe on campus, you can buy sushi lunchboxes, which they sell very well, and about a month ago, a new restaurant and bar, called "Bento Go Go," opened across from the university.

Female students who are generally conscious of trends and healthy food, seem to be especially into sushi and Japanese food. But a lot of male students are eager to try Japanese cuisine as well, particularly warmed sake, which is frequently shown on TV, but is not available at many stores.

Only several years ago, people in the United States made fun of the custom of eating raw fish because it was "uncivilized." It's good to see that people no longer look at me as a savage every time I say I like sushi. The ethnocentric view is quickly vanishing. Now people who stubbornly reject sushi are seen as too conservative and culturally small-minded. It is something we should be proud of, if Japanese cuisine is helping Americans accept different cultures.

Shukan ST: June 20, 2003

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