Hundreds of years ago, the Japanese used salt and rice to preserve fish, pressing it in layers until
the fish fermented. It was 1824 when a man named Hanaya Yohei first put slices of raw seafood on pads of rice. His sushi stall in Edo’sRyogoku district was an instant success, and a new culinary tradition was born. Sushi as Westerners commonly know it is from the Edo tradition; it is sushi formed by hand. In Osaka, far south of Tokyo, there is still an elaborate tradition of sushi pressed with rice in wooden boxes. As sushi became popular in Japan, sushi chefs were trained under a rigid apprenticeship program, spending years studying with a master chef before being allowed to venture out on their own. The sushi chef holds an honored position, and earns that respect by long years of training and hard days’ work. Early in the morning he is haggling with fishmongers, obtaining the best catch for the day’s sushi. Back at the shop, hours are spent preparing for the lunch hour crush of eager customers. The sushi chef has many talents. Not only is he responsible for the selection and preparation of the daily fare, but he is also “on stage” from the entry ofthe first customer, often chatting with the clienteleand keeping track mentally of everyone’s running tally as he artfully prepares order after order.