Matthew Phelps's Reviews > The Story of Sushi: An Unlikely Saga of Raw Fish and Rice

I was very excited to read this book, to learn about the history of a food I enjoy. I lived in Japan briefly and—while I learned much about sushi—I sensed that sushi (like many things in Japan) had a history that was totally unknown to me as an American.

In reading it (as an audiobook under the title “The Story of Sushi”), I enjoyed very much the detailed science and cultural history behind sushi. I thought the history unfolded from an interesting perspective as the story of a few students of the California Sushi Academy unfolded. I think the idea was that I was learning as they were learning, and it was an effective way to organize ideas.

What was distracting to the point of souring me on the experience was the author’s blatant sexism. (Thus 3 stars vs 5.) Not the parts that dealt specifically with historic sexism in sushi culture—I thought those were presented well, but the author’s sexist narrative. Women and men are described differently (e.g. men by what they’re wearing and women by their physical features). Comments by the characters are occasionally blatantly sexual—once even about a chef getting an erection while talking to a woman customer at his sushi bar. I could have done without all of that—it added nothing to the story the author was trying to tell.