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Q1: Doesn’t “sushi” mean raw fish? Why does SUSHINISTA have more cooked meats than raw fish?

A1:  Actually, we love raw fish! Raw fish may be easier to handle as well in that there is “no need to cook.” However, our goal is to offer healthy/good quality food at a reasonable price so that our customers can eat every day. This concept is from Japanese “bento box”: lunch box that Japanese moms make for their children’s lunch every morning. Bento boxes are also colorfully/nutritiously-balanced so that the children would not get bored. With our recipe filled with love from the idea of Japanese bento box, we believe that our fish, lightly grilled salmon, creates an unsurpassed flavor that you have never experienced with raw fish!

Q2: I have never heard/tried the combination of beef and sushi rice. Does beef go well in a sushi burrito?

A2:  Yes!!! In Japan, the combination of seasoned sliced beef and cooked rice is very popular among young people. Try our seasoned sukiyaki beef sushi burrito - Japanese favorite combination!

Q3: Where in Japan are you from?

A3:  I am Hiro, the owner of SUSHINISTA. I and My wife, Takako, are both from Kyoto, Japan. After living nearly 40 years in Kyoto, we moved to the East Bay and have been in Berkeley as the first-generation Japanese.

Q4: Do Japanese people eat sushi every day? What kind of sushi is most common among Japanese people?

A4:  We eat sushi every day? … Yes and No. The definition of “sushi” in Japan is a bit different from the one in the United States. In Japan, “sushi” has more casual sound. Once sushi rice is used, that food becomes “sushi” in Japan. Fish (raw or cooked) isn’t necessarily used. Besides traditional type of hand-formed sushi (nigiri zushi), we have scattered sushi (chirashi zushi), fat roll sushi (futomaki), thin roll sushi (hosomaki), pressed sushi (oshi zushi), and even do-it-yourself sushi roll (temaki zushi). Anything can be sushi in Japan!

Q5: Can I find “Sushi Burrito” in Japan?

A5:  No…   Like California Roll, “Sushi Burrito” is a sushi roll invented in the United States. (Everything seems to be taking off here!) “Sushi Burrito” is new even in Japan.

Q6: You are from Kyoto, Japan. But your main product is “Sushi Burrito”: a new form of sushi roll instead of traditional sushi. Why?

A6:  We use the name “Sushi Burrito” because we want our customers to casually enjoy our product. Our recipe, however, is from our family that has been running a restaurant for nearly 80 years in Kyoto, Japan. I hope that customers can enjoy our homey Kyoto tastes in the form of Sushi Burrito even in a place far away from Kyoto – such as our second hometown, Berkeley!

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