Hmmm...
The overall flash was good...but I have some beefs (pardon) with sushi...
1) I see the warning about mercury in fish all the time from dietary review boards, dietitians, et.al. They say to limit or avoid fish, especially shell fish, due to high mercury levels, but that doesn't address the main issue...fish wouldn't have high mercury levels if mercury wasn't polluting water ways. Fish do not naturally have high mercury levels. They get it from man-made run offs containing mercury. But instead of saying "push your local businesses and governments to clean up their act" they say "limit fish consumption, especially if you are pregnant". This annoys me to no end, because fish is an otherwise excellent source of highly bio-assimilable protein.
2) Sushi is f'ing expensive. Not to paraphrase Churchill here, but "never have so many paid so much for so little." You can easily dole out $50 at a sushi place for 2 people, and for what...? Some rice which is pennies per pound, some fish which is a bit pricey but usually only little tiny minuscule chunks of it are used in your sushi, and some veggies which are also inexpensive. It's driving factor is it's a fad, pop-culture item made, like bottle water and other crap, where folks have been suckered into paying a lot for otherwise cheap stuff. Sushi in Japan is inexpensive, because it's available every where, seafood is cheap, and folks go to sushi bars for a cheap meal. But here, it's like you're dining out at the Ritz Carlton...places charge you up the ass for the privilege of eating it. And most places don't even make it right.