Sushi

Platter of sushi at Sadako in Ann Arbor (October 27, 2025). Photo by Ariana Ahuja.

Our special sushi tradition

by Ariana Ahuja

Over the years, I’ve somehow become even pickier when it comes to food. I’ll immediately say, “Too much tomato,” or “That looks weird, so I don't want it,” or even “This tastes off” before even trying the dish. Because of this, I always end up circling back to the same few foods: pasta, pizza, and… sushi, the dish that has my heart. Sushi is the food that brings my family together. When I lived at home, sushi nights were the one guaranteed pause in our busy lives. The moment I heard, “We’re getting sushi for dinner,” I knew everyone would sit at the round dinner table, talk about our days, and simply feel connected with each other. No rushing out the door, eating separately, or being consumed in our phones: this was the meal that brought everyone together. Like many traditions, sushi has a history that extends far beyond our dinner table.

Originally from Japan, sushi is “... a cuisine evolved from a humble street food with scarce recognition to an immensely sophisticated popular cuisine in Japan and America” (Hsin-I Feng). Even though my family doesn't follow the traditional “sophisticated” etiquette when it comes to sushi, our nights are always filled with our own special meaning. Instead, we are laughing when someone drops a piece of sushi on the glass table, arguing over who gets the last roll of spicy tuna, and intensely cheering on the Washington Capitals from the comfort of our home. While sushi used to be considered “rare” to find in the United States, it’s now widely available at many restaurants and has become a very popular take-out item ever since the pandemic (Moskin). The pandemic, ironically, was also when my family began having our sushi dinners again. With everyone suddenly home, we found ourselves back at the same round dinner table, ripping open the take-out boxes, and enjoying our simple sushi dinners we had when I was younger.

DoorDash's sushi, courtesy of my parent, brings a smile to my face every time (November 1, 2025). Photo by Ariana Ahuja.

Sadako is one of the many places in Ann Arbor where I get sushi from (October 27, 2025). Photo by Ariana Ahuja.

Seaweed rice patches, wrapped tightly around salmon and avocado, enclosing little rice rolls. I hold them between my chopsticks the same way every time. Pinch, lift, and then munch. This is our sushi dinner regimen. In Japan, “it embodies traditions, celebrations, and social interactions” (“Sushi Cultural Significance in Japan”).

When I first moved to Ann Arbor, I didn't realize how much I relied on this connection until the first week of school. Class started to pile up, and I became really homesick. I didn't want to tell my parents this, but when I facetimed them and let out a nervous grin, they instantly knew. An hour later, I heard a knock on the door. I opened it expecting a package or something, but instead I found a DoorDash bag filled with sushi. As soon as I smelt the spicy tuna roll, I immediately felt like I was back at home on our dinner table. While I am hundreds of miles away from my family, sushi always brings me home.

Even though my family's version of sushi night doesn't follow the traditional formal rules or etiquette, it is still our unique tradition. No matter how busy, distant, or different our lives become, sushi will always be our connector to each other.

Works Cited

Ahuja, Ariana. Exterior of the sushi restaurant Sadako. 27 Oct. 2025. Author's personal collection.

Ahuja, Ariana. Photo of the sushi delivery, which was DoorDash'd to my room by my parents. 1 Nov. 2025. Author's personal collection.

Ahuja, Ariana. Platter of sushi from Sadako. 27 Oct. 2025. Author's personal collection.

Hsin-I Feng, Cindy. “The Tale of Sushi: History and Regulations”, Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, vol. 11, no. 2, 2012, pp. 205-220. Wiley. https://ift.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1541-4337.2011.00180.x?casa_token=VYCyOENM_SkAAAAA%3AnsaZ3hlifp8jJ-bLnPDf6bR570wITq1ouoqxpDHrUtAKScAXcZhNtSUDivxt0xDFxx9MmxY8a3tG. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

Moskin, Julia. “How Sushi Conquered America: Correction.” The New York Times, 2025. https://search.lib.umich.edu/articles/record/cdi_proquest_newspapers_3253520192. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

“Sushi Cultural Significance in Japan.” Dinings, 4 Oct. 2024, dinings.co.uk/sushi-cultural-significance/. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.

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