A sure sign that sushi-mania has gotten its cultural second wind is when books arrive to give us the historical and sociological background that we so desperately don't need. Still, if you've always wanted to know the history of sushi, as well as details about the infrastructure that delivers it to your local sushi bar, these books are pretty interesting. To find out what books I'm talking about, check out the book review in the New York Times by novelist Jay McInerny -- it's a good read. You may need to login to read it (go to bugmenot.com to get credentials).

We've reported on Nyotaimori (body sushi - eating sushi off a woman's body) in past issues of Austin Sushi News, but we hadn't talked about a related endeavor which is Wakamezake (also called wakame sake and seaweed sake), a somewhat sexy-time act involving drinking alcohol from a woman's body. According to Wikipedia, the woman closes her legs tight enough that the triangle between the thighs and mons pubis form a cup, and then pours sake down her chest into this triangle. Her partner then drinks the sake from there. The name comes from the idea that the woman's pubic hair in the sake resembles soft seaweed floating in the sea. This one may even be too wild for DK's pimpalicious karaoke sushi nights (after 7pm Monday nights at Seoul Sushi Bar). Is that a challenge? Yes!

Went to Odaku with my family. The sushi was not good at all. I had spicy tuna and spicy salmon. The miso soup was horrible. My husband and daughter enjoyed their chicken terriyaki, and beef terriyaki. It was tasty, but I went for the sushi and was so disappointed.

Tokyo Bowl, Houston (more like Clear Lake Area)... has the best sushi! Its small, and cramped.. but the food is amazing!!

As you know, we've got fun branded clothing and goodies in our Cafepress store, but we now also have an Amazon A-store which is filled with Japanese cookware, foodstuffs, and other junk. Check it out here

If you've been living in a cave, or living in Austin, you probably missed SushiMasters 2006, the mega-spectacular sushi-making contest in Sacramento, California, the heart of the U.S. sushi rice industry. No matter, we've got many photos for you to salivate over.

We're happy that our friends are happy. And we mean Dishola.com. Find the sushi and other dishes fast! Congratulations to our favorite (other) food site. :-D

If you are ever in town, try Samurai's Japanese Restaurant located in Solana Beach/Rancho Santa Fe area. Not only does this restaurant have awesome ambience, their sushi is top quality. My boyfriend and I enjoy the sashimi; it's fresh and melts in your mouth EVERY single time. Try their chef special roll if you get a chance. It's a baked scallop roll that will definitely fill you up. Samurai's lunch and dinner entrees are delicious too. We enjoy the scallop tempura. I would highly recommend this restaurant for fine japanese dining and service. Price isn't that bad either. Check it out! It's a sushi must!!!! *****

This place is great. We tried one of their pre fixe menus to sample all the delicacies. I got to try jelly fish. This hotel is the only Japanese-owned hotel in the city. We were the only Americans in the restaurant too. I took it as a good sign that it was an authentic place for sushi.