Sushi Isn’t Just for the Posh By MasterChef DR TetraMegistus NobuNaga Femi, 4D’yanga, Moon Tzu, 4QuaZulu of Orion — AKA Handsome Black Dude

I’ve noticed that people often assume non-Japanese people who enjoy sushi are either posh or trying to appear posh. There may be some truth to that in certain cases, but my own observations have led me to a different conclusion: liking sushi isn’t necessarily about status at all.

In fact, depending on where you live and what you buy, sushi can be surprisingly cost-effective, particularly for economically conscious people, including ordinary working-class people.

Take my local supermarket, for example. I’m not going to name it, but you can get a substantial bowl of sushi for under £9. It might contain rice, salmon, avocado, cucumber, apricots, fried onions, wasabi, ginger and more. When you compare that with the cost of eating out in London, that’s not particularly extravagant.

A typical kebab, burger, fish and chips, or other takeaway can easily approach £10 or more, while a more substantial meal from many restaurants can cost £15 or considerably more. And price isn’t the only consideration. Sushi, particularly varieties centred around fish, rice and vegetables, can offer a fairly balanced meal without relying heavily on deep-frying or large amounts of oil. Ingredients such as ginger and wasabi also bring their own nutritional qualities.

There’s another thing I’ve noticed: portion size matters. Whenever I buy one of these supermarket sushi bowls, I often can’t finish it in one sitting. I’ll leave some and eat it later in the evening. With many other takeaway meals, I’m much more likely to finish the whole thing at once.

So, at least from my own experience, sushi can offer quite a lot for the money: a filling meal, a variety of ingredients and, in many cases, a relatively healthy option.

Perhaps we should therefore rethink the assumption that a non-Japanese person’s love of sushi is simply an attempt to appear sophisticated or “posh.” Sometimes, the explanation is much simpler: they just like sushi—and it happens to be good value.