Page 13 - IAV Digital Magazine #581

iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Australian Woman Causes Outrage For Opening A Sushi Restaurant Because She Wasn't Asian
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0jluatTrPc
By Nicole Dominique
After opening "Sushi Counter," an NYC-based sushi store that sells "Australian- style" rolls, the owner was met with backlash – simply because she wasn't Asian. The
woman who launched the shop is nick- named "Sushi Sheila" by the internet.
The outrage began when one of her videos about Sushi Counter went viral on X (formerly Twitter) after it
was shared by chef Eric
Rivera (@eri- criveracooks). Rivera tweeted, "but it's 'stralian sushi. give me a break colonizer."
"Why is someone who is not of Asian descent, better yet from Australia opening
a sushi spot in NYC?" asks another X user. After the outrage, people allegedly stormed to give her a one-star review on Google. Luckily, many people came to her defense, and Sushi Counter's average rating stands at 4.8
stars at the time of writing.
The irony is that Rivera, who is from Puerto Rico, had plans to open a Japanese fusion restaurant in North Carolina.
Getting mad at a white person for opening a sushi restaurant is a chronically online take. There's a big difference between "cultural appropriation" and appreciating one's culture. Besides, food is a universal lan- guage –
even England's national food is the Tikka
Masala. It's 2023, and instead of encouraging each other to appreci- ate other coun- tries' creations, people are criti- cized for it.
QDOBA Mexican Eats is owned by Butterfly Equity, which was found- ed by white
men. Chipotle
was founded by a white guy,
too. Who knows how many ethnic restaurants are owned by white people?
In any case, Sheila's new store sounds like a great alternative to the expensive spots in the Big Apple. Unlike other sushi restaurants in NYC, Sushi Counter is afford- able, charging $12 for three rolls. "We do one thing (and we like to think we do it well) - Aussie- style hand rolls," Sheila's website reads. "We may have a small foot- print here in the West Village, but we have a big dream - to make fresh, yummy hand rolls you can afford every day of the week."
It continues, "Roll on in any time, we promise you’ll be greeted with a big smile!"
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine