Headline from the satirical Babylon Bee: Japanese Admit Sushi Was Just Massive Prank To See If They Could Get People To Eat Raw Fish:
The joke reportedly started in 1974, hatched by the Japanese Prime Minister’s chef during a visit by President Gerald Ford. ‘Just for giggles, the chef put a piece of raw fish on Mr. Ford’s plate and said it was Japanese tradition to eat it that way,; said historian Emiko Nakaya. ‘To everyone’s shock, Mr. Ford proceeded to take a huge bite of raw tuna! The Prime Minister had to leave the room, as he couldn’t hide his laughter. Thus, sushi was born.’
I have written many articles about Japanese topics, including literature (tsuki ga kirei and a short story collection), poetry, anime, and many visual novels. One thing I will never review is sushi. This is because despite the fact I like many things from Japan, I think sushi is vile. Humanity was given fire to cook things like fish. (Cooking does not always help however, see curry.) I am prepared to take this Babylon Bee story as true on its face. It provides the most compelling explanation of sushi that I have yet to come across.