Sushi has likely become more and more prevelent in many peoples' diets in recent years, unless those people just so happen to live in Japan. Do people really eat a lot of sushi in Japan, or is it just another instance of Americans taking a desirable element of foreign cuisine and completely blowing it out of proportion? Either way, sushi hasn't quite reached pizza's level of immortality, but it's a fast-riser.

The uniqueness of sushi is likely the draw. It feels like a piece of edible art much of the time, which is nice, but there has to be more substance than that. Right? This need is frequently met by the naming of various sushi rolls at the restaurants that serve them. Basically there are a few ways to make this happen:

-Conjure up ANY common reference to Japan or the Far East in general. This includes, but is far from limited to, Godzilla, Tsunami, Kung Fu, Ninja, Tokyo, Mt. Fuji.

-Include a city name, whether it is relevant or not. Common favorites are Philly and Miami, but depending on what city you're in, you never know what to expect. People must like feeling as though their sushi experience is augmented by a cognative association with a place, be it local or exotic.

-Just pick an ingredient of the roll and combine it with a one-word description of how it is prepared/served. This might include the likes of "spicy tuna", "crunchy shrimp" or "dead fish". Ok, so this seems pretty normal and predictable.

Last night's excellent sushi experience included a foray into unchartered naming territory, though. It was a big ball of rice with shrimp "exploding" from the center with lots of bright red garnish and thinly peeled carrots that looked not unlike ripped flesh. The name of this creation? The "Pearl Harbor Bomb". There was a tinge of guilt as it was being eaten, but it was pretty good. Seriously, though, come on.