Because the West is terrible at geography. In the 1970s and 80s, sushi shops exploded in America, often run by Chinese immigrants. They saw a business opportunity and ran with it.
Many early sushi chefs in the U.S. were Chinese. So customers naturally assumed it was Chinese food. It’s like meeting a guy named “Pierre” who’s actually from Ohio—confusing, but delicious.
Also, let’s be honest: Chinese food and Japanese food got lumped together in Western takeout menus. General Tso’s chicken next to a California roll? That’s a cultural mashup worthy of a sitcom.
The Rice Paper Wall of Confusion
Look at a Chinese menu. You see fried rice, dumplings, and orange chicken. Now look at a sushi menu: raw fish, seaweed, and wasabi. Totally different universes.
But the sharing of ingredients doesn’t help. Soy sauce? Invented in China. Rice vinegar? Chinese, too. Seaweed? Both sides use it. It’s like arguing who invented the wheel—everyone wants credit, but nobody wants to push it.
Here’s a quirky fact: The word “sushi” actually refers to the rice, not the fish. It means “sour-tasting” in Japanese. So technically, you can have a veggie sushi roll and it’s still sushi. Mind blown yet?
Chinese Food & Sushi at Taipei - Taipei | Groupon
