Posted by Erin Zimmer, April 28, 2008 at 3:30 PM
1958 was a big year. A fourteen-year old Bobby Fischer won the U.S. Chess championships, NASA was created and the very first sushi conveyor belt scooted around a restaurant! It all started in April of 1958 when a mobile stream of plates carrying tuna belly fat and salmon first rotated inside Mawaru Genroku Sushi restaurant in Osaka, Japan. Creator Yoshiaki Shiraishi called it "kuru kuru sushi," which adorably translates to "sushi-go-around" in Japanese, and eventually decided that 8 centimeters per second was the ideal speed—slow enough for safe arrivals, but also fast enough to keep up with voracious appetites.
Shiraishi also invented a robotic sushi model, where robots carry the raw fish, but it didn't "go around" with customers as well. He was clearly not a big fan of human waiters. [via YeinJee]
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Sushi Go-Round
Posted by Adam Kuban, June 14, 2007 at 12:45 PM
The U.S. Flag: In 1777, Old Glory was adopted by Congress as the flag of the United States. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson declared June 14 Flag Day. In 2006, Martha Stewart whips up this American Flag Tart (right), perfect for the vexillologist in your life. Raspberries, blueberries, and crème fraîche create the familiar design of Old Glory.
Junior Walker: Born in 1931, died in 1995. As the leader of Motown's Junior Walker and the All Stars composed the song "Home Cookin'," which takes a woefully unenlightened view of domestic relationships.
Laurie Colwin: Born in 1944, died in 1992. Many of the food-minded folks out there will recognize Colwin as the author of Home Cooking and More Home Cooking as well as a onetime contributor to Gourmet magazine. Related: What's Your Favorite Food Book?
Posted by Adam Kuban, June 13, 2007 at 2:00 PM
Malcolm McDowell: Born in 1943. Probably best known for his turn in A Clockwork Orange, McDowell's early jobs included serving drinks in his parents' pub and a stint as a coffee salesman.
Ally Sheedy: Born in 1962. Her Breakfast Club character, Allison Reynolds, whipped up a Cap'n Crunch–and–Pixie Stix sandwich during Saturday detention.
