A few weeks ago I went to a yakiniku and sake party downtown.  The food was excellent and so was the sake.  My favorite thing we ate there was beef sushi.  The beef was very thinly-sliced and was served raw.

Delicious!This made me think about the difference between the US and Japan when it comes to serving and eating raw food.  In America we are often warned about eating raw or undercooked food, and menus often have a written warning on them. I had never eaten a raw egg until I came to Japan.

A sample menu. Notice the warning (*) at the bottom.Sushi is popular in the US, but there are many people, like my father, who refuse to eat it because they think it will make them sick.  They are really missing some delicious food!

On the other hand, I have noticed that vegetables are usually cooked in Japan, like carrots, but in the US people are very happy to eat them raw.