For a long time in Japan, it was frowned upon for a women to be an itamae, or sushi chef. Many reasons were given for this, chief among these being a myth about women’s hands. The logic at work was that women, due to hotter emotions, were prone to having warmer hands that would interact with the raw fish flesh in an undesirable way. Of course, not only is it erroneous to think that slight variations on hand warmth could have a noticeable effect on fish, but it’s also been demonstrated that men’s larger hands tend to be the warmer ones.
At our Japanese restaurant in Bothell, we value first and foremost the talents of our sushi chefs. Come and enjoy some of your favorites with us today!