American tourist is lost for words over tiny detail in Australian food courts: ‘They do things different here…’
Most Australian shopping centre food courts feature roughly the same line-up of takeaway options: fast food outlets, a coffee shop, a sandwich bar… and a small store selling sushi rolls.
So when an American tourist popped into one of the typical sushi takeaway stores recently, he pointed out how unusual it was.
‘I’m in Australia right now and they do sushi different here,’ Frankie Marcos explained in an Instagram video.
The comedian, from San Francisco, said this experience was in stark contrast to his hometown, where sushi is reserved for fine dining Japanese restaurants.
‘Back home, if you have sushi, you gotta be with somebody who’s out of your league on a date. Or somebody who’s met your parents, or [out celebrating] an anniversary,’ he said.
Accordingly, Frankie was stunned to discover that he could not only enjoy sushi as a very casual meal in Australia – but it was also sold at rock-bottom prices.
‘You go to sushi here – they put it in a bag and it’s cheap,’ Frankie said, proudly holding up his $5 sushi roll purchase.
‘And it’s pretty damn good. It’s like a burrito. You just eat it with your hands,’ he added, pointing out that there’s no need for chopsticks or a fancy setting.
American man Frankie Marcos was stunned to discover that sushi is widely sold as a takeaway food in Australia
Takeaway sushi stores are a fixture in Australian food courts, selling an array of convenient and well-priced hand rolls
Having only previously enjoyed sushi within an ambient restaurant, a stunned Frankie continued to point out that he was enjoying the Japanese specialty while sitting at a typical Aussie shopping centre food court, on a small bench seat ‘facing a wall’.
The experience of enjoying sushi in such a low-key way emboldened Frankie to give his take on Australian culture and even economics.
‘This is the poor man’s food of Australia,’ he proclaimed. ‘You know how good your economy has to be for sushi to be cheap stuff in your country?’
‘Australia is different,’ he concluded the video, which has since been viewed over 1.3 million times.
The clip amassed thousands of comments – many from Aussies who were surprised to discover sushi rolls aren’t sold elsewhere as a ‘good and cheap takeaway’.
‘Sushi = Aussie street food,’ declared one.
‘It’s the cheapest healthy work lunch, and you can eat it on the go while running errands,’ another added.
One more explained that they’d picked up on it being an Australian novelty – and enjoyed taking overseas visitors to experience it.
The comedian, hailing from San Francisco, even declared in a post shared on his @frankiemcomedy account that Australia’s economy must be ‘good’ if sushi is available so cheaply here
‘When I have family or friends visit me from the US, I tell them it’s our version of fast food,’ an expat said.
Conversely, one Aussie explained that they ‘got a rude shock at the price of sushi in the US’ while travelling.
‘We do have fancy, expensive sushi here as well,’ they added ‘But we love our sushi stores – and they are everywhere, doing good sushi cheaply.’
Several comments also informed Frankie that because takeaway sushi hand rolls were so accessible, it was also a winner with children.
‘A favourite food of Australian kids,’ one reply explained.
‘Almost every school has sushi [at the canteen]. I’m a teacher and had it for lunch today: $3.80,’ replied an Australian teacher.
Frankie, who is scheduled to do a run of comedy shows in Adelaide from March 12-20, was surprised to learn from the comments on his video that takeaway sushi rolls used to be even cheaper than they are now.
‘They used to be $2. $5 is expensive,’ read one of several similar replies.
Many Aussies who replied to the video were surprised to learn that sushi wasn’t sold at food courts s a cheap takeaway in other countries
But the visitor’s theory about Australia’s cheap sushi being indicative of our thriving economy attracted a few wry replies.
‘Can’t afford houses but the sushi is cheap,’ read one comment.
‘Our economy is f****d mate, but thanks for thinking we’re doing ok because the sushi is cheap,’ another added.
Nevertheless, a number of comments highlighted how Frankie’s excited video about something that’s so commonplace in Australian food culture should ‘makes us realise we’ve got it good’.
‘Sometimes we need a reminder of just how good we have it here.’
