Naked Sushi

It’s been called decadent, brutal, sexist, degrading, cruel, outdated, and objectifying. But is it fun?

I am referring to nyotaimori, which translates to “female body plate” - the practice of eating sushi or sashimi off the body of a naked woman. (The less common male variant is called “nantaimori.”) Whether with or without chopsticks, it gives new meaning to the idea of picky eating.

I first heard of nyotaimori from a board member at Cleveland Botanical Garden, where I worked for over a decade. She told me she had attended sensational nyotaimori parties in Cleveland in the 1960s.

While it may seem new and edgy, nyotaimori traces back to the “food play” in Japan during the 1600s and 1700s.

Joe and I briefly considered hosting such an event at our home, but we never found any willing participants. Many people in our social circle are gay, so if someone invited to this hypothetical party didn’t like things raw, he was out of luck in more ways than one.

I finally had my nyotaimori experience while working at a local arts institution. It was part of a VIP reception for patrons. Go figure, but guests were reluctant to take uni and hamachi from a human platter; eating sushi off the bust of a nude woman proved to be a bust.

Ultimately, I found nyotaimori rather silly and tame compared to some things I've seen in my day. It would take a lot more to shock me.

While I was once drawn to nyotaimori, today it just seems fishy.

--
Don't go anonymous: Please type your name after your comments. It's as simple as that.