It’s a good day when I can write a headline that makes me laugh out loud. This is one of those days. I happen to love the sensationalism of the media and especially the “you’re gonna die” headlines created by network news, so it seemed only fitting to create SUSHIPOCALYPSE when I came across this story via Politico.

The gist is this: the big time drought in California has caused rice growers to plant 25% less rice than they normally would in a non-drought year. As a result, there will be less rice to sell — specifically sushi rice — and that means prices are going to rice rise. Supply and demand, y’all. While rice grows elsewhere in the US, sushi chefs are partial to the California “Japonica” rice and if you’ve ever known a sushi chef, you know that once they like a product, they’ll use it until the day they die. So to follow the thread further: rice prices rise, sushi chefs buy higher priced rice, sushi restaurants charge more for sushi to make up for the cost of the jacked-up rice. The real losers in this equation: us.

The sushi industry all over the US is already preparing for some major financial pain as a result of the rice shortage. From Politico:

Hissho Sushi, a Charlotte, N.C., company that trains chefs for sushi bars throughout the U.S., is bracing for the higher prices, too.

Spokeswoman Andrea Lee said the company’s California supplier “is already factoring in price increases due to the drought situation during the past several months. … It’s a huge challenge to anticipate and plan ahead for the unforeseen. Over 50 percent of our sushi rice is directly impacted by this drought, as are the ensuing price changes and supply.â€

Looks like those spicy tuna rolls are about to cost you more yen. Sushipocalypse is upon us, people. Prepare yourself for the worst and report back if your local sushi dojo has elevated their prices.

Source: Politico