Story Published: Jan 8, 2010 at 7:17 PM PDT
EUGENE, Ore -- It's dinner time at Izumi sushi in Crescent Village. Even for a week night there were several customers. This is a different sight from this time last year when the recession was hitting people's eating out habits. But that could be changing.
At Tsukiji Fish Market in Japan, bidders meet every morning to examine the fish and attend the auction where they can purchase the fish for that day's sushi customers. Tuna in the Sashimi form (raw, cut tuna) will sell for about $13 each piece.
The tuna that sold in Japan was 500 pounds. At Izumi the chefs go through 30 pounds of tuna on one day on the weekends.
We asked Izumi Chef Jin through a translator why he thinks the demand for tuna is up. He said, "Blue Fin Tuna is a lean meat and helps people live longer."
Izumi hostess Annie Beasly believes sushi is popular because it's more than just a meal. "It's an experience, said Beasly, "they come in for the experience not just for the food."
Another theory on the demand now for tuna is people are eating in a more healthy way going into the new year.
Tuesday's big tuna isn't the most expensive in the history of sushi but this is the first sale coming close to $200,000 since 2001.