There are a lot of female sushi chefs in the world, and back in 2011, an all-female sushi restaurant even opened in Japan. However, an old Japanese belief is keeping Yoshikazu Ono, the son of the famous Jiro Ono from the film "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," from hiring any female sushi chefs in their restaurant.
Apparently, he believes women can't be sushi chefs because periods, which affects hormones, muddles their sense of taste.
Food Beast suggested that many would connote the surprising statement as sexist, but knowing the son of Jiro Ono say it is even more striking.
The female sushi chef limitation remark by Jiro Ono's son was stumbled upon by Business Insider's April Walloga. The reporter had been researching for a story about the lack of female sushi chefs in the world and she came across the startling quote during a 2011 interview with the son of the world-famous sushi master.
The 2011 interview with Yoshikazu Ono was for The Wall Street Journal's Scene Asia blog.
Star of the 2011 documentary, "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," Yoshikazu was asked by The Wall Street Journal why there were neither female sushi chefs nor apprentices at Sukiyabashi Jiro, his father's $300 per person sushi restaurant in Japan.
Yoshikazu answered:
"The reason is because women menstruate. To be a professional means to have a steady taste in your food, but because of the menstrual cycle, women have an imbalance in their taste, and that's why women can't be sushi chefs."
In "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," Yoshikazu was also asked "what makes a great sushi chef." He responded by saying, "There are some who are born with a natural gift. Some have a sensitive palate and sense of smell."
It appears that the son of the great sushi chef also believes those "natural gifts" to be exclusively for men.
The Business Insider reported that in Japan, there are several myths contributing to people's opinion why female chefs would only produce inferior sushi. Apart from the hormones during periods, sometimes women's hands are described as being too small and warm to handle sushi. Women's makeup and perfume were also reportedly thought to ruin the fresh fish taste from the sushi they make.
The publication also noted that another surprising thing about the 2011 interview is that no other news outlet seemed to have picked up on it, which would have made headlines considering the popularity of Jiro Ono worldwide. Apparently, the reason behind this is that "Jiro Dreams of Sushi", which grossed $2.5 million in U.S. theaters and is now streaming on Netflix, didn't appear in the U.S. until March 2012. The interview was held February 2011.
Despite this old belief, there are still several extraordinary female chefs in the world, likely disproving the age-old notion that women can't be sushi chefs, according to The Daily Meal.
Jiro Ono and son Yoshikazu Jiro, both starred in the 2011 documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi," which featured Sukiyabashi Jiro, a three Michelin-starred restaurant considered the top sushi restaurant in the world. Each meal in the restaurant costs $300 per person. Yoshikazu, Jiro's eldest son, is the sous chef of the restaurant, according to Food Beast.