In Monroe, there are a few Japa­nese restaurants serving sushi that have become favorite hot spots for students at ULM.

Ever since the tsunami and nu­clear reactor crises in Japan, peo­ple have been concerned about Japanese food exports. It raises the question about Monroe’s su­shi and whether it has been affect­ed by radiation or not.

Oliver Jackson, a sophomore ki­nesiology major from Monroe, is not worried about the tsunami af­fecting his visits to sushi restau­rants.

“I like sushi, and I am still go­ing to eat it. RawZ Café and Samu­rai are my favorite spots to go, and that’s not going to change,” Jack­son said.

Samurai, a sushi-serving Jap­anese restau­rant in Monroe, hasn’t been af­fected by the tsunami. The food that they serve custom­ers is bought lo­cally, and they recieve fresh fish every day.

Hoi Loc, an assistant manag­er at Samurai, says the only thing that has changed is the prices of sushi.

Loc said, “The prices go up and down, but nothing else has changed.”

He also said that they don’t have a problem getting any product that is ordered. Their customers still come as if nothing has happened, and business is still good for them.

Senior vocal performance ma­jor Allyson Wilson is also not go­ing to let the tsunami affect her eating habits.

“I still eat sushi, and I have been to Samurai after the tsuna­mi. Nothing has changed,” Wilson said. Even though Wilson is con­cerned for the citizens in Japan, she is not concerned about the quality of her food.

“I order the same thing every time, and I enjoy eating at Samu­rai,” she said.

The RawZ Café, another sushi restaurant here in Monroe, has also been affected by the price in­flation, but the restaurant buys its products locally as well. Nothing is bought internationally.

Goods are bought from a ware­house that supplies all of their food and products. Business is still good for these two restaurants.

The Japanese Sushi Bar Kyoto, on the other hand, is closed. Gen­eral manager and executive chef, John Mann, was not available for comment.