TikTok Is Torn Over Costco's Sushi Offerings
You can find a lot of things at your local Costco. Whether it's pizza and pretzels in the in-store food court, tasty pumpkin pies in the bakery section, giant packages of toilet paper down aisle four, or electronics adjacent to the racks of tools, this massive warehouse of items we need and want. While groceries and home décor aren't exactly uncommon things to find at Costco, there are some things, however, that would make even the most veteran shoppers go "Wait, what?"
One such item in question is Costco's sushi. It's not that sushi is too "weird" for shoppers, considering sushi is a very popular seafood dish here in the United States, with FoodTruckEmpire reporting that 62% of Americans eat sushi and that there are over 4,000 sushi restaurants across North America. What's questionable about Costco's sushi is the fact that it comes from Costco. It's may feel like the equal to ordering a steak at McDonald's or getting tacos from a gas station. You know what the product is, but you're just not sure about its quality. Even more surprising is how cheap it is — restaurant sushi is admittedly expensive, sure, but the price reflects the quality. How can you be so sure you're getting something that's actually real fish for something below $20?
Of course, we can't make baseless speculations. What does the general public think of Costco's sushi?
Does Costco's sushi get a bad rap?
TikTok user, @costcohotfinds, uploaded a video on December 12, detailing a few hot items to look out for the next time you're at Costco. Among cat towers and boxes of markers, the OP states her local Costco now sells three different kinds of sushi, each priced at $10.49. Users expressed their surprise at this news in the comment section.
"No fair! My Costco doesn't have sushi" wrote one disgruntled TikToker, while another said, "If that sushi hits my Costco (Chicago) it's over for me." Other comments include, "Costco sushi will become my entire personality" and "I wanna try the sushi but I always see more negative than positive reviews about it in the Costco fb group."
Although several people seem curious to try the sushi, others say they have tried it with less than stellar results. One user reports that it tasted "odd" and had a "mushy texture." Another sneered "Rather eat frozen water," and someone even offered a tip stating "Frozen rice when thawed will be dry and hard, need to steam it which will ruin them."
While Costco's sushi may be dividing some, Costco isn't alone in selling frozen sushi to the public.
Costco isn't the only place to sell sushi
You may write this off as being another "quirky find" at Costco, but the truth is that Costco isn't the only grocery store chain to sell frozen sushi. Other grocery stores like Aldi and Walmart carry frozen sushi too, which means there must be some kind of market out there that companies feel the need to appeal to. It seems that, although it may get a bad rap when compared to fresh sushi, people don't seem to hate grocery store sushi for what it is. On Reddit, one person recalled getting sushi from a Publix in Florida.
"I used to live in FL, and Publix isn't bad for grocery store sushi." The user explained, detailing how some Publix locations may have fresher sushi depending on when the sushi is made and where the Publix is located. Others agreed that Publix sushi isn't bad for what it's worth, just so long as it's still somewhat fresh.
Japanese news website Sora News 24 also details a trick on how to ensure that your grocery store microwave tastes as fresh as possible. Simply pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds at 500 watts, which will supposedly give the sushi that freshly-prepared taste that some frozen sushi may be lacking.
While grocery store sushi isn't bad in itself, the authentic stuff always takes the prize.