Controversy over naked sushi in Seattle
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A model becomes a serving station for "naked sushi" as her torso is covered in Seattle on Saturday.
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SEATTLE, Washington (AP) -- Promoters insist it's performance art. Detractors say women are getting a raw deal.
Whatever the case, the controversy over the Bonzai nightclub serving sushi on nearly naked women isn't about to fade anytime soon.
"It's dehumanizing, the manner in which people are buying and selling sushi to be eaten off a woman's body. It's dehumanizing to be treated as a plate," said Cherry Cayabyab, president of the local chapter of National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum.
If the club persists, she and other activists plan to launch a media campaign -- apparently the first organized opposition to naked sushi in the United States.
Promoters and customers counter that the monthly naked sushi night at Bonzai is art.
The practice, which began in Japan and also has spread to Los Angeles and New York, involves sushi placed on clear plastic wrap over the torso of a model wearing nothing more than a thong and a few flower petals.
Bonzai patrons pay a $5 cover charge, buy a drink and pick their way through salmon, ahi tuna, eel and California rolls. Seven models work in half-hour shifts.
Chef and owner Jun Hong prepares sushi on Saturday night at the Bonzai nightclub.
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Chef and owner Jun Hong and promoter Cheresa Nemitz enforce rules that include respect for the model, no talking to her, and no hooting or yelling.
Critics at the university Women's Center say it still promotes violence against women.
"It provides a forum to see a human being as an object -- and when women are viewed as objects, they are more likely to be violated," said Norma Timbang, executive director of the Asian and Pacific Islander Women and Family Safety Center.
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