Sushi = crowd pleaser?

I LOVE SUSHI. I think I *need* to have sushi a minimum of once every 2 weeks. And I could easily have it 2-3 times a week :)

As much as I love sushi, for some reason when I'm going out to eat with a crowd I am hesitant to suggest Japanese. I generally offer up more traditional crowd-pleasing options like Italian or Mexican. But I'm not really sure why... Of course, there is the whole raw-fish thing - but there's lots of sushi that is fully cooked, plus there are other things like teriyaki and tempura.

I think maybe in the back of my mind I don't want to suggest Japanese because that's what I really like and it seems too selfish?

But really that's absurd because:

1. I am constantly surprised at how many Japanese/sushi restaurants there are in just about every city I have been to in the US


2. Sushi is even carried in at least 50% of the grocery stores I have been in (even though it may not be the greatest)


3. Any cocktail party/food station-type dinner I've been to where sushi has been served it has always been very popular


4. The other day I asked my two colleagues (one from France, the other from small-town Massachusetts) if they liked sushi and they both said they LOVED it. If these two people from very different backgrounds (age, hometown, job type) could both like sushi - it obviously has some widely-enjoyable attributes


5. There are sushi bars in many US airports and even in a prototype Wal-Mart

Even though I have so rationally (read: nerdily) analyzed the mass-appeal of sushi, I'm not sure this will make me more likely to offer it up as a dining choice for a group meal. But if you like sushi and we have plans to go out - feel free to suggest it :)