Food as a Link to the Past

I attended the Japanes food festival in Los Angeles, CA on November 7, 2010.  I realized how food is a link to the past.  Take away the processed foods of modern times, and many of the foods we eat were eaten by our ancestors.  The nigiri sushi in Japan is a rather young food - it might be the original fast food.  During the Edo Period, Edo was a fast paced city and people wanted their food fast. Viola! the food vendors placed toppings (usually a slice of raw fish) on top of rice, wrapped it with a band of seaweed, and it was the pre twentieth century version of fast food.