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Just a tip for any Brothers who might be tempted into sampling something more exotic than the "Triple Lumberjack Slam" at Denny's; A new form of perversion has been imported to our shores from the Godless cesspools of Asia, and it stinks to high Heaven of old tunafish and SIN! 
I'm pretty sure that he's wrong. There is one more thing guaranteed by this display of perversion: eternal damnation.
Naked came the sushi
CLEARWATER, FL — Chef David Keir looks out over the crowd in the dark, smoke-filled lounge, then slowly slides the model's black kimono off her body.
Illuminated by an overhead light, Keir, 35, places bamboo leaves covered with bright sushi rolls on her nearly naked body. First on her right upper leg, then her left thigh and, finally, her chest.
A line of customers, almost 30 deep, waits in eager anticipation for the free sushi and the accompanying show.
A glittering disco ball above him spins as a mixture of hip-hop, techno and club music pulsates through the Dirty Martini.
Two women dressed in skimpy school girl outfits dance on either side of the model, gyrating with serpentine skill.
Clutching metal tongs, Keir plucks a piece of sushi from a long narrow leaf, then places it onto a small, black plastic plate held by a patron.
Welcome to naked sushi.
• • •
The practice, started hundreds of years ago in Japan as part of the geisha culture, has rapidly spread around the world.
But it was never done publicly in Florida until four months ago, when Keir brought it to the Dirty Martini, an upscale Clearwater bar along U.S. 19 where bottles of Grey Goose vodka run $195.
Keir said his goal was to enhance his catering business, Bushi Sushi.
Most historians agree naked sushi — Nyotaimori (Japanese for "female body presentation") — started several hundred years ago in the geisha culture.
Naked sushi — banned in China because officials say it's unhygienic and infringes on women's rights — made its way to the United States in the early 1990s. It started in California and was featured in the movie Rising Sun, which starred Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes.
It frequently spurs controversy. In 2003, human rights protesters shut down naked sushi at Seattle's Bonzai Pub and Bistro.
Protesters stood outside the pub, telling customers it was demeaning to women. The outrage forced the bistro to eventually stop the practice.
Locally, police have checked for violations and didn't find any.
Even Mayor Frank Hibbard, who convinced Hooters' owners in 2006 to reword a sexually suggestive billboard, says he's letting this one go. He says little about the event other than, "I wouldn't eat sushi off anyone's body."
• • •
Inside the Dirty Martini, the patrons, half of them women, agree.
By almost 11 p.m., the event is coming to a close and the model is tired. Lying flat, even in 20 minute intervals, has taken a toll.
Still, the Dirty Martini is packed with close to 130 people. No one is looking at the three TV screens. All eyes are still on the 20-something woman.
"It's very avant garde, a little controversial, but everything innovative is going to be," says Paul Puzzanghera, 40, a Clearwater attorney. "But it's chic."
His wife of 18 years agrees.
"There's a sense of class to it," says Rose, 41, a nurse.
No one hoots, no one hollers and no one touches the model.
Nearby, Mike Scott, the lounge's 45-year-old "official mood adjuster," or bouncer, watches closely. He stands 6 feet 5 and weighs 375 pounds. So far, he says, "there haven't been any problems."
That's probably because the event is nothing more than a tease, patrons say. The only thing guaranteed is free sushi.
CLEARWATER, FL — Chef David Keir looks out over the crowd in the dark, smoke-filled lounge, then slowly slides the model's black kimono off her body.
Illuminated by an overhead light, Keir, 35, places bamboo leaves covered with bright sushi rolls on her nearly naked body. First on her right upper leg, then her left thigh and, finally, her chest.
A line of customers, almost 30 deep, waits in eager anticipation for the free sushi and the accompanying show.
A glittering disco ball above him spins as a mixture of hip-hop, techno and club music pulsates through the Dirty Martini.
Two women dressed in skimpy school girl outfits dance on either side of the model, gyrating with serpentine skill.
Clutching metal tongs, Keir plucks a piece of sushi from a long narrow leaf, then places it onto a small, black plastic plate held by a patron.
• • •
The practice, started hundreds of years ago in Japan as part of the geisha culture, has rapidly spread around the world.
But it was never done publicly in Florida until four months ago, when Keir brought it to the Dirty Martini, an upscale Clearwater bar along U.S. 19 where bottles of Grey Goose vodka run $195.
Keir said his goal was to enhance his catering business, Bushi Sushi.
Most historians agree naked sushi — Nyotaimori (Japanese for "female body presentation") — started several hundred years ago in the geisha culture.
Naked sushi — banned in China because officials say it's unhygienic and infringes on women's rights — made its way to the United States in the early 1990s. It started in California and was featured in the movie Rising Sun, which starred Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes.
It frequently spurs controversy. In 2003, human rights protesters shut down naked sushi at Seattle's Bonzai Pub and Bistro.
Protesters stood outside the pub, telling customers it was demeaning to women. The outrage forced the bistro to eventually stop the practice.
Locally, police have checked for violations and didn't find any.
Even Mayor Frank Hibbard, who convinced Hooters' owners in 2006 to reword a sexually suggestive billboard, says he's letting this one go. He says little about the event other than, "I wouldn't eat sushi off anyone's body."
• • •
Inside the Dirty Martini, the patrons, half of them women, agree.
By almost 11 p.m., the event is coming to a close and the model is tired. Lying flat, even in 20 minute intervals, has taken a toll.
Still, the Dirty Martini is packed with close to 130 people. No one is looking at the three TV screens. All eyes are still on the 20-something woman.
"It's very avant garde, a little controversial, but everything innovative is going to be," says Paul Puzzanghera, 40, a Clearwater attorney. "But it's chic."
His wife of 18 years agrees.
"There's a sense of class to it," says Rose, 41, a nurse.
No one hoots, no one hollers and no one touches the model.
Nearby, Mike Scott, the lounge's 45-year-old "official mood adjuster," or bouncer, watches closely. He stands 6 feet 5 and weighs 375 pounds. So far, he says, "there haven't been any problems."
That's probably because the event is nothing more than a tease, patrons say. The only thing guaranteed is free sushi.
I'm pretty sure that he's wrong. There is one more thing guaranteed by this display of perversion: eternal damnation.
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