Warren Buffett makes a rare trip to Japan, recalls past disastrous sushi experience

Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway recently flew to Tokyo to meet the heads of Japan's five largest trading houses in which he invested a few years ago. Amid the excitement of all the fans, he recalled his disastrous experience of eating Japanese food back in 1989.

Warren Buffett said that he found almost everything enjoying to eat by the time he had turned six. The 92-year-old investing tycoon is known for his very simple lifestyle and eating habits. He likes to have McDonald's for breakfast, guzzles five cans of Coca-Cola a day, and munches on See's Candies and Dairy Blizzards. When Becky Quick from CNBC asked him this month what he had been eating in Japan he replied, Hershey's Kisses and Coke.

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Warren Buffett And Disastrous Sushi Experience

Alice Schroeder in her biography of Buffet, "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and The Business of Life", recounts the story when Warren Buffet swore off Japanese food for life after a disastrous sushi dinner in 1989.

Sushi is a common way to eat raw fish (Image via Pexels/Rajesh TP)

Warren Buffett was invited for a close gathering and dinner hosted by Akio Morita, the billionaire and then chairman of Sony. Morita's Fifth Avenue apartment overlooked the Metropolitan Museum had a sweeping view of Central Park and featured a sushi kitchen where guests could watch four chefs prepare their meals.

As a fan of McDonald's and being a very picky eater, Warren Buffet had many events where he almost ate nothing except for dinner rolls. While he still hadn't tried Japanese food, he doubted if he would like it. As they sat down for dinner, Buffett watched as his companions slurped down mysterious broths and tucked into unidentifiable specialties. He couldn't manage to put anything in front of him and mumbled excuses to the waitress when they whisked away his food.

“Course after course arrived, and each of his plates went back, untouched,” Schroeder writes.

“He had not realised there were this many things on the planet that could be eaten raw.”

Warren Buffet was sweating and squirming in his seat, almost embarrassed if he had embarrassed the chefs, and certain he was disgracing himself in front of his hosts. Hours passed and nothing came in the plates that felt remotely appealing to him. Warren Buffett longed for a hamburger and dreamed of escaping to his friend's nearby apartment and enjoying some popcorn, peanuts and strawberry ice cream.

"By the end of fifteen courses, he had still not eaten a bite," Schroeder writes.

"It was the worst. I've had others like that, but it was by far the worst. I will never eat Japanese food again." Warren Buffett told Schroeder.

Though Warren Buffett likes Japan and its commerce enough to revisit it, he is not a big fan of Japanese food.

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Why Raw Sushi Is Not For Everyone

Sushi is a popular, much-loved dish, and one of the most popular ways to eat raw fish. However, it is best to limit the eating of raw fish in your diet. Consuming raw seafood increases the risk of foodborne diseases due to exposure to bacteria, parasites and pollutants. Everyone cannot eat Raw Sushi due to seafood allergies, immunity and dietary preferences.