Is Hawaiian Gas Station Sushi An Exception To The Rule?

When attempting to put together a list of grocery items you shouldn't buy, sushi will, in all likelihood, top that list. Fox News, citing the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management's president O. Peter Snyder, says that sushi purchased at grocery stores is theoretically safe. However, the outlet also explains that you need to be aware of its sell-by date, as sushi made of raw fish is only safe to consume for around three days.

Checking to see if your sushi is fresh is incredibly important if you want to ensure that it's safe to eat. With this in mind, it stands to reason that picking up a box of gas station sushi isn't the best idea. In 2019, a number of Washington D.C. 7-Elevens were caught selling expired food by city councilmember Trayon White (per The Washington Informer). Though this represents only a small sample of 7-Eleven locations, it may make you think twice about buying raw fish from a gas station.

Rutgers University food scientist Don Schaffner, talking with LifeHacker, tells us that types of sushi that don't contain raw fish, such as California rolls, are a safer bet, but he personally would only eat raw sushi prepared at a sushi restaurant. However, the general rule of thumb that you shouldn't eat gas station sushi doesn't apply everywhere. In Hawaii, gas station sushi can be incredible.

Sushi is a big part of Hawaiian cuisine. Hawaiian poke, a type of raw fish salad, has even become a mainland food fad. Though there are countless locations where you can enjoy fresh fish in Hawaii, you don't need to look any further than 7-Eleven.

The official 7-Eleven Hawaii website highlights a number of sushi and sushi-adjacent items you can get at locations across the island. Perhaps the most instantly recognizable dish you can purchase at 7-Eleven Hawaii is nori rolls. Restaurant Clicks explains that nori is a type of dried edible seaweed that is often used to wrap sushi rolls. 

The 7-Eleven Hawaii website also notes that the gas station chain sells spicy ahi and shoyu tuna rolls. According to Hawaiian Fresh Seafood, ahi tuna is caught using longline fishing, as opposed to net fishing, which causes less stress on the fish and increases its shelf life.

7-Eleven Hawaii also offers Spam musubi, a snack that combines fried Spam with rice and nori to make a sushi-like roll. Hormel Foods explains that Spam became a staple food in Hawaii during World War II, when GIs brought it to the island as a part of their rations. 

According to Honolulu Magazine, Spam musubi is so popular at 7-Eleven that some locations employ two people whose sole job is to open up cans of the stuff.

TikTok user @pepperonimuffin extolls 7-Eleven sushi in one of her videos. She showcases the prepackaged sushi, which isolates the nori in a separate section of the plastic and allows you to roll it up yourself. She wraps up her video by cautioning viewers against purchasing gas station sushi in the mainland United States. TikTok user @joeyzauzig also tried a 7-Eleven nori roll and was stunned by how delicious it was, scoring it a perfect 10 out of 10.