Covid-19 encouraged a lot of us to discover new ways to practice sheltering-in-place, particularly in 2020. Reading, watching TV, painting, knitting, and making sourdough bread were the top hobbies that people picked up that year, but one graphic designer who was obsessed with onigiri, the protein-stuffed rice balls that are a lunchtime staple in Japan, decided to try his hand at making it for himself.   Nathan Bounphisai called his version, Inusan Onigiri, and it has become of one of Dallas’ popular new pop-ups (a pop-up is a retail space that’s open for a short period of time).

Nathan chose his dish’s name carefully: “Inu,” was a reference to the Shiba Inu,  and “san,” a Japanese honorific, came together to make “Inusan,” which roughly translates to “Mr. Dog.” As it happens, the name was inspired by a character Bounphisai drew years before that would eventually become the mascot of Inusan Onigiri, the image you see at the top.

Now, more than a year into running Inusan Onigiri, he is selling over 300 onigiri at each pop-up event – and before we get further along, you should know that onigiri is not sushi. It looks like sushi but onigiri doesn’t use raw fish and sushi rice, and while sushi is a special meal even in Japan, onigiri is an ordinary everyday meal often eaten as a quick bite between meals, or a late night snack. Typically, it’s in a triangle shape meant to imitate the mountains where the gods lived.

If you’re in the Dallas area, consider checking it out. You can see dates and locations on his website.