Though plastic sushi grass is a modern development, the idea behind it has been around for centuries. Flowers, leaves, fruits and branches have been used to line vessels in Japanese cuisine for over a millennium, according to Nancy Singleton Hachisu, a James Beard Award–winning food journalist and an expert in authentic Japanese cuisine.
The use of leaves to separate food, however, became common during the Edo period (1603–1864). “Originally, the Kanto region (around Tokyo) used sasanoha [leaves from the bamboo plant], while the Kansai region (around Kyoto) used haran.”
That’s a false equivalence.
That hot dog sealed in epoxy is like 5 years old and still looks the same. But the piece of wood I left in my yard last October is rotted and useless now.
Therefore, hot dogs are stronger than lumber.
Logic!