Sushi or Not Sushi

Of the raw meat served all alone, it is not sushi, it is sashimi.

The rolled and served per small pieces with the rice called sushi. It is no necessarily comes with the raw fish since now there is such a thing called 'fusion sushi'. Fusion sushi is different from traditional sushi that you always thinking of, the fusion sushi made by the sushi artists so that people who can't take the traditional ones can still enjoy the sushi.
It could be baked, fried, well cooked, spicy, sour, use the black pepper, use the red pepper, chili pepper, sweet sauce, mayonnaise... It could be anything. Yes you can still say that California Roll is a real sushi LOL.

I like the traditional ones. The shake sushi, it is the one with the raw salmon meat on top of the rice:)

I think the california roll that you're talking about is a california maki. This is actually one of my favorites to order in a Japanese restaurant. I'm not really that comfortable eating raw fish.:)
There are a lot of other kinds of sushi that are fried but that's more of a non-traditional Japanese cuisine I think.

I think sashimi means raw fish, alone. Sushi is definitely anything at a raw sushi bar. I like salmon and fatty tuna sushi. Fatty tuna sushi melts in your mouth. Any of those rolls like the Calif. roll is sushi. I also like spicy tuna rolls. There is even sushi that is cooked. The shrimp sushi and eel sushi is cooked with a sweet sauce on it wrapped in seaweed. I have eaten raw quail egg which is rather good. Octopus is very chewy. I wouldn't suggest that one. Yellowtail sushi is very popular for beginners and experts ha ha. And salmon also and tuna because these are the least fishy. After these, you get more brave and go for the others, then you progress to quail eggs and sea urchants.

I love sushi! There has been a misconception about sushi for having only raw fish or raw-seafood however, sashimi is the one with only raw fish without the rice component. there are lots of sushi recipes which include makizushi which includes the california maki. California maki has omellete and other stuff rolled with rice and enveloped with nori. Nigirizushi is the most common kind of sushi which consist of oblong shaped vinegar rice topped with different seafood.Chirashizushi is also a sushi similar to rice toppings, only with cooked or uncooked ingredients. hope this clear out some points. Long live the sushi lovers!