What if apes had their own culture rather than an imposed human version? What if they reacted to situations
with behavior learned through observation of their elders (culture) rather than with pure genetically coded instinct
(nature)? In answering these questions, eminent primatologist Frans de Waal corrects our arrogant assumption that
humans are the only creatures to have made the leap from the natural to the cultural domain. The book's title derives
from an analogy de Waal draws between the way behavior is transmitted in ape society and the way sushi-making skills
are passed down from sushi master to apprentice. Like the apprentice, young apes watch their group mates at close
range, absorbing the methods and lessons of each of their elders' actions. Responses long thought to be instinctive
are actually learned behavior, de Waal argues, and constitute ape culture. A delightful mix of intriguing anecdote,
rigorous clinical study, adventurous field work, and fascinating speculation, The Ape and the Sushi Master shows
that apes are not human caricatures but members of our extended family with their own resourcefulness and dignity.