A Food First, For Me

When given a choice of where I'd like to go out to eat, I always, always, always, choose an ethnic restaurant.  Thankfully, where we live, there are many choices, but that can make it difficult to choose.  Do I feel like Indian food?  What about Ethiopian?  Thai?  Vietnamese?  Mexican?  Greek?  Chinese?  Peruvian?  Or Japanese?  When I go out, I want to eat food I can't or wouldn't make myself.  And I thought that during the last 16 or so years of living here I'd tried just about everything.

Well, in addition to being introduced to thousands of drugs (and by "introduced", I do not mean he was trying them out), the thrill of competition that is Foosball and hip-young-college-student lingo during his past few years of pharmacy school, Jamey was also introduced to sushi.  He would come home raving about how he and some friends had gone out for lunch to a sushi place and tell me how delicious it was and how he knows I would love it.  I didn't know whether I should be excited for him or jealous because while he was eating out, I was home trying to feed three kids and get a bite in my own mouth every once in awhile.

Finally, an occasion arose.   My brother and his wife were babysitting all three kids so the two of us could go out rotation shopping.  Jamey needed shoes, ties, undershirts, dress shirts, pants, socks- the works.  We finished earlier than we thought we would and after spending that much student loan money, we thought, what's a little bit more?  (That is a terrible way to think about money and thankfully, we do not think this way very often.)  He surprised me by driving us to a sushi restaurant in town I didn't know existed.

Can I just say how much I love sushi?  I think I always loved it, even before I tried it.  I just knew I would like it.  Jamey knew, too.  And we were right.  These photos aren't the best, no offense to Jamey's new (and very first ever) cell phone (another rotation necessity).  This is what our shared platter looked like...

 

Below is the California Roll (Avacado, Crab, Masago).  Masago is the orange stuff which is capelin (a fish)  roe (eggs) ...

Eel Roll (Eel, Cucumber)...

Shrimp Tempura Roll (Avocado, Cucumber, Fried Shrimp)...

 

Texas Roll (Avocado, Crab, Shrimp, Masago, Cucumber, Amango Sauce)

I know I am one of the last people on earth to try sushi, or so it feels.  If you haven't tried it yet, please give it a go.  The wasabi paste you mix with soy sauce to dip your sushi in is potent stuff, but you don't have to dip at all if you don't want to.  The flavor of the sushi rolls I tried was very mild and very delicious.  It's a little pricey, so sushi will be reserved for very special occasions.  Do you know of anyone else who needs to go rotation shopping and needs some company?  I could go along.  You know.  If they are going out for sushi afterward.

What else have I been missing?!