Kanami, Professor Kohmoto, and SUSHI

So, I've been really lazy and didn't write this post for a long time. More than a month, long time. tee hee. Today, all pictures that I did not take are links to the full-sized picture. Also, today, asides are in italics.

On Friday night, January 13th, I went out with Professor Kohmoto, his wife and son, and Kanami for sushi and (after enough beers with our sushi) karaoke. I didn't realize until just now that I went and really tried sushi for the first time on a Friday the thirteenth. I walk on the wild side.
Technically, I had eaten a little bit of sushi in December. Two pieces to be exact: one with boiled shrimp and one with raw tuna.
We met Professor Kohmoto at the station near his house, and took a taxi to a cross street near the sushi bar. Then we walked the short way there, passing "Colorado Cafe" a coffee house that we just didn't have time to go to that trip. Twisting down one side street and then another, we found the Kohmoto's favorite sushi place, and went in. Mrs. Kohmoto was there already and had a corner saved for us, so we put up our coats and sat down. This was where the dread built up. The last time I had gone out to eat with the Kohmoto family, they had talked me into trying jellyfish, abalone, and shark fin. I had no idea what I was in for. But I was not afraid to say no. They knew already that I just didn't want to eat eel (I think they even eat it raw) or squid/octopus. I am going to need more time to build up the courage to eat the snakes of the deep (I know they aren't really biologically related, but that's just what eel seem like to me) and there was the one time when I turned 12 that I had calamari and I got sick. Maybe I'm allergic, maybe it was a nervous reaction to the stress of that evening's plans.
(Warning, this aside is about spewing. Don't read it if you are weak of stomache. It wouldn't have been the first time I'd stressed myself out to the point of ejecting previously eating foods. [The first time was when I started a new school in 2nd grade and went to orientation night after a big spaghetti dinner. Man, barfing half-chewed long spaghetti noodles across a classroom is an interesting experience.])
Anyway, I didn't want to eat those things. I suppose I should have been more adventurous this night, but I have more time to try more things. And, I grew up in the middle of the US; the majority of the seafood I had eaten before coming to Japan came frozen in a bright yellow box. In the form of sticks. Fish sticks we called them. It's a big step to eating raw fish. And I can totally do it without making a face. Maybe I am getting ahead of myself.

The sushi bar: patrons sit along a low bar. There is about 9-12 inches of bar in front of you, then a higher level about 4 inches deep, where the sushi-chefs place a big banana leaf with some vegetables, pickles (picked vegetables, not dills), and your sushi. Past the banana leaf is a pane of glass showcasing all of the fresh, raw sushi toppings you can chose. Above and behind this are your chefs.

The beer on the left is mine. The beer on the right is Kanami's. You can see that my chopsticks are placed in my little sushi bowl. Strictly, they should probaby be on their paper holder, but, chopstick ettiquette, like many Japanese traditions, is changing with the times. Between the beers is a white towel. That's a steamed towel to clean your hands before eating. Tokyo has great customer service!



We started the night off easy. Maguro Sushi: vinegared rice and a tiny dab of wasabi topped off with a piece of raw, red tuna. This is the lean part of the tuna.

Raw tuna and raw salmon actually taste very good (especially with a bit of wasabi). It's the texture that is difficult for me to get used to.
When eating sushi at a Japanese sushi bar reach up to grab your sushi (Wow! It's acceptable to use either fingers or chopsticks; I used chopsticks.), dip the meat part of the sushi into the soy sauce in the small dish in front of you, then eat it up, yum.

Next Kohmoto-sensei and I had Meguro toro sushi. This is the more expensive cut of tuna, because it's more delicious. What makes it more delicious? It's fattier! MMMMmmmm fatty tuna.

Here is my Maguro Toro sushi.

On the far left, on my leaf-plate is a Japanese plum--these are crazy sour. Then some very thinly chopped mostly flavor-less vegetable, then some sour picked radish. In the little dish is probably more picked radish, but a sweet. I think. Do you see the fishy staring at you from under her plastic sheet behind the glass?



Here is a professional picture of Maguro Toro sushi.




Professor Kohmoto ordered for himself some Hirame sushi (I think) which is raw halibut. I tried one of them, and it was also good.

Kohmoto-sensei kind of tricked me next, suggesting that we all get a grilled fish. Ooohh! Cooked! I thought, sure, that sounds fantastic. Little did I expect a whole fish to be plopped in front of me, nice and grilled, head, eyes, fins, guts bones, and all!
I stared at it for a long time after everyone else had eaten theirs. See, you don't eat the back tail, just everything else. Which meant starting by eating its head. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but as a child I was relentlessly baited by my dad singing, "Fish heads, fish heads, rolly polly fish heads. Fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!" The idea of eating fish heads grossed my siblings and I out to no end, despite my dad's needling us with claims that that was the best part of the fish. And on this particular evening I just could not get past my childhood revulsion at the idea of eating that fish head. Evnetually, I teased Kohmoto-sensei enough, asking if he was going to get rid of this fish's head for me, that his son, Raymond, leaned over and snipped it right off with his chopsticks. Well, I didn't know that was allowed! I also probably didn't have the skill with my chopsticks then, though I might be able to manage it now. I ate the rest of the fish (bones, guts and all) and it wasn't that bad. Though not my favorite Japanese food, or thing I ate that night.


Then. . . then came quite a triumph for me. Professor Kohmoto, at his wife's urgings, ordered everyone a nice, big, raw oyster.


It took some convincing myself. Afterall, it was a raw oyster. Flavored with soy sauce and negi negi (green onions) or not. It was, raw. And an oyster. They live in thier own slime. Like snails and slugs. It seems strange for me to eat that. But, I convinced myself. And I ate it.


That night, I also enjoyed some ebi, boiled shrimp sushi, and some small sushi rolls.

Finally we all went out to karaoke. Kohmoto-sensei and his wife each sang some beatiful Japanese songs and Mrs. Kohmoto sang a Barbara Streisand song. Raymond sang some Green Day and helped me with something by Blink-182. I also sang Elvis Prestly and (as part of a deal with Kanami) Britney Spears. I sing one of my pop stars, and she sings one of hers. While Kanami sang one of my favorite Japanese songs (I have it on my iPod now--which I bought the next day. Kohmoto-sensei insisted on me upgrading my choice to the biggest memory model, by pressing into my hand a generous contribution to the Shannon wants cool toys fund), the late hour (and beers) caught up with Professor Kohmoto, and he fell asleep.



It was a memorable Friday night for all involved.


Current Music : All my Loving by the Beatles, covered by Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies
Current Mood: I'm hungry
Image best fitting me right now:
My tongue is red from eating candy.