Sushi.....

It’s been a hectic week. I have been working almost 16 hours a day. So our manager took us out for a Sushi lunch. Sushi!!! Raw fish!! Initially I was a bit apprehensive about it. But going to Sushi bars is kinda "fad" out here in California. Everyone's crazy about Sushi. I really wonder why. So I wanted to give it a try.

Well, the global popularity of Sushi can be attributed to Southern California, as the Sushi Rolls (aka California Rolls - Sushi wrapped inside out) were invented here by chefs in LA tailored to suit the Western palate.

Check out this description of Sushi from the web

Beginning as a method of preserving fish centuries ago, sushi has evolved into an artful, unique dining experience. In its earliest form, dried fish was placed between two pieces of vinegared rice as a way of making it last. The nori (seaweed or algae) was added later as a way to keep one's fingers from getting sticky.
Sushi is 'vinegared rice', but colloquially, the term is used to describe a finger-size piece of raw fish or shellfish on a bed of rice or simply the consumption of raw fish in the Japanese style.

Sounds exciting,ain't it? ;)

We went to this place called "Komu Sushi". The place looked great with an authentic oriental ambience. We then started off looking at the menu. Monkey brain, eels,crabs,octopus.....what an diversified menu. After around 20-25 minutes of scanning through the entire menu several times, the only item I could order was Lemonade!!

Another 10 mins and we finally ordered appetizers.

Mixed Veg Tempura. Translation: Oily Vegetable Pakoras minus Spices

Tofu salad with loads of leafy vegetables which looked and even tasted like weeds....

Miso soup Miso paste (fermented rice/barley with salt and fungi) with dashi stock (commonly made of niboshi (dried baby sardines), kombu (dried kelp), katsuobushi (thin shavings of dried and smoked bonito, aka skipjack tuna), or hoshi-shiitake (dried shiitake mushrooms))

I somehow gathered all my courage to eat that soup. Thank God! I did not know all these ingredients before having it. The soup is supposed to be consumed straight out of the bowl without a spoon! I closed my eyes and tried the soup. It wasn't that bad.

Next in line were the Sushi Rolls... There were 3 kinds: Avocado,shrimp and tuna. The Sushi Rolls look very artistic. The Avocado ones were for my veggie friend. So I had no option but to try the raw fish. Sushi Rolls are generally eaten with Wasabi, ginger and soy sauce. Now, Wasabi is another one of its kind experience. It's made of some root and is extremely spicy. A tiny portion of Wasabi can send shocks to your entire body and there will be uncontrollable tears rolling down your eyes. It’s fun watching people have it for the first time.

I suddenly realized everyone's looking at me waiting for me to start. I had to....no escape from here. So I picked up my chopsticks. Eating with chopsticks is another struggle altogether. I somehow managed to pick one and gulped it down quickly. To my relief, this wasn't so bad either. I finally managed to eat it all.

We then ordered some Green Tea ice-cream for dessert which was yummy. In all it was a different experience and trying Sushi is off my wish list.