Sushi Expectations

     After reading about Anthony Bourdain’s travels throughout Japan in A Cook’s Tour, the thought of sushi could not get out of my head.  The meticulous preparation that is involved in the sushi-making process is something that I’ve only heard of, but never seen.  You see, I’ve never had sushi before.

     My lack of sushi experience has never been intentional; I’ve just never had the opportunity.  I love seafood and have grown more receptive in past years to trying new types of food, so I’m just as befuddled as everyone else who gasps in amazement when I tell them that I’ve never had sushi before.  Looking back, it would be safe to assume that the real reason why I’ve never eaten sushi is that the only other person in my family who would eat it is my dad.  Throughout my childhood, my Dad was the one who has slowly exposed me to different types of seafood, from mild fish like perch and whitefish, then to shrimp, and then to lobster, crab, tuna and salmon.  The rest of family tends to stay away from these foods, so it’s understandable why we never visited a sushi restaurant. 

     Now, I understand that the different types of seafood I just listed aren’t very extreme, but many of them are ingredients in sushi.  So if I like these foods, what’s so adventurous about going to a sushi restaurant?  For me, sushi represents a culture that is unknown to me, and my only real way to access it is to go to a sushi restaurant.  Looking ahead to my experience, I’m not scared of the food, but I am nervous about knowing what to choose.  Many people have told me try this and that when I go to the restaurant.  Honestly, I’ve just let their opinion go through one ear and out the other.  In order to ensure that I can enter another culture, I need to enter it with as little possible knowledge as possible.  That way, my fresh perspective can take in all of the sights, sounds and smells of the restaurant.

     But I still have a little knowledge of sushi.  I’ve seen cooking shows and read books that talk about the foods that can be used in sushi that are very foreign to me, like octopus, eel and wasabi.  So that’s the biggest thing I’m worried about; being adventurous enough to try new foods that are unfamiliar to my usually dining experience.  Stepping out of my comfort zone is something that I’ll need to remind myself of when I’m at the sushi restaurant. 
   
     I hope that my fresh perspective on sushi can help me to pay more attention to bigger and smaller details that I don’t usually pay attention to when I attend restaurants.  I also hope that the unfamiliar taste of sushi will help me to better analyze and judge the food I’m eating.  On the other hand, I’m also afraid that my taste buds might be overwhelmed with such new cuisine.  It’s a fine line that I’ll have to learn to tread during the experience.

     Whenever I experienced an unfamiliar food when I was growing up, my dad would always say: “just try it.”  That adage has always stuck with me, and will be one that will be in the front of my mind when I walk through the doors of Sakura 2, Hibachi Grill & Sushi Bar.