A Shocking Revelation

I’m going to tell you something shocking. So shocking that you will probably all gasp in horror when you read the words. I’ve been ostracized* because of it since high school when all my friends got into it, and it has effected me immensely due to the limitations it places on my social life. It’s particularly shocking because of the place in which I live, a city which is world renowned for this particular food item. I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, so go easy, okay?

I’ve never liked sushi.

I KNOW, RIGHT? OMG!

Now, you’re probably thinking,  ”whatever, Lindsay. There are lots of people who don’t like seafood, or don’t like sushi because of the ingredients, or they’re scared of eating raw fish. Stop assuming that you’re the only one who doesn’t like it, gah.” The thing is, it’s none of those things. I’ve always WANTED to love sushi. Always. I love all the ingredients separately, so it made no sense that, when put together in a bite-sized morsel of deliciousness, I just couldn’t swallow it. Whenever friends suggested we go for sushi, I’d always go, of course, because Japanese food isn’t limited to just dynamite rolls and salmon nigiri, and my friends would always let me try a piece of their cucumber roll as a gateway, but I could never do it. My gag reflex (which is usually very well contained, if I do say so myself) would always kick in and I’d be forced to spit into a napkin and look like a fool.

I recently went to The Eatery, a Vancouver favourite known for it’s anime, loud music, eclectic (to say the least) decor, and it’s inventive and unique sushi options. I tried some easy rolls – The KFC Roll and the Ichi Roll were particularly delicious with ingredients that any regular non-sushi eater could find palatable – and guess what? I loved it! I took it slow, felt my way through the flavours and textures and decided that, hey! It was actually pretty fucking good! I left feeling proud that I had stuck with the “Just Say Yes” attitude that I’ve adopted this year, but I knew that my sushi journey was far from over. The real test would be ordering more traditional rolls, and I’ve done that twice in the last week. It helped that the people I ate with were supportive and helped me through my complete lack of sushi knowledge, of course!

Obviously, as we grow from childhood to adulthood our palates and tastes change. What we hated as children (broccoli; brussel sprouts) we love now (well, I love broccoli and brussel sprouts) we love as adults and vice versa. It’s important to try things at different ages to see if, maybe, we can change our preconceived notions of what we like and dislike.  And this lesson can be applied to all aspects of our life, of course, but that’s a topic for another entry.

Anyways, that’s it. I’m a sushi convert. So…sushi party? Who’s in?

*Over-exaggeration alert!