Confessions Of A Sushi Convert.

Even having been halfway raised in the Midwest and growing up in a Filipino household, my exposure to different cuisines was rather limited in retrospect. Of course, I didn't think so at the time; I proudly invited my friends to dinner and scooped traditional dishes like adobo and pancit onto their plates. At the same time I thought nothing of eating whatever was put on my plate at my friends' dinner tables, and heartily plowed through bowls of food when we ate at Chinese restaurants. Looking back though I realize that I'd been playing it safe (sweet and sour chicken isn't exactly the pinnacle of Chinese cuisine) and was sorely missing out.

Through out my formative years I'd definitely heard of sushi, but it had always remained an exotic, mysterious dish that I really had no interest in exploring. All I knew about it was that it was raw fish (OMG!!!) and that was the end of that. We don't really have a Filipino equivalent -- although some of our more culturally-traditional dishes probably come pretty close with the ewww factor to the uninitiated. But that didn't matter; I had no plans on trying raw fish and was happy with what I was already eating.

I took my first bite of sushi during a Spring Break road trip to the West Coast. One of the highlights was going to dinner with a large group of friends to a sushi restaurant in LA. It may have been the beer we'd been drinking at alarming rates but I was game to try. Someone ordered for me and my other sushi-virgin friends, and after a while dinner came out, artfully presented on square plates.

But tell me this doesn't look FANTASTIC [via]

The food we'd ordered were mostly different types of roll. I tried some of everything, and enjoyed all of it. It was hard to keep track of what was in each roll but they were all delicious, a tasty blend of flavors built upon the rice/seaweed base. I distinctly remember devouring a particular piece, then turning to a friend and asking him what I'd just eaten. "Eel," he said.

[Pause.] "Eel?" I wasn't sure I'd heard correctly.

"Yeah -- like, uh, an eel."

[Another pause.] "Okay." And I reached for another piece.

After that eye-opening experience, I was more eager to graduate to eating sashimi (the actual raw subset of food under the sushi umbrella) and surprised myself with more incredible flavors and textures. That first experience was over ten years ago and I haven't looked back since. Now I look for sushi restaurants whenever I have the chance (and the funds). Hell, I'll even run to Hy-Vee and buy some pre-made rolls to go when I'm really craving it. Of course it's not nearly as good as going to a restaurant and ordering something on the spot, but most of the time it's close enough. I actually did this last week; I walked to the checkout with a package containing two kinds of surimi rolls.

The cashier, an older gentleman, rang up the package. "Are these really that good?" he asked. "People buy a lot of these but I've never tried it."

I ended up talking with him for a minute or so, trying to convince him to buy some and just try it. After all, "Even if you end up not liking it," I reasoned, "At least you'll know you don't like it. But who knows, you could end up loving it. Anyway I think it's delicious." I hope he agreed with me, and maybe I've created a new sushi convert.

That would be sweet.

It's funny 'cause nowadays when someone mentions a food or cuisine that I've never had before, the first things out of my mouth are "Where's the restaurant?" and "When are we going?"

I've learned my lesson. Life's too short, man. Try it all -- at least you'll know.

When Being On Filipino Time Goes Right.

So I was in Kansas City this past weekend to drop my mom off at the airport -- she's flying back to the Philippines for a couple of months with my grandma to attend to some family business. Coincidentally a friend was celebrating his birthday on Saturday, so I decided to stay in town for the evening to participate in the festivities. As always, good music and even better company made for a very fun night (even if I had to endure watching a KU game at Mike's and listening to some cheesy music at Shark Bar* before surrendering and retreating to Lucky Strike -- haha!).

Anyway, the next morning found me dragging a little bit. After a unhealthily delicious burger at Five Guys, I left from Corey's house later than I'd intended -- a little after 2pm -- and stopped off to get gas on the Missouri side before getting onto the freeway. The five minutes I spent filling the tank up saved me from getting into a 40-car accident right outside of Bonner Springs as I was heading west on I-70 (this video of the aftermath has to be watched to be fully appreciated). This massive accident happened only a few miles ahead of me. If I'd gotten on the road slightly sooner, I would have been involved.

[via]

In the photograph above, I was about a mile behind the semi trucks you see in the background. I had to take the Bonner Springs exit -- you can see the overpass waaay in the back.

This is when being on Filipino time goes right for once. Although the delays and detours added another hour to my normal 4-hour drive -- and good lookin' out to Jose for being my OnStar representative for a few minutes -- I'm not complaining at all. Needless to say, I was a bit tired from the drive last night. Sunday Seven will be posted later today.

To all my Filipino readers, the next time someone bags on you for being on Pinoy time all the time, let me talk to 'em. Whew.

*Actually somewhat better than my previous experiences there. They had a pretty amazing blacklight setup that night.

Edit: This week's Sunday Seven post will be postponed as I lent my camera to my mom while she's away (hers isn't pocket-sized). I switched out the Memory Stick beforehand so I could upload the pics I took last week, but it turns out that in order for the desktop to read the memory card and copy files I have to buy an adapter for the Duo, which I don't really want to do right now. Sunday Seven will resume next week with Series 025 as I take photos with her camera and I'll add Series 024 retroactively when I can.

The Ties That Bind.

Some brief, yet insightful social commentary from yet another one of my daily reads, A Softer World:


Sometimes it feels good to be just another number, a random face in the crowd. Especially when I'm feeling introverted, it's comforting to know that I can nestle inside a pair of headphones, cloak myself in anonymity and slip through the human sea unnoticed. Part of that comfort lies in the knowledge that life in this city goes on even if I choose not to participate visibly in it, that it can and will play exhibitionist to my voyeur (what can I say, my people-watching skills were honed in college). Sometimes, though, it's nice to be a part of the action, to find that connection and attach oneself somehow to the outside world and the people in it.

So this weekend I'm planning on going to the Singgalot (The Ties That Bind) Exhibit at the Kansas City Central Library. I figure that since I've basically been a hermit the past week or so, it's a good way to get out of the apartment and do something "cultural" for a change. It's been a minute since I've read Strangers From A Different Shore, and I wouldn't mind a refresher on Filipino immigration history. Plus, both admission and parking are free, so I really don't have an excuse.

Have a great Friday -- it's finally warming up here!