I’ve always been a picky eater, but I’ve been try of late to be better about that. Onions are still off the table, but when the occasional pepper makes it into the mix I’ll usually just sigh and go with it. I call it, “I’m growing as a person,”
Last night was a sushi party hosted by a couple of my friends. It’s an annual event and they have all the fixins for a variety of sushi rolls. In the past, I would make my own rolls because it’s fun (though I’m terrible at it) and to moderate what goes in the roll. Avocado? Cucumber? Eel sauce? Is that made by eels or make of eels? Do they squeeze the sauce out of them or is this a “throw them in the blender” process? And I’d normally say “no thank you” to all three of those ingredients.
This time, though, I decided that I was going to try everything. Whatever someone shared, I was on board.
I ate a lot of sushi. I mean, a lot. And it was all amazing. Flavors I hadn’t expected, textures that surprised, sauces that complimented. I have no idea what was in most of the rolls and didn’t care. It was a culinary adventure.
I finished up with a strange looking – but tasty – roll and the requisite “far too much” wasabi. If you ain’t crying, you didn’t have enough.
And then I sat back – uncomfortably full, but happy – and enjoyed the variety of the conversations around me. This group of friends that were gathered were some of the smartest and most interesting people I know. We talked politics, travel, education, several of the sciences, culture, music.
It was pretty amazing and my normal “ugh, people” didn’t manifest – the party didn’t close down until almost midnight and I stayed for the duration.
Makes me want to try harder to “engage”. I’m perfectly happy on my own with a good book and a video game, but last night reaffirmed that there are some amazing people out there and I need to get out there more.
Great friends, great conversation, and amazing sushi.
And before you go, “Yuck, sushi is so…” you need to shut up and get used to being wrong. Because you’re wrong and it’s awesome.
Onions, however, are still terrible.