I know why I pass on sushi night.

I don't like sushi. I just don't. It doesn't gross me out, I have tried it on many occasions... I feel like it has made me sick on my occasions as well... I have tried it raw, tempura style, veggie, with the ginger, with the wasabi, at the ocean, in a casino, during happy hour in Utah, everything. I just don't like it.

When I was younger I was able to have a list of two items on it that I did not have to eat for dinner. I am pretty sure mine was fish and spanish rice. This was a plan my mother implemented to make it so that all seven of her children would have to eat what was fixed for dinner unless what was fixed was on our list. If that was the case, then we could have a sandwich.

Anyway, I figured it out after taking my wife to get some sushi tonight. We ordered four or five different rolls, a seared spicy tuna salad, and a sprite. It wasn't until the end of the meal that I figured out how I felt about it. Kristin saved the last piece of a roll for me because it was my favorite out of all of them and I told her to eat it. She was like “But it was your favorite.”

“You're right... go ahead and eat it while I try to explain.”... long pause...

I feel like right here I should explain how I feel about rice: I pretty much only eat it to get full or because my mom made me. It is like ice cream or cake. They just help stretch out the good stuff, hot fudge and icing or filling. I will take my hot fudge sundae hold the ice cream please. When I make stir fry at home I do not make rice to go with it, I just eat my favorite part, the stir fry. If I do eat rice, I typically add it very sparingly, and eat it last, after I have finished all the good part of my meal and may not be full.

Fish... don't like it. Tuna, okay sometimes when I am in a mood, from the can and with dill pickles. Salmon, no thanks. Not smoked, grilled, broiled or 'cued have I managed to work up the desire for a second helping. Halibut, cod, mahi mahi, tilapia, trout, bass, shark, calamari, no thanks... just don't like it. Sometimes I do crave fish and chips, but I think that those cravings come when my mercury level is a bit low.

Back to the story... ...long pause...

I have realized that to me, sushi is just a rice dish that tastes like fish. Two things that I rarely eat on purpose. It is just not good to me. I don't hate it. I don't think it is bad for other people to enjoy. I don't get why people love it, but I never got why people would ruin salsa by putting mangoes in it either.

I finally put my finger on how I felt about it tonight. I am pretty pleased about it. I understand that I don't like sushi, I know why, and I am okay with it.

Sorry Anthony, I am never going to fall in love with sushi. The romanticism behind eating fishy rice rolled up in salty yuck is forever lost on me. Teppanyaki, okay, I'm down. Sushi, no thanks man.

-p