I do not care for fish. I'm not sure what my issue is. I like shrimp, crab, lobster, and will even order those over a nice chicken breast. I'll occasionally eat salmon, but have to psych myself up for it. I'll even, every once in awhile, think that tuna sounds good. But. I am not one of those people who asks for the catch of the night at the restaurant. The last thing I'd eat on the McDonald's menu is filet o'fish and there's a whole lot of things on the Mickey D's menu that I'm not fond of. Actually, I kind of get a little flustered around other meat such as venison, beef with wiggly veins and gristle, chicken with purple stringy things...etc.
23 is going on a mission trip in a month. She'll be heading down to Chile. Fish is apparently often on the menu in Chile. Cow udder is available as well, but fish may be a step up from cow udder...even filet o'fish. 23 caught her fish/meat squeamishness from me and fears that this may manifest during her stay in Chile. You don't want to start off a mission trip by hurting the host family's feelings after all. So a sushi knowledgeable friend told 23 she'd get her acclimated to different tastes and textures by visiting a sushi happy hour.
Somehow I got roped into this little adventure as well.
My favorite part of the afternoon was the fresh ginger. I've never had ginger either. Weird, kind of like thin slices of cucumbery texture with a hint of cucumber taste and an almost citrusy/minty blend. A little goes a long way. But good. Now, I know what ginger will add to a recipe that calls for it. Then there were the steamed/roasted sea salt covered edamae pods. Yum.
Next. Calamari. Battered and fried tentacle parts, I believe. Chewy, not much taste beyond the fried crunch. Okay. Not my first choice in appetizers but I'd be willing to eat a few again sometime. 23 had eaten this before, so she was feeling strong.
Next came the long list of sushi to choose from. Four types were ordered. California roll, pretty bland, but we were able to eat this one with very little posturing. A spicy tuna/crab/avocado roll was the next on the plate. Okay. A little hint of the sea but the spice was nice and the texture was not overwhelming. My favorite was almost 23's undoing. Oh my. I didn't notice her watery eyes and the forced swallowing back of a wicked gag, but the grainy rice, seaweed, crab bits, cream cheese and the crunchy cucumber just about sent her to the girl's room. The texture of soft and squish with the crunch of the cucumber and the "fibery" feel of the crab was over-stimulation apparently. I liked the blend of flavors and was not freaked at all. It had a sweet pepper drizzle over the top, too. My undoing was the final offering. Oh, the mango sauce and the sprinkling of chopped cashews was fabulous. It was the biting into a mouthful of soft and chewy and all of a sudden realizing there is a small slab of salmon plastered on the roof of my mouth. Oh my. Chew. Chew. Chew. Ewww.
But we survived. We did it. She now knows that she can will herself to chew, swallow, swallow, swallow, her way through any meal the Chileans can toss at her. Just hoping she doesn't get a milk duct if she gets to sample cow udder.
