Sushi

So, last night was my welcoming party. We were going out for sushi. As some of you may know, I do not care for sushi. I've had it once or twice, it wasn't anything impressive. I didn't think it tasted very good either. So, going to a sushi restaurant last night saw me a bit nervous. I figured I'd just choke it down with lots of alcohol....

We arrived at the restaurant. We take off our shoes. This was the first time I've seen shoes taken off in a business. We sit indian style around a very low table. There are bottles of Soju and Hite. Hite is a local beer (it's tastes okay, but is really weak). I learned about korean table manners and the like, nothing very interesting to describe. Anyway... finally the food starts to come. Everyone knows what sushi looks like, it's those little rolls. There are none of those little rolls here. Absolutely none.

On one plate is a what looks like a salad of bean spouts with some kind of raw fish on top. Another plate has what might be squid or rubber bands and some green onion garnish. There's a salad that looks like iceburg lettuce and some kind of pink dressing. There's a pile of yellow-brown noodle looking things. I recognize the shrimp right away, but they still have their legs, eyes, and such. There are others that I can't even describe.

The principal tells me to try the rubbery squid looking stuff. I do and it tastes and feels pretty much like squid. I find out that it is actually blowfish. You know, the fish that kills you if you eat a part from the wrong 99%? Yeah, I had some of that. I also had some stingray and some jellyfish. I tried hard boiled quail eggs and peeled myself one of those shrimp too.

After I've been forced to try nearly everything I find that I'm still alive and my dinner seems to be firmly in place within my belly. Good. I'm guessing we just sit around and drink for a bit when they bring another course. This is followed by another. And another. And another. The food just keeps coming. I tried what appeared to be mussel stew. I had a piece of octopus that was still squirming on the plate. Il-kyu had me try a strange orange and yellow item he said was his favorite. The texture was the worst thing ever. It was like lake slime with a little gristle in it. However, the flavor was quite good. He showed me the english word for this item, but I still don't know what it was.

I tried many things. These are just the ones I remember best. I believe that this is real sushi and we got the on the go version or something. Eventually they brought out huge plates filled with chunks of raw fish. The principal encourages trying these as well. They are his favorite. Il-kyu wispers that they are also very expensive. I had a couple pieces to be polite and all was well.

I can't even fathom the cost of this meal. I've never seen anything like it. It was odd and delightfully out of my comfort zone. I 'm happy I tried as much as I did. Eventually we finish up and head out for another destination. The after party.

We go to a fancy coffee shop. They even serve beer! I had a couple of Heinekins. I believe everyone else had lattes. They served me some little snack that looked like styrafoam tubes. They tasted like Buggles! :D

I'm pretty sure our vice principal was well lit. It was hard to tell, but she exibited the I've had a bit to drink signs. It was funny. I had a cup of joe after my Heinekins. Let me reiterate that this was a very fancy coffee shop. Like seven bucks for a beer. Five bucks for an espresso. The cup of coffee tasted like watered down folgers. I chuckled and guzzled. Then it was off to home.

So, I've been typing this over the course of a couple hours, inbetween other activities. If it's a little disjointed, I do appologize.

The cats are fine. They seem to have adjusted okay and seem none the worse for wear.

I wear sandals all day long. I take off my shoes at the door and put on my sandals.

Oh, the TV arrived yesterday. However it's stuck in the management's office. I had the party yesterday so I couldn't help Melissa go get it. She has one today after school, but I'm still going to try and get it on my own. My new 360 power brick is arriving in the states in a few hours. That means I'll get my games back in a week or however long it takes stuff to get here. I wonder how long that is.

Oh, how did someone discover that there was an edible part of the blowfish. 99% of the fish kills you, but one part is yummy. How did they figure that out.

Anyway.... I guess I'm out of stuff to talk about for now.

Aaron