Supercalifragilistic Sushi

We went out to lunch this week for a fellow V addict's birthday. No blood, just sushi--the supercalifragilistic food I discovered in my 20s.  Where the heck were those tasty morsels before I entered pretend adulthood? Were the rolls and sashimi, wasabi and ginger, soybeans and miso soup hiding under the tables of other places where I was a patron?

Maybe cultures, or at least a cultural food, can trend. I mean if they can use racially ambiguous actresses to sell us hair products and blue jeans and movie tickets, maybe the exotic sells sustenance too. I wonder what would be different about a person if they were given Indian food at age three, Texas steak in junior high, and tried veganism in high school? A more open-minded pallet? Better health? Moderation in diversity? Mercury poisoning? Probably not.

Learn more in this brief, well-rounded write-up from MedicineNet.com, my health source second only to the Mayo Clinic, which only offered a snip-it on the caloric advantages of the sushi world. Which is still a biggie ironically. The chance of gaining unhealthy weight from other, cooked foods (like meat and baked desserts) is higher than eating some raw, fresh, handled-properly fish (hit Grade A sushi bars).

Yet, no matter how hard I try to convince my mom that raw fish can be safe, or that avocado and cucumber rolls can make up a meal, I've had no more luck than I've had at matchmaking. I've tried weening people onto the meal with gooey baked salmon or crunchy tofu rolls. To no avail for some. It's hard-wired hate. The thing is, you can't even go eat sushi and bring these people along. It's a big deal for them to give up a dining out session to this trendy seafood. It's apparently a big deal to find some salty noodles or sweet chicken teriyaki or mango salad as a substitute. Chopsticks become numb-chucks. And it's also a big deal to me that I look like an idiot eating a food they despise... Seaweed hanging from my teeth, rice on my lip, my soy sauce bowl filled with stray filling, and my placemat spattered with bits of broken rolls. I sigh and decide to text another loved one.

How could someone not like a place that offers you a party in your mouth, birthday art, salmon tempura and orange slices on the house, and mochi ice cream. And rarely does the service suck.

My and Cary's favorite is Maki Yaki in Loma Linda, California. Check it out.

Top image courtesy of Fox40 Sacramento.