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Friday 19 October 2012

Turning Japanese


I am a recent lover of sushi.  It took a while for me to come around.  I was under the common misconception that sushi is raw fish.  In fact, sushi is a catch all phrase that includes rolls, which can contained cooked meat & vegetarian options, dim sum and tempura. I am extremely squeamish when it comes to seafood. I have a phobia of all things aquatic which borders on sheer terror. I am terrified of bodies of water & all things that live in bodies of water. I can't go anywhere near the aquarium section in pet stores -- my heart starts pounding and I break out into a cold sweat.
In my early twenties I visited Mexico with my boyfriend at the time. We walked hand in hand along the beach and I was able to handle the tide washing in over our bare feet. Sounds romantic right?  It was until I wondered out loud what the little holes in the sand were when the tide washed out.  My boyfriend replied "Well, it's this sea creature ...". To this day I can't tell you the rest of his explanation. The mere thought of my bare flesh anywhere in the vicinity of a creature from the Gulf sent me into utter panic. I don't think that I have ever run that fast in my life--not even when The Bay has it's annual designer shoe sale for a limited time.


Last night we visited Sushi Star, an all you can eat sushi restaurant in Hamilton (www.sushistarcuisine.ca).  There are LOTS of options for fish-a-phobes like myself  (try the onion pancake- shown below).  I stay clear of the sashimi--which is in fact raw fish.  My friends tried to coax me into trying the unagi (fried eel)  singing it's delectable praises--to which I quote Jules from Pulp Fiction "it may taste like pumpkin pie but I'll never know 'cause I wouldn't eat the filthy mother***".   Nope, I will only eat fish the way the Scots intended--heavily battered and swimming in malt vinegar next to it's best friend, chips.






Our server Ken was very funny and attentive.  He (along with my so called mates and The Fella) mocked me about my "cheater chopsticks" that I brought with me.  I have yet to master the art of the chopsticks - so I was thrilled finding this pair at Home Sense. 
Our menu was also quite funny - complete with a customer's edits.



We also tucked into the saki - which we tried both cold and warm. 





I recommend visiting Sushi Star on a week night.  Weekends tend to be very busy - but it is worth the wait.

 






2 comments:

  1. Why do people feel the need to eat Japanese food with chopsticks? It's like it's a challenge or something.
    I, for one, have never tried sushi. Nor do I think I will ever.
    v

    ReplyDelete
  2. Don't worry - I will convert you ;)

    ReplyDelete