Not Your Sushi Buddy
by Suzanne Hadley Gosselin on 11/09/2009 at 10:55 AM
On a lighter note for a Monday morning, I submit something that appeared on my personal blog last year.
In a day where relationships can be confusing, it was refreshing to receive this clarity from a young man:
DTSR (Defining The Sushi Relationship)
We should just establish it now. Our sushi relationship can't be exclusive. I just can't limit myself to one person. Believe me, it's not you...it's me. I mean, I like eating sushi with you, but I'm still young and I don't want to miss the possibility of other sushi relationships. We both need to move forward without feeling guilty. Please, just be careful as you're trying new rolls. I would hate for you to have an "Chili Roll" experience with someone else.
My heart (and stomach) will go on.
In case there is any doubt, this DTSR was a joke penned in jest by a witty pal. As a fun gesture, this particular friend (with whom I used to have sushi once or twice a quarter) presented our sushi bonus buy card to my husband as part of our wedding gift.
1. BDB said the following at 11:13 AM on Nov 9:
"Likes This"
2. farmer Tom said the following at 11:53 AM on Nov 9:
Frankly, I must suggest that you definition of friends needs to be reconsidered.
friend
1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
2. A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.
3. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.
How can someone who would participate in, encourage you to, or intimates that it is acceptable to, eat raw fish be considered a friend.
I don't consider people who want me to do gross and disgusting things to be friends.
Friends are people who take you out for prime rib. Friends are people who have you over for pork chops on the grill. Friends are people who invite you to go with them for stuffed manicotti with fresh garlic bread.
A true friend is someone who brings you meat direct from the farm.
Someone who encourages you to eat sushi, is a sick and demented individual who hates you and wants you to die a horrible painful death.
Suzanne, its time to update your "friends" list.
3. Suzanne Hadley Gosselin said the following at 2:07 PM on Nov 9:
Farmer Tom: LOL. :)
I see your point.
4. Pak said the following at 2:51 PM on Nov 9:
Amen Farmer Tom!
5. xeres said the following at 4:21 PM on Nov 9:
I know you guys are trying to be fun and you are entitled to eat whatever you have but i don't appreciate how someone is seen as less than human because someone ate something culturally foreign. Just because the food may not be your taste does not mean those who ate them are weirdos or should be seen as untrue friends. It is easy to insult the person when you are insulting their food since food is a part of the culture. i just want to you guys to be careful.
6. Lis said the following at 6:41 PM on Nov 9:
Farmer tom, that was hilarious! (although i have tried sushi once and i did like it.)lol...
7. Melissa S. said the following at 7:34 PM on Nov 9:
xeres #5- Good point. I would feel so insulted if anyone ever cracked a joke about the food I eat. How dare they feel free to poke fun at anything about my culture? The weirdo! All aspects of all cultures or anything labeled "cultural" is sacred. Period. :p
8. endlessnights said the following at 10:14 PM on Nov 9:
lol @ xeres - I think it is pretty clear that Farmer Tom is having a bit of tongue in cheek.
9. Larissa said the following at 12:20 AM on Nov 10:
Farmer Tom, not all sushi contains raw fish! Most of the sushi I've ever eaten didn't... thankfully!
And that's such a good (part of a) wedding gift!
10. Mike Theemling said the following at 9:28 AM on Nov 10:
Larissa (#9) speaks the truth.
Sushi can contain raw fish, but not all raw fish is sushi.
Sushi is simply rice + some food (tuna, vegetables, etc) rolled up in seawood. Raw fish in Japan is most commonly referred to as "Sashimi".
Itadakimasu!
11. Loris said the following at 9:34 AM on Nov 10:
Yes Larissa, but all sushi does contain seaweed. Ick.
12. Suzanne Hadley Gosselin said the following at 11:14 AM on Nov 10:
Mike #10,
What's seawood? Mmm. Sounds tasty. :)
13. lizzi said the following at 11:19 AM on Nov 10:
This is all very funny and I can concur. I had a friend with whom I had "coffee/tea" "outings" not sushi. The point of sushi I agree with farmer Tom, even the fish free ones are gross.
14. Irene M. said the following at 1:19 PM on Nov 10:
Whoa Loris, your sentence is completely incomprehensible. Yes, all sushi does contain seaweed, that's why it's awesome and delicious.
15. kaj said the following at 8:14 PM on Nov 10:
Perhaps in some parts of Japan, they would find manicotti to be revolting (but sushi to delightful).
I will give mad props, though, to Farmer Tom for mentioning manicotti in Comment #2, a meal that could be potentially vegetarian. For once he's being "inclusive" of a group he constantly lambastes.
Both Farmer Tom and vegetarians won't touch raw fish with a 10-foot chopstick. As some might say, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend." Therefore, since vegheads and the King of Pork have a common enemy--raw fish--there's hope that they can become friends! (:
(REAL friends, IMHO, know the goodness of Indian food! So maybe we need to discuss being NYSaB--Not Your Samosa Buddy. But I digress.)
Take my comments with an entire saltshaker full of salt; I hope you had a good laugh, in the event you "get" my humor.
16. Tigger said the following at 5:08 AM on Nov 11:
Really? Rice and veggies plus some meat (tuna or ham) wrapped up in seaweed is revolting?
I live in Seoul, S. Korea, and regularly eat kimbap, which is what I just described. I've never thought of it as sushi because I tend to expect non-cooked fishy things in my sushi. But seaweed doesn't taste bad. It doesn't even taste like much, unless it's salted.
I can think of far more revolting things to eat. Dog? Cat? Cricket? Haggis? Shark fin? Balut (fertilized duck fetus boiled and eaten in the shell - eaten in the Philippines)?
Anyway, I don't have any sushi friends. Just people who eat kimbap with me because it's lunchtime. :)
17. Tigger said the following at 5:10 AM on Nov 11:
I personally think oysters are the most revolting thing on the planet (other than balut or spiders for breakfast). But many people love oysters for some reason.
One man's garbage is another's feast.
18. Esther said the following at 7:32 AM on Nov 14:
I once read that most humor through the ages has been based on finding other cultures' habits funny (also, potty humor, which I hear even chimps engage in), so laughing at foreign cuisines is entirely natural. However, I think we should be careful in our critique. I used to find sushi unappetizing, but learned to enjoy it (sometimes even the raw fish!). I've never eaten the duck fetus- but I have a Filipino friend who has (though he admits it was pretty disgusting), but he did enjoy the raw snails that they eat right out of the ocean. I just returned from a trip to Egypt and Turkey, where I tried all sorts of dishes that were unfamiliar to me. My experience would have been much less interesting if I had refused to try new things!