Day 13 of 365: Maki Sushi Of Now And Past

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Today I did something I haven’t done in ages – I made sushi. Well, makisushi actually – if you’re wondering what makisushi is, think of California rolls, where the rice and contents are wrapped in a sheet of seaweed. Pretty much the only sushi you see at a Chinese buffet.

There’s no particular name for the stuff I made, really. Kat likes salmon, so, I made rolls with salmon, avocado, and cream cheese in ’em for her. For me, I made steak, avocado, carrot, and cream cheese, and a couple that used chicken rather than steak.

I was actually a little nervous doing it all – I hadn’t done it in long enough I wasn’t 100% sure I remembered all the details.  But, looked like my sushi rice came out nice and sticky, and everything went together perfectly, and I managed not to overfill the nori, and didn’t tear any of it.

And, I’m not just trying to pat myself on the back here when I say it was great.  I’m often my own worst critic, particularly when I’m trying to do some thing fancy with food.  In this case, however, if someone else had made it, I would have been saying it was great.  So, mission accomplished for a good meal 🙂

I’m a fan of stuff like California rolls, though I don’t eat broiled eel anymore. (I eat “Biblically clean”, which means fish has to have “fins and scales”.  Eel… well, depending on who you talk to, it has scales, or it doesn’t have scales.  I don’t observe any sort of Kosher rules, and the Kosher rules on eel smells a bit of “because that guy over there said so,” not because it’s actually Biblical.)  I didn’t always used to be, though – in fact, I used to consider sushi to be something I absolutely, positively wouldn’t eat.

And, as with a number of things in my life, it was a female that made me change my mind about it.  I can even remember where – well, I can’t remember the name of the place, and it’s no longer there, but I remember where I was located at.  It was a little place in an unfortunate location in a strip mall near Harry & Rock Road, behind the Arby’s.

Jessica – my girlfriend at the time – convinced me to give it a shot.  She introduced me to California rolls and a couple other things.  I’m still not a fan of raw fish, so, there’s a number of types of sushi that just aren’t my thing.  She also introduced me to wasabi, that amazing green mustard paste that can turn anything into a fireball.  As you might imagine, I like wasabi a lot. 🙂  And, the sliced ginger root, which to this day, I’m not into.

Then I really grew to appreciate makisushi thanks to some of my (now ex-)family.  Going to a restaurant and having makisushi is one thing, but, knowing someone who makes it is totally another thing.  Like many things, there’s little touches and nuances that go into making your own – even if it seems like the same process a restaurant uses – that makes the difference.

Eventually, I learned how to make it (oddly, I can’t remember who taught me), and on rare occasion I had been known to make it.  I’m sure I’ve done it less than a dozen times now.  I had a bamboo matt for doing it and everything, though, eventually that was lost (I bought a new one today to make this batch.)

Making it today brought back sort of happy memories – taking me back, sheesh, something like 15 or more years, sitting in a chair, looking at a plate of “stuff” in front of me.  Looking at it, and thinking – well… it can’t be THAT bad.  Gritting my teeth a little bit, and thinking that even if it was, I’d smile for Jess’s benefit, since she was insistent that I try it and I didn’t want to be an ass about it.  Little did I know I’d end up liking the stuff enough that I’d eventually be able to make my own. :-)[/text_output][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][line][custom_headline type=”center” level=”h2″ looks_like=”h2″ accent=”true”]Today’s Stats[/custom_headline][text_output]

• Workouts:0
• Cigarettes Smoked: 0
• Healthy Eating: Good breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Projects Worked on:

• Quitting Smoking.  Everything else is sort of hazy. 🙂

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