Fish out of Water

The end of the short week rolled round and with it, an invite round to a friend's for cocktails and sushi. Now, given that i've never had sushi before, i thought this would be as good a time as any to try - mainly because it doesn't require to pay money for something that i might not even like. I have to say i was somewhat apprehensive - the thought of alcohol and raw fish was enough to get my stomach churning, but i put all this to one side and went. Fortunately, the fish used here was cooked.

Anyway, not only did we have the delight of eating the sushi, but also of making the rolls ourselves. This is done using what i guess is a mat of thin bamboo, placing some cling film down and then a sheet of seaweed. Rice goes on the sheet next (sticky is usually good) and then whatever else you decide to add (i made some with smoked salmon, cream cheese and asian pear. Fantastic!). Then you carefully roll it over, using the cling film and mat to get a good roll shape. Once the roll is sealed, its a matter of removing the cling film, taking a sharp (preferably serrated) knife and voila! These were accompanied by soy sauce and such to dip in, and some noodles on the side. And on the whole, it wasn't bad at all - so i'd certainly be happy to go out and try some in a sushi bar/restaurant. Best comment of the evening, though, came from some chinese guests who told me i used chopsticks very well. I was tempted to tell them about the time i almost took someones eye out with them, but thought it would spoil the compliment. And how, i hear you ask, was the fish and alcohol combination? Well, it managed to stay down.