Why can't I dislike sushi?
I can't like everything.
I like sushi. I haven’t embraced everything on the menu, but I’ve found my preferred dishes. I’ve also developed a liking for wasabi, something I believed unthinkable before. There’s an element of discovery when you’re offered a new dish created from a foreign recipe. It’s also a bit intimidating, given that these dishes often carry personal memories for the people preparing them.
In the following dialogue, a man considers an invitation to a sushi restaurant.
A man and a friend.
MAN: Do they have California Rolls?
FRIEND: No, they don’t have any of that bullshit. It’s a real sushi restaurant.
M: So, they only serve raw fish?
F: They have a few seared nigiri's for the uninitiated, but that won’t be you. Your time has come.
M: I’m not going.
F: The decision has been made.
M: No live octopus is making it into my mouth, I’m telling you right now.
F: Nobody’s going to rape your mouth with an octopus. This is what I’m talking about, you have this crazy idea of what sushi is.
M: I know I don’t like raw fish.
F: You’ve never tried it.
M: I don’t need to try it to know I won’t like it.
F: No, you’re supposed to try stuff and then you realize whether you like it or not. Anything else is an assumption.
M: And my assumption’s probably right.
F: Well, let’s find out. You won’t know by eating burgers and oatmeal every day.
M: I’m perfectly content with my burgers and oatmeal.
F: Until you discover something better. You’ve been in your shell for long enough, it’s time to come out. This is the first stop. We’ve got Indian food, Mediterranean, Mexican, Peruvian, Vietnamese, Chinese food—
M: I had orange chicken the other day.
F: That’s bullshit Chinese food. I’m talking about some Dim Sum, some Hot Pots, roasted duck, fermented fish fillet soups— man, you’re not living if you refuse to try the foods of the world.
M: Alright, stop with the grandiose shit. I’ll go with you, but I want to sit at a table, not at the bar in front of the Chef.
F: That’s part of the experience, you have to see the expert at work, see the process and—
M: I don’t want to spit the fish in front of the Chef.
F: Then don’t spit it out.
M: I can’t force that, if it’s all chewy, it’s going to come out.
F: Close your mouth and swallow.
M: What if I make faces? Like I’m all retching and shit. I don’t want to offend the dude. See? This is my problem with this stuff. They look down on people that are not used to their food.
F: “Look down”, what the fuck—
M: You can’t expect others to embrace your food out of the get go. I have to force myself and restrain my expression— because if I don’t I’ll be called a bigot or something. Like I’m disrespecting their culture.
F: You’re really stretching this.
M: I’m just saying, I might make faces and noises that will piss off the Chef . And I’m not going to pretend I like something when I don’t. I’m going to spit it out, and it’ll be embarrassing, but that’s something you’ll have to take as well if we’re going there.
F: Okay, fair enough. Baby steps. Trying new things is the goal. You won’t like everything, I get it.
M: Even you— you don’t like everything.
F: Yeah, I do have preferences.
M: So do I, what’s so wrong about preferring burgers and oatmeal?
F: They’re not the problem, the problem is stepping out once in a while.
M: I don’t really mind being a boring person.
F: My point is: you’re not. Trust yourself a bit more. You’ll be surprised by what you can take.
Thanks for reading. I hope this dialogue provided an ounce of fun to your day. Please, share your thoughts. Is there a character you agree or disagree with? Is there an aspect of the conversation they failed to mention?
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