Hubby Is Turned On

To sushi that is. He now eats sushi like a pro.

It's funny to me because I tried to get him to like sushi a while back. Now granted, I am not your typical hard core sushi lover. I pretty much just stick to the basics: California Rolls, Spicy Tuna Rolls, Avocado rolls. But ever since I got turned on to sushi, I haven't looked back.

When sushi first became the 'rave' back in the states, I had vowed that I would "never eat raw fish". I guess I can say now, that you should never say never. Not that I eat raw fish necessarily. But sushi just was of no interest to me. I actually tried it on a dare... a package of California Rolls that a friend's father had bought. I took one big bite and I was in love, instantly.

When I first moved to Costa Rica, that was one of the things I missed immediately. I was hard pressed to find sushi here, and I thought I would have to give up that part of my life for good. Now though, almost every time you turn around, there is a new sushi joint opening up. Costa Ricans have been bitten by the sushi 'bug'.

In San Pedro on the Curridabat line, there are about 4 sushi restaurants alone, within close proximity to one another. If you don't like one, you can literally walk a short distance to the other. And there is another one in Moravia by the Pequeno Mundo. It's a sushi lovers paradise... I can finally get my sushi and I can pick and choose where to get it from. Hipermas (Walmart) sells sushi as well, with great prices on California Rolls. BUT they aren't reliable. It's a hit or a miss depending on the day. Either they run out or they don't have any in stock on a miss day. The Mall in San Pedro sells sushi too and hubby was kind enough one night to bring some home. By this time, I hadn't had sushi in a while so I was more than thrilled to dig in. It was delicious and it sparked my tastes buds up again, to the point of me craving more.

Now, I've never eaten 'real'( raw ) sushi. Until recently, I had no idea how raw the sushi was that I like to eat, so I did a bit of research. When I was pregnant with Fatty, I had a craving for California Rolls so bad, I started dreaming about it. But I was afraid I couldn't eat it, as per doctors recommendations, pregnant women should stay away from sushi, raw meats and fish in particular. However, when I did some research, I came to find out that California Rolls are actually made with cooked crab meat; there's no raw 'anything' in them. I rushed out to buy some, devouring every last morsel like a greedy mongrel dog on it's last supper. It was also at this time that I tried to turn hubby on to sushi. I gave him a taste and he was not impressed.

But somehow, he found his own way to sushi. I don't know how, why, when or even where he discovered what I had years earlier, that sushi is delicious. He even loves it more than me, I believe. And he's a bit more adventurous, eating things like salmon rolls, and the like. Though I shouldn't be too surprised. He' s a lover of Ceviche, a pretty popular seafood dish here. It's raw shrimp and other seafood marinated in lemon juice and served with a bunch of other flavorful herbs, like cilantro. Not my cup of tea, but not that dis-similar from sushi, in my opinion.

The other day, hubby and I had a craving for some sushi so we went as a family to a Japanese sushi restaurant. I, of course, got the California Roll plate, 8 very filling rolls. Hubby got the salmon roll. By the time we were done, we were so full. And satisfied. Now, if I may be completely honest, it was not the best California rolls I've had, but it hit the spot, so I was happy. Although, not too happy about the bill LOL.

Hubby's sushi alone was c5.000, around $9. Since the kids had already eaten at the mall, they each got some ice-cream as dessert. Our meager order consisted of 3 drinks (VERY delicious), 2 glasses of gourmet ice-cream and the two orders of sushi, for a whopping $30. I guess in retrospect, not bad for sushi.... but dinner for 5 usually runs us a total of $20, if that.

Oh well, the price you pay for the things you love, right? I can't complain. I'm just glad I have someone to share my love of sushi with now... a someone who will possibly convince me to explore new territory by trying new sushi dishes.