Liz and I had dinner at Todai, a Japanese Noodle House & Sushi Bar. I think this was the second time I've been to Todai. The first time I was not overly impressed. We paid around $20 or so for our meal and I ate hardly anything. This is because at the time I was not overly keen on sushi. I think I ate some Chicken Teriyaki and that was about it.
Liz said me not eating sushi would have been grounds for divorce (irreconcilable differences?) so it's a good thing I eat it now ;)
She said this time when I returned to the table with a plate full of raw fish the people at a nearby table were apparently going nuts that a Kwai Lo (Gaijin) was voluntarily eating sushi.
Midway through our meal a young Chinese man and his female friend (also a Kwai Lo) were shown to the table next to us and they promkptly hit the buffet. When the young lady returned with a plate full of glass noodles and some teriyaki (as opposed to sushi) her male companion seemed flabbergasted that she would come to Todai and not dine on raw fish. When the young man returned to the sushi bar for his second plate the young lady also stood, leaving almost her entire plate of noodles untouched. Seeing someone who needed rescuing (sort of) when she promptly came back to pick up her purse I told her that at the very end of the buffet she'd find the fruit, desserts, and a chef making crepes to order.
The young lady was gone for a long time.
Liz and I were wondering if she'd left (stood up) her "friend", and judging by the concerned way he was looking around I think he was having the same thought. Liz thought it was hilarious and said she'd blog about if she'd left. I said it wasn't funny (not really ;) but sad if she had. But then Liz saw the young lady all the way down at the end of the buffet, where the crepes were being made; the young lady's friend had his view blocked by a pillar and endured several more minutes wondering where his dinner companion was.
Finally she returned with a crepe and plate full of fruit, and once more the young man's eyes bugged out his head. Fruit! Not raw fish! You could see him wondering just why they'd come to Todai if she wasn't going to eat sushi.
As we left and walked past their table the young lady made eye contact with me and I saw her silently mouth Thank You. I smiled at her and nodded my head, You're Welcome.
When my mum and her friend were here a couple of months back they also tried sushi. We gave them the easy stuff though. California Rolls & Philadelphia Rolls. They tried it but weren't too keen on it. Sushi is definitely an acquired taste, and if you don't like it then Todai is not the place for you.
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5 comments:
Thank you for being kind to the poor gal.
I love non-sashimi-type sushi-- slabs of raw fish, I *can* eat (thank you, mom!), but I really don't like it.
But give me a bit of rice and a ton of random stuff wrapped in seaweed, and I'm pleased.
That guy really should have tried talkin' to the date before pulling something like that....
It's fortunate that I know my sushi, because Todai's signs/labels were not consistent. The sushi bar has the sushi set out in columns, with a plate of Sushi A at the front and a plate of Sushi B at the front. But the signs are laid out left to right, and while Column 1 might have the sign/label for Sushi A on the left & Sushi B on the right, Column 2 has them the other way around. This is not good when you're dealing with Unagi. I like sushi, and I like Eel, but I like my eel in big, honking slabs, beer battered and deep fried.
Xinh, you're no stranger to sushi so you can navigate Todai's dishes pretty easily, but to the uninitiated (or the finicky eater) Todai is a pretty scary place. Especially all those little Crawfish ;)
Raw fish with seaweed, whats not to like about that? Personally, I have never tried Sushi, but I wouldn't be opposed to it. I would probably have to try a piece first, as spending 20 bucks to feast on fruit doesn't sound like an experience I would enjoy.
Sounds like he should've asked his date if she'd be willing to try sushi before he took her there!
I REALLY miss Todai. They had one in International Plaza in Tampa, and my business partner and I went every month for a major sushi-fest. My record was 87 pieces of sashimi, and I'm only 110 lbs. :)
We calculated that I had ingested more protein than my body was able to metabolize. Now that's good eating!
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