Sushi-style Living
Yesterday I had sushi at the new Yo! Sushi restuarant that opened up near me. My friend Rob and I sat at the conveyor belt, relishing the new experience of dining on raw fish and rice and wasabi, served on little plates which we grabbed as they went past us.
The danger with having them pass by in front of you constantly, is that unless you’re careful you find yourself looking out for something nice to come along, even as you’re eating something! An intense grass-is-greener feeling, I had to remind myself to focus on what I was eating and just let the conveyor belt go past, nice things would come around again, there’d be opportunties again, and if not, well, at least I’ve enjoyed what I’ve had to the utmost.
It seemed to me to be a strong metaphor for life. Most of us live this way, never really appreciating what we have because we’ve always got one eye out on the horizon, seeing what else we could have instead, seeing if something better will come along. We miss out on what we have, and we miss the point. If we’re never paying attention to what we’ve got, anything that seems better out on the horizon won’t be better once we have it, because again, we’ll be looking out there, for something even better, and won’t even notice as we gulp down another parcel of rice, er.. I mean life…
June 1st, 2006 at 6:45 pm
Ahh indeed bud, such a metaphore! Made intensely more interesting in realising that this conveyor belt was added in the west! As far as I’m aware, in Japan you simply sit directly at the “kitchen” and order from the chef. Is it something intensely western to see things pass before your eyes all the time?
It’s a TV world, we zap along, watch whatever’s presented before our eyes and get dished out appropriate little break times to go to the bathroom and make popcorn while we sit and be an extra in the movie of our own lives…
Where is our big Scotsman screaming about freedom!?!
June 1st, 2006 at 6:51 pm
Ah really?? The conveyor belt is western? Man, that makes a lot of sense!
We ordered some hot food from the chef, that was certainly a different way of doing things. And the miso soup? Ah.. Delicious! There was the slow, careful Japanese feel I was looking for. Sip sip sip!
Although, the conveyor belt was ever present, it took great restraint not to continue eating from it while waiting for the hot food to arrive. Fortunately, it was near closing, so not much more was being added and a lot of the more appealing stuff had gone
June 2nd, 2006 at 9:39 am
“Fortunately…a lot of the more appealing stuff had gone”
You’re an odd little man!
June 2nd, 2006 at 3:27 pm
Ah, wasabi with everything. It doesn’t get any better than that.
June 2nd, 2006 at 3:47 pm
LOL, Paulo, I am. And sometimes, yes, only a poor choice of food will keep me from eating endlessly.. hahaa..
And Rob.. you are the wasabi king…. tell me, what new taste sensations have you come up with now you have your own jar of the stuff? Wasabi and chocolate? Wasabi and broccoli? Wasabi and mustard?
June 4th, 2006 at 8:49 pm
Haha, haven’t got to any of those yet bub, but i can tell you that wasabi and roast lamb go together in a most excellent fashion!