Sushi Certified

Tonight me and Marci went out for an adult's night out. Got a babysitter via work, a girl named Jennifer who comes in to use the massage beds. She was kind enough to offer to babysit for us. So we took the opportunity to head over to Sushiman in Issaquah. Had a seat at the sushi bar and got some food.

Now, I like me some sushi, but I'm really a sushi wuss. Rolls, please, no wasabi or ginger. Just a bit of soy sauce. Next to us was a brother/sister couple, hanging out, having sushi, obviously sushi experts. Ordering stuff not on the menu, chatting on a first name basis with the sushi chef (Mato), and generally being the studs of the restaurant.

Normally I could care less about something like this, but it made me wonder. At what point do you become a sushi expert? Apparently this guy (his name was Shayne with a "Y", as we made some small talk after dinner) was a regular when he lived in Issaquah. I didn't ask how he became Sushi Certified, but we did talk about the new used BMW he bought earlier in the day. (The same dealer, Platinum Autos, has a Imola S4 sedan. Badass!)

Again, I digress.

Shayne ordered a bunch of rolls, plus seaweed bags with fish eggs. My feeling that to become a sushi expert, you need to eat a shitload of sushi over a long period of time. Especially when each order is $8.00 or more. Rough calculation time:

• Average meal of sushi, say 3 orders: $24.00
• Number of visits to Sushiman to get well-versed in sushi eating: 15-20
• Total money spent to learn how to eat sushi like a native: $360.00 to $480.00
• Stuff you could buy with $360 to $480: Rio Karma, PS2/XBOX, round trip airfare to somewhere warm

So for somewhere between $360 to $480, Shayne became Sushi Certified. Sushi is good and all, and Sushiman is great, but I think I'd rather have the tickets, Bob.

By the way, having dinner with the S.O. is underrated. Or maybe having kids is overrated? In any event, hanging with the wife is great. I owe it all to Jennifer.