BootsnAll Travel Community

It's easy to take food for granted and not think of it as exotic or different when

a) there is alot of it around you
b) you eat it pretty frequently
c) you ate it for the first time a long time ago - though not necessarily frequently

Question then....do you think sushi is exotic?

Why or why not? Other stories on another cuisines is ok too.

No; sushi is nasty.

exotic: From another part of the world; foreign: exotic tropical plants in a greenhouse. See Synonyms at foreign.
Intriguingly unusual or different; excitingly strange: “If something can be explained simply, in a familiar way, then it is best to avoid more exotic explanations” (Chet Raymo). See Synonyms at fantastic.
Of or involving striptease: an exotic dancer.

It depends on the context. If you are looking at it through a US American's eyes, according to the definition, it is exotic. But so are a lot of foods. To someone from outside of the US, a hot dog may be exotic.

Context is important. And sushi is still grody.

quote:

Context is important. And sushi is still grody.

Ahhh grody, such a wonderful word. Sorry for the derailing, but I can't remember the last time I've heard that word.

I live in Vancouver, where sushi is easier to acquire than a hamburger. Some people I know eat it three or four times a week, so no I would say, not exotic.

No. Not in urban areas on the west coast. Fresh sea food makes good sushi a very normal part of our lives. Of course I order the veggie rolls, but with a little wasabi and sake, I'm good to go.

As a dish, sushi is exotic to me because it's not a combination of ingredients that I commonly eat together, but it can also be such a basic non-exotic thing. I mean, it's exotic to put together some salmon and rice? I do enjoy the hell out of it, though.

Sorry, what does grody mean?

1. grody
Nasty, dirty, disgusting, foul, revolting, yucky.

Are you sure you want to eat that Chinese food? It looks all grody.

Source: Urban Dictionary

No, not to me. But I lived in Los Angeles for two years and been back for a few visits since. It's on every corner. And right now, it's my favorite food.

Exotic dishes might include eel or conch (which I've eaten) because most of the population will never eat it. But raw tuna and rolls just isn't exotic.

Even in Virginia, you can get it in a good number of grocery stores and in a few restaurants. So, if it's in a grocery store takeout, it loses any exotic standing it may have had.

Stephanie

I love sushi, I would eat it every day if I could afford it. I know that people will come back and say that I can get it for ten bucks at all sorts of places, and that is true. However, that is bad sushi. I've been lucky enough to eat it at some of the top places in the US. Once you have the top of the line you can't eat the cheap stuff again. So I only get sushi when my boy takes me out. I don't think it is very exotic, but I would like to eat it in it's natural habitat, Tokyo I believe has the best.

Joe

can gals be grody too?

Philip

Philip,

I assure you that gals, when left to their own devices, are especially grody.

Joe

I find it to be one of the few things I can reccommend that come out of Japan. Sashimi rocks.

Philip and Joe,
I hear they have cooties too!

Grody to the max. Totally.

quote:

I love sushi, I would eat it every day if I could afford it.

Careful here! I used to really love it too, but after spending way too much time in Hong Kong(where sushi is more available and even cheaper than Japan), I couldn't even look at it for quite some time. I'm just now starting to actually slightly crave it again, and it's been 2 years. Yes, it's definitely possible to OD on sushi.

I second braslvr's warning- it sucks to OD on things you love. Sushi used to be my absolute comfort-food treat, and then I landed a job waitressing in my favorite sushi bar. The food was delish and the job was way fun, but...now sushi is just sushi It's getting its charm back, though, since I left two years ago.

So no, not so exotic to me anymore.

Joy,

Just curious, was the sushi place you worked at in Eugene? I've only eaten at Sakura, which is good, but I'm always down to try a new place.

There have been weeks when I have had it about three times or so, but usually I wait to just have it when my boy is in town, or I go to visit him. Our friends have a joke about is, well we get made fun of anyway, we only eat sushi and mexican, and we almost always order the same thing.

Simon,

I haven't made it to Sakura yet but I hear it's good. The place I worked was actually in Newport, before I moved to Eugene. If you are ever at the coast I recommend Sada's on the bayfront. Mmmmm, the Newport rolls are my favorite. It's a crab and shrimp roll topped with a dot of creamy sauce, spicy sauce, and broiled. Sounds weird, but they're so good.
Ok, maybe I'm not sick of sushi anymore after all.
I know what you mean, Kathryn. I could pretty much call ahead and tell them I'm coming in and they'd know exactly what to make for me.

Anyone else have any strange but delicious rolls they like to eat?