I’m all good with the Thanksgiving get together, mainly seeing family, bringing a traditional dish to a tradition packed day and meal, but Black Friday is all about another sort of Thanksgiving to me, the thanks for being able to still be me all these many years later. We fight to be ourselves, to do what we want, believe what we want, and to act on those beliefs. We win, we lose, we wrestle to bloody draws, but we don’t quit, even if we suffer defeat. Perseverance is an important strength; it very much determines who we are, and who we want to become. And for me, there’s no better way to celebrate that than hanging out at the sushi bar and shooting the shit with Chef Cong or whoever else is working at Umami. Good place, good people, and an important part of my life. Wherever I’ve lived, I’ve always had a favorite sushi spot. The food, the feng shui, the chance to experiment can all lead to that sense of satisfaction/contemplation that make you totally present in the moment. Very liberating. Very tasty.
Had a great chat with Chef Cong about different foods and preparations and plant based options when you need to go meatless for a bit and how he’s going to take a trip or two to do more research on ceviche to maybe bring a fusion version home to Umami. I’m excited to hear that. I asked him which uni was more “oceany” the Hokkaido or the Santa Barbara and he pointed me to the Santa Barbara and said he liked both, that it depended entirely on his mood which one he preferred. He gets a lot of product from Japan and runs a constantly changing specials menu to go with the regular fare.
For me, doing sushi is a lot like going to a symphony or choral performance. You’re not exactly there for comfort, although it is comforting. You’re not exactly there because you want to experience the familiar, but that is exactly what you are doing. Your real motivation is to be there, to be all in, to feel inspired. Black Friday at Umami gets that done for me.
