Oh Sushi.

  Is there a certain food that makes your mouth water? A few of my favorites are: curry, lasagne, pad Thai, and sushi. We are lucky enough to have a few sushi restaurants here in Wenatchee now. It took a while to get them! They are proving to be really popular. To satisfy the American palate(1), they serve hot food as well as sushi. I suppose, in a place that has cold, snowy winters, it is nice to have a hot food alternative. Like many people, though, my family and I love the sushi. Have you tried it? And what is it, exactly? Well, its Japanese, and it has a base of sticky rice that is prepared with a little vinegar, salt, and sugar. This is usually rolled up with seaweed, raw fish of different kinds, vegetables, and sometimes sauces. It is a very tasty, clean food experience. Sushi restaurants have the reputation of being extremely clean. The raw fish is deep frozen in order to kill any small worms that might be in the fish meat. And generally, the chefs prepare the food where everyone can see what they are doing. All the ingredients are lined up neatly under glass refrigerators, and step by step you can see the art of sushi making right in front of your eyes. The combination of ingredients, from my experience, are satisfying without making me feel too full, or bloated(2). Another thing about sushi is that it is very pretty. Most dishes that are offered have a combination of different colors, including the pink pickled ginger, and the green wasabi mustard, which are always part of a sushi plate. One of my favorite sushi dishes is called 'The Dinosaur Roll'. It has salmon which is pink, tuna which is red, asparagus which is green, avocado on top which is cream and light green, and a spicy eel sauce which is dark brown. It is a treat for the eyes! It's not the sort of thing you can eat everyday, unfortunately, as it is a bit expensive, but it is so worth(3) it every now and then. 1. 'Palate' means the roof of the mouth, or the range of tastes or taste preferences you have. a. The American palate is varied, but tends to like cheese, meat, salt, and sugar. b. This restaurant serves many kinds of food from different countries. You can really test your palate here. 2. 'To bloat' or 'bloated'. The verb means 'to blow up or inflate' but it has a sense of being uncomfortable or unnatural even. a. I don't know why, but bread always bloats me. My stomach gets big, and I feel heavy pressure inside! b. That type of dog gets a bloated stomach easily; it happens with that breed. 3. 'So worth it' is just the same as 'worth it' but more emphatic. We tend to emphasize the 'so' with almost a sign of relief in our voices. a. It was so worth talking to the principal; he managed to sort out my son's problem very quickly. b. Lining up for two hours to get into the exhibition was so worth it!