How a Sushi Chef Taught Me How to Eat... Again

Click! We've all done it. Taking a picture of that fancy dish you just ordered at that fancy restaurant. I was doing it at Tsukuji Fish Market getting ready to brag to all my friends about the 30$ bowl of fish and rice in front of me. Sadly, after my first bite I tasted the sea, I tasted metal, and I tasted disappointment.

I was almost ready to punch this old man in the face and take my money back.

However, before I did that I took a second bite... Now I'm no pervert, but I literally had an orgasm sitting there at the sushi bar. As I chewed, I felt each layer of fat melt into each layer of muscle and I was left with this beautiful mash of tuna that was absolutely blowing my mind. It was at this point that I didn't just look at the bowl in front of me... I LOOKED. And when I did, I saw absolute beauty.

Firstly, there were 3 different parts of the tuna fish, each one possessing a different level of fat to muscle ratio. This means that the 3 different parts have 3 different levels of flavour. Secondly, the chef gives you big pieces and small pieces so that you can taste the fish in different ways. The small pieces are your experiments so you can try them with soy sauce, wasabi, or just the fish. When you find what you like, you do that with the biggest piece, throw that in your mouth, and you've got exactly what you want in the longest way possible.

I applied this principle to the best bowl of ramen I've ever had and this is what I saw...

I never noticed this, but pork can have darker cuts like chicken. This piece was very similar to a chicken drumstick.

And this piece, which looks like bacon, was very similar to a chicken breast.

These are some of the reasons why I decided to change my profession from teaching to cooking. I feel like the act of eating should be more than just something we do to survive. Instead it should be an experience by itself, not something we do while we swipe away on Facebook or watch TV. One way to do this is to give your undivided attention to the food you eat, like I did by noticing the different types of tuna or pork. Also you can make your food more interesting; take that boring bowl of Kraft Dinner and throw some chopped bacon on top! Give your food more dimensions and you'll find yourself paying attention to what you eat.

I hope y'all are hungry now :)

The Highs and Lows of Fuji

Hey Friends!

Just did a hike up Fuji and wanted to update y'all on it and the wisdom I gained. They are going to be split into highlights and lowlights.

I woke up at 5:30 AM to catch a 6:45 AM bus. Yes, I planned my route ahead to arrive at the bus station early. No, I did not catch the bus so I had to sleep on the floor like a homeless dude for 3 hours waiting for the next bus. Lowlight.

I started to get lonely, but a severely drunk Japanese man joined me along the way. We yelled おつかれさまです (Otsu Kare Sama Desu) which means "You can do it!" to everyone we passed by and made a lot of people laugh. Halfway through he bought me a coffee and gave me his walking stick branded with some of the stations along the way. Then he said goodbye and went to sleep. Highlight.

I got to my hotel where the staff told me not to set my phone alarm because it would wake everyone up. Instead they would wake me up at 2:30 AM so I could hike and see the sunset. I woke up at 1:00 AM to a very loud Japanese Man chanting each person's name who requested an earlier 1:00 AM wake up time. I guess this was their idea of not waking everyone up... So I started my very grumpy climb up the rest of Fuji at 1:00 AM. Lowlight.

My 0-Star Hotel that cost me $100 a night :(

I put on my glasses for the first time during my two weeks here and saw the stars from Japan for the first time. Easily the best view of the night sky I've ever seen at 3776 metres and every once in a while there were shooting stars. I took a nap at 3 AM under the stars and waited for the sun to greet me. Highlight.

It was a cold nap and every piece of clothing counted. Swimming trunks on my head included.

And now many obligatory shots of the sunrise...

Focusing on the lowlights will make you want to quit and take the easy way out, but around the corner there's always a highlight that is really freaking awesome and keeps you motivated. Fuji reminded me that in life there is always going to be both and you have to appreciate both equally.

Seeing this in the elevator at the end of my trip. Highlight

Can you remember when you were suffering through a lowlight, but a highlight kept you going?