hot fish

carrie reached the ripe old age of 27 on December 8. to celebrate, we spent the evening at sushi yoshi, a family-owned restaurant in a town that neighbors mine. although lately our visits have been sparse, in the past we were quite the regulars there and have been kinda adopted as children. mama and papa ply us with candy, fruit, flowers, pictures, trinkets and whatever else they happen to have on hand when we pop in. the food is fresh and amazing, always lovingly prepared and beautifully presented. we never order, but simply wait to see what the chef, who is the owners’ son [he’s one of the most beautiful, unfortunately married, japanese men i know] chooses for our meal.



on this evening, we’d called to let them know we were coming and somewhat suspiciously found ourselves seated next to 2 young men at the bar. they turned out to be strong drinkers, interesting conversationalists and all night party animals. what luck.

they often serve us slightly odd things that are considered a delicacy on this side of the pond. on this particular night it was whole cod roe sacs suspended in homemade brown gelatin. we glanced nervously at each other while inspecting the veiny chunks. the taste wasn’t unpleasant although the textures were two that i don’t care for in every bite; the pop of tiny eggs and the mush of gelatinous stuff.



luckily we headed off papa as he attempted to ladle ribbons of sperm sac, full of seminal fluid, into a nabe pot that we had just emptied of it’s various mushroom, cabbage and tofu contents. i had tried the しらこ　before and was eager for him to save that treat for the next grateful customers. i like to consider myself a foodie of sorts, and never refuse to try something new. i enjoy the fact that when we visit sushi yoshi, they push our limits and put our high brow dreams and semi-haute tastes in perspective for us.

this was a highlight for me…


the meat was sweet, perfectly greasy, flaky heaven.



the fact that we spent ALL night in this one tiny shop in this small mountain town and had a blast is truly testament to the friendliness of the proprietors and the inviting ambiance they’ve created.