Sushi Mazi

We checked out Sushi Mazi last night for my Dad's birthday. I would totally recommend going during happy hour on Tuesdays through Sundays from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, where the menu is extensive enough to try an array of fresh fish... or go for the Grasshopper sushi! Yep, a real [deep fried] grasshopper . When Michael ordered it, I was all gung-ho about it. After all, I love trying new things! When it arrived, I excitedly whipped out my camera. The waitress even asked if she could take a picture of us with her own camera, since it's what they do when someone orders it so they can post it on their wall. After the hype settled, Michael and my dad each popped one in their mouths and chomped away. When I looked down at mine, it stared back me. And my whole outlook changed - Wait a minute... am I really going to eat an insect? Eww! I've had my fair share of strange foods - I've eaten sea snails, ostrich and kangaroo but never an insect! Bleh! All of a sudden, it looked massive. There was no way I was going to be able pop that entire thing in my mouth. Why was that mound of rice so unusually large? What if its eyeball rubbed against the roof of my mouth? I contemplated on biting it in half but didn't think I could do it without my tongue touching it. I studied the angles to see if there was a way I could pop it in my mouth, so that its body would land squarely between my molars and its body could crumble before touching my tongue. Meanwhile, my dad kept encouraging me, "Just eat it! It's really crunchy and really good!" but I knew better. Growing up, he use to trick me into eating odd meats by telling me it was chicken. Then there was Michael, staring me down. I could have easily told my dad I didn't want to eat it and he wouldn't push me. But Michael!... Michael didn't have to urge me to eat it. In fact, he probably wouldn't have batted an eyelash if I decided I couldn't do it, but I knew he wouldn't let me live it down. I could already see him mockingly shake his head in shame. After all, I'm suppose to be his partner in crime; his adventure buddy; the other half of his dynamic duo! (plus, I talk a lot of shit :)... and I couldn't even eat a grasshopper??? I HAD to do it. If not for anything besides to show my man what his woman was made of. After literally eight minutes of brooding over the grasshopper, I finally compromised. I had my dad bite of its head (so I wouldn't risk it looking at me while it went in my mouth) and quickly chewed it into bits. And you know what? It was really yummy!!! I should have known, you can't go wrong with anything deep-fried!