There was one Chinese restaurant in the town I grew up in. Our family rarely went there because my father (being a die-hard Italian) didn’t have much use for Eastern cuisine. It was all fettuccini, rigatoni, and fusilli for him. (Ironically, I found out years after my father’s death that his first date with my mother was at this lone Asian restaurant.)
Like many other small towns, the popularity of Asian food skyrocketed during the ‘70s and ‘80s, so by the time I was in high school, we had several restaurants specializing in Chinese fare. Some establishments focused specifically on take-out while others tried to glamorize the Asian experience with decorative sit-down dining.
I wasn’t overly daring in my gastric adventures as a kid, preferring to stick to my father’s chosen ethnic fare and whatever my mother conjured up from Betty Crocker. Basically, I was the kid who opted for a grilled cheese sandwich during the earliest years of my life.
As time went on, however, I started to become more exploratory. I think I began to equate non-traditional cuisine with higher intellect. A steak and baked potato was one thing but cloth-poached fois gras with Sauternes jelly, well, that was quite another. Plus, it just sounded more sophisticated.
As I developed a more cultured palate, I began to venture out to more and more interesting and diverse restaurants. My wife also developed this inclination, but for her it was a result of working at several high-end restaurants as a waitress. I remember many instances where she would come home to brag about having tasted expensive food prepared by 5-star chefs.
Her culinary learnings at work certainly spurred my interest in trying more eclectic fare.
At some point, the first Japanese restaurant landed in our town. Soon after, a buzz began circulating that it served authentic sushi. At that time, sushi was not something you found in every grocery store and it wasn’t something that your average person dined on—at least in my town.
I had obviously heard of sushi but I never had a real opportunity to try it. The thought of raw fish sounded grotesque to me. In my mind, all I could picture was someone pulling a trout out of a small brook and then biting into the side of it. I obviously knew that wasn’t the case, but the visual was enough to deter any interest I had in trying it.
However, as time went on, several of our friends started raving about this little Japanese restaurant. Finally, one couple convinced us to go, promising to ease us into the raw fish experience.
The California roll and the avocado roll were great places to start; one had crabmeat (which wasn’t raw) and the other had no meat. Those two selections won me over. I was absolutely taken in by the flavors but when they added in the edamame, miso soup, and hot sake, I was an instant convert. Soon, the Japanese restaurant was our go-to restaurant of choice.
My wife was the first one to get really daring and before long the sashimi was her favorite item to order. Knowing that I couldn’t appear wimpish next to her adventurous selections, I soon began to develop my own taste for a slab of raw fish.
Nowadays, I would rarely order a California roll – a sure sign of a sushi neophyte. I love to try crazy concoctions that involve a multitude of flavors, and I can be easily swayed to taste-test even the most bizarre sea creatures.
My son just traveled to Japan, and while he was a sushi lover prior to the trip, he came home an absolute connoisseur of the delicacy. And while I thought I knew a lot about Eastern fare, he’s made me realize that without immersion into the actual culture, you’ll never really understand the art of Japanese cuisine.
Sunday night saw a little film called “Anora” take away the win for Best Picture. And since I had not seen it, I decided that instant immersion was required.
“Anora,” written, directed, and edited by Sean Baker, is a dark comedy about a young Brooklyn sex worker who is propositioned by the son of a Russian oligarch. What follows is a wild ride of sex, drugs, and mayhem.
The first 45 minutes of “Anora” is about as erotically charged as a film can be (don’t watch this with your mother). However, things really take off when the story becomes fully formed and the drama takes over from the sex.
Is “Anora” deserving of the Best Picture Oscar? It’s certainly a good film with great acting and direction. I don’t think I would have pegged it for the top honor had I seen it blind, but I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of what I watched.
A raw “B+” for “Anora,” now available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Got a question or comment for Dom? You can email him at [email protected].
