plays with knives

today i was united with my first official sushi knife. we are one now...as it bit me prior to purchase. almost as funny as that story is...the reason i went in search of a knife is funnier. on my first day i took my "fancy" non stick light weight japanese knife that has holes in it to help facilitate vegetable repellance. t-chan later said that she could have told me that was a bad choice...as i found out for myself that shit like cream cheese and spicy tuna mix was getting stuck in the holes making cleaning the blade a royal pain in the ass. so day two i took the "fancy" santoku japanese knife i had left for t-chan in her house. i remember her dad exclaiming at its sharpness. but in hindsight that may have been because at the time she had a crappy ass set of knives. halfway through the shift i did a major culinary no no. i used another chef's knife! i feel so bad and hope to never do it again...but am very grateful to jc for allowing me to use his. mine decided that it wasn't going to cut anymore. i had to saw at the rolls and when i had to cut one that had plastic wrap on it the roll just started to get all smooshed! i realized then, and later to t-chan's confirmation, that the knife had never been sharpened. ever. that explains a lot. hopefully mason will sharpen it for me [and teach me how in the process] so i can have a back up to my new baby...

...which in the process of adopting i think i granted the girls at the house of rice with a funny story. as i picked up my future extension of my hand, it magically fell out of its wrapping as i was starting to put it back. if freaking me out that it was to be a 'you broke it you buy it' purchase by pretending to fall tip down wasn't enough...it screamed 'take notice of me' as i gently slipped it back in the box with relief that it hit the ground handle first. slit my thumb open the little fucker did. and i swear i heard that metallic ringing you hear when a samuari sword hits its fleshy home!!! instantly my thumb started spewing blood and i ran out of the store to my truck where i knew i had some really really old but hopefully effective band-aids. when i came back in i told them that i accidentally cut my finger on the knife that i noticed was missing from the display and profusely explained that it fell handle first and i only put it back and ran out because i didn't want to run out of the store with it or refurnish their floor with my dna. i was contemplating not buying it and buying a cheaper one that i saw on their website...but i took it as a sign. so the damn thing better cut my rolls with ease!! if my finger was any indication...

the girls there were nice about my ordeal...but i am sure they were thinking i was retarded. especially after asking me if i was in the industry...to which i think i got some sort of discount [score!] would you want to eat something from someone that can't even look at a knife without cutting themselves?? i think its funny. its broken in now. its had a taste for raw flesh...i'll have to keep it happy with some sashimi instead.

fishy in phoenix

portland is on hold...again! i was all set to get going on a new adventure up in the beautiful pacific northwest with no job, no money, and no place to live. but determined i could make it work...until somewhat out of the blue an application to ra for a pt job to put some cash in my pocket before my move changed everything.....

the overworked angel on my shoulder has once again blown me away with presenting me with an opportunity to follow one of my dreams...sushi chef!!! yup. i said sushi chef! just how the hell i landed this job with minimal sushi experience will always be a mystery to me. could be the mysteries of the universe at work here...it is something i have in my "dream" book. this is better than going to culinary school to be in debt up the ying yang because i'm getting paid as i learn to be the best suchi chef i can be from the patient and nice fellow sushi chefs at ra. i say patient and nice because its kind of funny that being of japanese blood i can't speak it [yet] and i don't know much about sushi other than its fucking delicious!!! but seriously...the guys there are great and especially kick ass for their willingness to help me and take me in because i am a girl. i hope i can hang with the big boys!

i'm exctied and still in a bit of shock to have been offered such a coveted career opportunity!! and i have no idea about what i should and shouldn't be doing in terms of customer interactions and service. what are the rules of being a sushi chef?! if it were up to me i'd be bombarding the people that unfortunately sit in front of me with a bunch of questions, and i know my ignorance and inexperience may be entertaining and overlooked should said patron be filling up on sake bombers! i'm a little scared to be back in public with no kitchen to hide in...but happy that i'll get to do something i love for people that are obviously bad ass for having an open minded and adventurous culinary tastes!!!

so far i've survived 2 lunches...with the most challenging to come up this saturday and sunday. maybe i will be spared as matsuri [phoenix's annual japanese festival] is this weekend and may qwell the lunch crowd. but it has just been sink or swim for me as ra doesn't provide any take home manuals that i can study with...only one i can look at when i have time behind the bar. when i have time??...ha ha! what? you want me to make a philly roll? what's in that?? salmon and cream cheese?...oh yeah...i never order that because i can't eat the cream cheese. i trust that the "fast learner" attributes that have not failed me in the past will resurface and kick in...although i'd feel much more comfortable if i could "cheat" by studying at home. i'm truly embarassed that i don't know what's in a basic roll you can get anywhere...and could not tell one lady what the name of those yummy poppy flourescent orange eggs were!!! smelt. but i know now...i'll never forget! we'll see how long being an aloof goof works on the public..."i'm new!" [big smile] ...but i know despite any innocent facade...my cover is already blown with one look at my slanty eyes!