If you’re my  friend on Facebook (and I  hope you are), you know that I went to In The Raw to eat sushi this week with a dear friend of mine. See I’ve never had sushi unless you count the bite I spit into my napkin at the Chinese buffet two years ago. But I’m up for something new and I love my friend. Plus we hadn’t gotten to spend any time together this summer since our kids were out of school.

Sushi is…interesting. I was a little put off by the rice (sticky and kind of clumpy) but  I got used to it. I couldn’t use the chopsticks, a  feat I fear I will never learn and for which I will blame the RA. (Hey, if I can’t use a chronic illness to get me  off the hook here, what’s the use in having it?) But I still gave it the old college try and ended up flinging half a bite almost to the next table. Thankfully the restaurant was busy and no  one noticed. After that, my friend caught a passing waitress and asked her to bring me  a fork. And there was no way I could eat the entire piece at one time like my friend.

So here I  am, cutting my sushi in half and scooping the bites up with a fork, while  swilling down diet Pepsi like they were about to stop making it. (Our sushi was HOT.)

And I had the best time I’ve had in a long time. My friend was so concerned that I didn’t like the meal that she bought my lunch. But next time, Kel, the sushi is on me.

It’s good to get out of the box and try something new. And after the first bite and I got used to the texture of the sushi, I did enjoy it.

Now I can’t say it’s my favorite. But like I said, trying new things is good for us. It stretches us, gives us life experiences that are important for us to understand each  other.

After all, I grew up eating deer meat, squirrel, rabbit, and frog legs. I couldn’t let a little crab put me off. No, I didn’t eat the raw kind. But who knows? There’s always next time.

What did you do new this week?