Lately, I have had a lot of conversations with friends regarding food. And not just where and what to eat, but the deeper connection it brings to us all. Food is non-judgmental, non-biased, and gives you a topic much more fun than weather to discuss. There is something about sitting down for a meal that invites togetherness - whether you are dining out, enjoying a potluck at work, or having the neighbors over for a cook out.
One of the hidden secrets of Alaska is how diverse our food options are. Korean, Indian, Ethiopian, Vietnamese, Thai, Hawaiian...the list goes on and it's my mission to try them all! Those who know me know I take my food seriously. Food exploration tops my list when I travel, and I'm always ready to recommend places to friends or ask a local where their favorite spot is.
This leads me to my recent experience while traveling in Hawaii for work. My friends Brian and Put love food experiences as much as I do, and always recommend new places for us to try when I'm in town. This year it was dinner at Morio's - a small sushi bistro hidden inside an office building, and a fantastic omakase experience. "Omakase (in a Japanese restaurant) is a meal consisting of dishes selected by the chef" (Oxford English Dictionary) and Chef Morio does not disappoint. We were served a total of 15 plates and every item was based on what was fresh and met his selection standards at the market that morning. Each plate was presented simply and with a quick explanation of the item and how to properly consume it. One of the highlights of the evening was the Otoro Nigiri - the A5 Wagyu of the ocean as Brian describes it. Even though the meal moved quickly we found time to talk, laugh, and discuss the merits of each dish. After we took photos of course!
The entire meal allowed us time to reflect on our different food experiences, ask each other questions about favorite dishes, and discuss how we reached such a food-centric point in our lives. We talked about family gatherings, fond memories of big group meals, things we don't like to eat, and how much we each love the food diversity in our respective states. We joked and laughed with our server and Chef Morio, who was always near by supervising our experience. By the evening's end, we'd learned new things about each other, enjoyed sushi that you would not find anywhere else, and left with many promises to the Chef that we would be returning.
Hover over any photo to see the name of the dish!
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