Wok N Roll

I’m back! Finally after a long hiatus I’m ticking things off my fear list left and right. I’m combining two tasks this week to make up for my long summer absence and the first up is tackling my fear of uncooked fish or raw sushi. Without further adieu…

Wok (Raw Sushi)

Usually Fourth of July is spent with fireworks and bbq but this year I decided to spend it with two friends, Heather and Russ, taking in a comedy show in Ybor City at the The Improv. Good decision too because it ended up raining all day. Before the show we needed to grab dinner and Russ decided we should go to Samurai Blue, a sushi restaurant, and cross this food challenge off my list.

Just to give y’all a little background on my issues with sushi I’ll take you back to where it all began. I’ve always been a little picky. A couple of posts ago I told you that a friend has said that I have a “conservative palette” and that is absolutely true but I’d like to think that in my later years I’ve become somewhat more adventurous with cuisine choices. The first time I tried sushi I was on a law school trip to Washington DC. We were exploring Union Station and lunchtime rolled around and the group decided they wanted sushi. “Try the California Roll” they told me. “It’ll be good, you’ll like it” they said. WRONG. It was one of the worst things I’ve ever put in my mouth. I guess that’s what I get for trying sushi from a to-go place in a train station. That experience led to a long time sushi ban until I let myself get peer pressured into trying a Tampa Roll at SoHo Sushi in South Tampa. The Tampa Roll was made with tempura shrimp so it wasn’t raw. Turns out it was delicious so that quickly became a favorite. I still wouldn’t try the raw stuff though.

Fast forward to Samurai Blue. Here’s what we ordered….

Spicy Tuna Roll- which is just tuna, sriracha sauce, and scallions

Volcano Roll- crab, scallop, cucumber and spicy mayo on top of a California Roll

Tuna Summer of Love Roll- tuna, scallions, and mixed greens

Mexican Roll- tempura shrimp and cream cheese

I threw in the Mexican Roll because I knew I’d like that one so it doesn’t count towards the task at hand. I tried all of them and actually loved them all. I think the Volcano Roll was probably my favorite though. Who wouldn’t love anything that has spicy mayo on it? So in the end I discovered I actually like raw sushi, well at least the tuna rolls. Maybe next time I’ll branch out even more and try something with eel!

Volcano, Mexican, and Spicy Tuna Rolls

 

Roll (Public Transportation)

Last week I was able to cross using public transportation off my list with the help of my friend Lindsey. She’s ridden the bus before so I thought it would be a good idea to go with her rather than try it out on my own. Who knows where I’d end up if I went by myself! Riding the bus isn’t something I’d really consider to be a fear but is definitely something I’m not super comfortable doing just because I’ve never experienced it. I’ve grown up and continued to live in an area in Tampa that isn’t very conducive to using public transportation or even walking so it’s never really been a consideration.

We met down at Britton Plaza off of South Dale Mabry down in South Tampa. This was a good idea on Lindsey’s part because it’s a shopping plaza and we could park our cars there while we rode around on the bus. I met Lindsey at 10:15am to catch the Number 19 bus arriving at 10:30am going downtown and to the surrounding areas. We took a pretty laid back approach to our travels and decided we would get off whenever the mood struck us. We decided that since we weren’t sure how long we’d be on the bus or where exactly we were headed we would just get the all day pass which was only $4. As someone who isn’t familiar with bus riding I took a little longer to get on and pay for my ticket which I’m sure didn’t endear me to the people waiting to get on behind me since it was stifling hot even at 10:30am. At least the lady bus driver was patient enough with me while I was sorting out my change and trying figure out where to put it. Apparently you don’t pay the driver, which is what I tried to do. You actually put your money in a machine and it spits out your ticket. How I didn’t see that I’m not sure because it pretty much blocks your way onto the bus. Rookie mistake.

Our bus was pretty empty so we had our choice of seats. I guess not too many people were headed downtown at that time of day. It was also absolutely freezing on the bus which was great because like I said before it was hotter than you know where. Now time to figure out where to get off the bus. Lindsey and I referred to our map and checked out where the bus was taking us and before we knew it we were cruising down South Howard Avenue. Being the old souls that we are we made a last minute decision to hop off at Howard and Azeele because we saw an antique store that caught our eyes. After a little shopping and lunch at Ribbet’s BBQ we decided it was time to catch the bus once more. We located a stop a couple of blocks away at Armenia and Azeele next to the Greenwise Publix that would take us back to Britton Plaza and was due to arrive within the next few minutes.

I have to say I’m so grateful that I don’t have to use the bus my primary means of transportation because it was so hot outside and we had to stand there for several minutes without much shade. It sounds like a silly thing to complain about but just try it some time and see how long you last in the unforgiving Florida summer. I was also super glad I had Lindsey with me because I could not get a grip on the bus schedule.  I mean I passed the bar exam for heaven’s sake so you’d think I could figure out a bus schedule, but sadly no. I can’t even imagine trying to deal with that on a daily basis or if I was traveling with children or in the rain or other bad weather. Needless to say we were so glad when we caught sight of the bus rolling down the street with its much anticipated air conditioning.

While I don’t think I’ll be jumping at the chance to trade in my car in favor of the bus I’m glad I now know (at least somewhat) how to navigate the public transportation system. Task completed!   

   

Number 19

Britton Plaza Stop