Everyone loves a Scary Movie

Before explaining the tropical, lush beauty of the land of Aloha, I would like to share a scary story that was experienced before setting foot on the Hawaiian islands.

14 hours before my boarding time, I awoke to the sounds of Tokyo traffic. Being in the home of my friend Kunino along with my friend Joy, we (Joy and I) wanted to experience Tokyo sightseeing, before I myself would be sightseeing myself off. So bright and early at the ridiculous hour of 5 in the morning, we scooted our way to Tsukiji Fish market, the prime spot to go for the early bird tourist. Unfortunately we were too late for their daily fish auction, but eventually we made it to the warehouse of fish selling. Once we entered, the stench of fish overtook any other smell that may be present. As we meandered through the narrow walkways, surrounded by a myriad of underwater animals, I started to feel like the unlikely heroine of "I know what you did last weekend in Tokyo on Elm Street." Everywhere Joy and I looked we were surrounded by cleavers as big as my head, fish swimming in their own blood, one ton tuna having their frozen parts chopped off by a fast moving saw. All around me was the carnage that is seen before the pretty pieces of undistinguished sashimi makes it on my plate. Uhh... reality check!

So after leaving the area and getting the empty fish eye image out of my head, we decided that the best way to get over these images was to in fact get sushi for breakfast... 7 am breakfast. We chose a nice spot where the menus were in English and the aptmosphere was the complete opposite of the slaughterhouse we had just experienced. Joy and I talked about what we saw, our thoughts, and how pretty the fish were that was in the tank behind the sushi bar... lively decoration for the restaurant. As I was taking a bite out of my tuna nigiri, I heard a splash!

The sushi man just took one of the beautiful fish out of the tank, held down by it's head, raised the cleaver, and ended it's life as I was chewing on my maguro. Joy and I were stunned. But after the climax of any scary story, the heroines of course asked the one question that many other movie heroines have asked... "What kind of fish was that?" After pointing at the picture of the flounder, Joy and I found ourselves ordering one piece each from the sushi bar. After all, why look at the dead creature and not try it? To our horror and surprise, we weren't given the refrigerated prepared pieces. Rather, the sushi chef sliced a filet straight from the recently deceased, added wasabi and vinegared rice and plopped it on our laquered plates. As we ate it, we felt the warmth that comes from an animal that had been living just 5 minutes earlier...It was yummy!

MUAH HAHAHAHA!!!!