A Couple of Firsts

This entry is about fish, water, and friends. That may not be a holy trinity, but the convergence of the three yesterday was inspiring.

Johnnie and Tom have been friends since grad school, but, in spite of Johnnie's consistent boosterism, Tom had yet to visit Johnnie's hometown. Yesterday, the fates finally brought us all together, resulting in a tour of Monterey at dusk and my first visit to a sushi restaurant.

We started our afternoon in Monterey, admiring Tom's new, goofy hat. Tom had tried on a number of other hats in Santa Cruz, but this was his favorite. I especially liked it when Tom wore the hat backward, so that the monster's grin scared all who walked behind him. After taking a brief tour of Marina, we took off for Monterey, arriving just at dusk. We stopped at a beach just into Pacific Grove to admire the view, which included rocky outcrops, birds, glassy green waves, and dark clouds of incoming fog.

I snapped away, taking picture after beautiful picture. That's just how picturesque this area is. The fading light produced an atmospheric mood and the sound of the wild waves created an energy which echoed inside me.

After communing with nature, we were ready for dinner. Johnnie thought he remembered a great place for sushi, so we went to Sakura Restaurant. Although the restaurant wasn't the one he remembered, we still sat down to eat. I really loved the miso soup that started our supper. The salty, thick broth contained noodles, a few chunks of tofu, and some sliced green onions. Johnnie and Tom thought the soup was a little too salty, but I enjoyed every bite. Besides, they were so busy fighting over the merits of the iPhone that I think they didn't pay enough attention to the soup.

Tom: The iPhone is broken. It needs a new keyboard [like the keyboard on his Blackberry-like device].

Johnnie: You're just in denial about the iPhone.

Tom: The iPhone is like a child that will be something some day. You feel pride in it, but it hasn't yet reached its potential.

Johnnie: The iPhone rocks.

Kathee: Slurp.

Since I had been adventurous at the previous night's dinner (trying two dishes, escargots and calimari, that I don't normally eat), I felt less willing to experiment last night. Once our waitress brought out Johnnie's spider roll, I quickly changed my mind. The fried crabmeat and avocado combination looked and tasted delicious to me, although Johnnie thought it earned just a 5 out of 10.

I ordered a bento box with tempura and chicken teriyaki, which was just okay. The tempura needed to be crisper . . . and the vegetables needed to be more thinly sliced. The chicken wasn't of the best quality, either, so I was disappointed with my order. Next time, I'll try more sushi, a dish that I'm finally beginning to like. Tom's bento box with tuna looked good, though. And our dinner conversation was definitely stimulating.

Tom: Conspiracies abound. You just need to educate yourself about the events surrounding 9/11.

Johnnie: That's not logical. Besides, the more you read, the more likely it is you'll be indoctrinated.

Kathee: [Silence, then . . . ] There could be much better conspiracies . . .

After a spirited dinner conversation, we returned to Marina for a some Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby. At evening's end, I reflected on how glad I am that Johnnie and Tom are a part of my life. I'm so glad I could be there to share Johnnie's joy at showing off his beautiful city to one of his closest friends.