One of the Craziest Sushi Nights Ever

Some time ago (December of 2003 actually!), there was a memorable sushi dinner held at one of the Sushi Dai restaurants near Tsukiji that I would like to share with you.  It was probably the craziest sushi dinner that I can ever remember.  We had a group of around 10 co-workers that night, and it turned into a virtuoso performance of comedy by one of my good friends Federico.  To set the stage, our friend Tak had made a reservation for this private sushi room.  Tak was friends with one of Sushi Dai's chefs,  Nara-san.  We were to have Nara-san prepare the meal in our private room, and here he is ready for us that night.

The sushi at Sushi Dai is always first rate in terms of quality, and that night was no exception.  In addition, the skills of Nara-san were very evident, as he prepared our meal in exquisite fashion.

Everything proceeded along quite normally until right near the end, when my friend Federico suddenly got up and disappeared out of the room.  Moments later, there he was BEHIND the sushi counter, trying to communicate with Nara-san despite the obvious language barrier.

I think Nara-san was stunned by this sudden intrusion into his private space.  He probably never received this kind of treatment from his normal Japanese customers.  Then, Federico became more animated, and took Nara-sans hat and started handling some of his tools.

I think we made some jokes that Federico was crazy "mafia", and thus Nara-san needed to be careful.  We couldn't stop laughing with each more bold move by this wonderful Italian man.

Just when you think it couldn't get any crazier, it did.  In this next picture, you can see Federico wrapping up Nara-sans face like he was a piece of tomorrows Toro.

In the end, I think it is amazing that we didn't get in any kind of trouble.

This was a fantastic evening and another incredible memory from Japan.  It came thanks to the brilliance of Federico, the skill, patience and good sport of Nara-san, the gastronomic smarts and connections of Tak, and the great company of all of my co-worker friends.  I will never forget that night at Sushi Dai, and I doubt anyone else who was there will forget it either.