Ahhhh! Wasabi!

If you've never tried this spectacular root, you really must make a point of it. Forget that your eyes will water upon consumption...forget that look of shock that comes across your face when this Japanese horseradish touches your tongue and its vapors irritate your sinuses...you simply must experience the consumption of this unique root.

It might remind you of the first time you stuck your tongue to a 9 volt battery. You didn't know what to expect...and then when you did it, it wasn't a good experience...but, when it was over, part of you wanted to do it again.

The Wasabi experience came courtesy of Yuki Hana, a sushi restaurant in our city.

I was a chicken and ordered a dish that consisted of chicken in a Korean spicy sauce with vegetables, but two of my sister-in-laws ordered sushi which came with ground Wasabi root as a garnish.

We convinced my sister-in-law, Erika, to try the Wasabi...she did not like the experience as much as I did. The burst of hotness seemed to last a bit longer for her than it did for me and she eventually reached for her beverage to soothe her palate. I do wish we had brought a camera though. I would have had some pictures of really funny faces to add to this blog.

For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasabi