The green stuff is the wasabi- the pink stuff is actually sea urchin which they ate on LOST but we haven't actually ever tried before.

If you have not had much sushi or other Asian food, then you have probably not had the privilege of trying wasabi, which is Japan’s answer to horseradish. A little bit and it adds a pleasant amount of “heat” to your favorite raw fish dish. Too much, and it feels like your eyes are going to pop out and you nose is going to shoot flames all while someone is driving a railroad spike into your forehead. It is delicious, but it must be used with extreme caution.

Today we got to try two new things, a restaurant in Kawaihae (pronounced kwi-hi with long I sounds) called the Seafood Bar (that we have lived within two miles of for six months, and have been driving past for six years without ever stopping in,) and wasabi mayonnaise, which is one of the more interesting east-meets-west combinations I have ever experienced, right next to beef sushi and the “Kill Bill” movies. Their specials of the day were grilled mahi mahi with wasabi mayonnaise or a French dip.

Having never had wasabi mayo before, we decided to go for it. It had a little “zing” to it, kind of like mayo that has been left out in the sun for a little too long, but without the fear of food poisoning. Seriously, I really liked it. I think I am going to start adding wasabi to my mayo at home, if for no other reason to see Beth’s eyes pop out the next time I make her a tuna sandwich. Next time we stop at the Seafood Bar, we are going to get the French dip, one because Beth has never had one (her parents obviously never took her to Arby’s as a kid) and two, because I am really curious what a place called the Seafood Bar can do with beef au jus.