Sustainability. Ownership. Using local materials.
Georgia: Can I have some soft white rice?
Me: Sure. [Georgia was sick today, with a stomach bug, so rice is probably a good idea]
Umm, wait. I don’t think we have any.
The girls were all snacking on seaweed squares (it was time for a vegetable).
Me: How about rice crispies softened with water?
[Lightbulb appears over my head.]
Do you want to make sushi with rice crispies?
Georgia: Sure!
I should mention that Bahiyyih had left us alone for the evening.
The first batch was too soggy, and didn’t have enough rice crispies.
Georgia: [tastes one end of a soggy roll of seaweed and rice crispies]
Eww, I don’t like it.
Me: That’s okay.
Maya: I want to make my own.
Me: That’s a good idea; I don’t want you to get sick from Georgia’s. But I don’t think you’ll like it. First, I want you to smell this one.
Maya: [Shakes head vigorously and squinches her face.]
Me: Come on; if you don’t like it, we shouldn’t make another one.
Maya: [Smells it.] I don’t like it.
Me: [throws the soggy roll away, convinced that it was a failed experiment]
Georgia: [emerging from the hallway] Actually, I kind of liked it.
The second batch was better. More rice crispies, less water. We actually sliced it into little sushi cylinders.
Maya: Is this for me?
Me: Yeah. Here, you take two. I’ll save these two for Teresa.
Georgia: Can I have some?
Me: [eating one] Yeah. Here, I’m going to make another batch.
The third batch was eaten up too. Teresa decided that what she really wanted was the rice crispies, so she just unrolled the little sliced pieces and cleaned them out. Mmm—damp, seaweed-flavored rice crispies.
The fourth and fifth batches included long-sliced hot dogs and received rave reviews.
Maya: I want some with squishy beans. [that’s refried beans to the uninitiated]
Me: Okay. Hot dogs and beans. That’s a good combination.
By the sixth (and final) batch, I think the spice of hunger had worn off. Maya tried them, but didn’t particularly like them. So she and Teresa picked out the hot dog pieces and ate them, and I finished off the rest.
Bahiyyih: [After she got home and saw the pictures] That’s an abomination.
HA HA HA! This is awesome! 😀
Dear Billy,
Please make sure you tell this to Bahiyyih: That food story was kind of interesting, but also seemed a little gross. You’re silly, Bill. Make sure you say hi to Khalil for me, love, Lucy. I love all of you. Make sure you say hi to Georgia for me, love, Lucy.
Layli says: I would try it.
Hey Billy,
I shared this with the staff. What a pleasure! Sustainable sushi, sort of. You push beyond the boundaries of the expected with your food experimentation. It’s great fun to watch . . . from a distance.
Your awed MIL