SUSHI, SASHIMI, AND NORI – O MY!
Last Christmas, we received a pick-and-pass card game called Sushi Go Party! As a sushi aficionado, I really like the game. The pictures on the cards are very cute, and it is fun to hear my little ones say things like “wasabi” and “sashimi”. Every time we play the game, I get a hankering to eat sushi.
Recently, my son had an inkling to try his hand at sushi-making. So, he watched plenty of videos on YouTube, and he was convinced that he could do it. For weeks, every time before I went on my grocery store run, he begged me, “Mom, can you buy me nori [the edible seaweed used in sushi making] today? Please?!” And every time, I put him off: “Son, we live in the middle of nowhere. How am I supposed to find nori?” Really, though, I didn’t want to spend the money on the extra, unusual ingredients, which seemed to be a nice-to-have and definitely not a need-to-have.
DIVINE PROVIDENCE AND SUSHI
Then, a few weeks ago, I was at the Walmart in the next town over. My daughter who was with me reminded me that her brother had been asking for nori. As parents often do, I put her off too: “Honey, where am I supposed to find nori?” I turned around, and right there at my eye level – was nori. $2.99 for a package of sixteen sheets of organic nori. At Walmart, of all places.
“Okay, Lord,” I sighed in my head. “I will buy him nori.” We also picked up a couple of avocados and cucumbers. As for rice, we already had that in the pantry.
SUSHI AND PARENTING
You should have seen that boy’s face light up when he came out to the driveway, and I greeted him with that package of $2.99 organic nori. You would have thought I was handing him keys to a brand new car!
Well, he made that sushi. Not only did it look beautiful, it actually tasted authentic! I scolded myself for having put off buying him nori for weeks. I realized that when my children show reasonable interest in learning new things, I need to have an encouraging attitude. It is wholesome and valuable for them to develop the confidence to try new skills and not be afraid of failure. I grew up being afraid to fail. I am glad to see that my children have not inherited that from me.
