For the Love of Twushi

My first experience with sushi was January 1993. I arrived in New York, NY (without my luggage) and was met by my cousin's husband (I was going to stay with them for 3 months or so). We arrived at the house in Hartsdale and were almost immediately on our way to friends of theirs for dinner….sushi I later found out. (I should mention that my cousin [who has since passed] and her husband with their three young children had recently moved from Japan for a four year posting and their friends were transplanted from Japan for a few years also.) I went with…a little anxious about my luggage arriving and being left on the doorstep while we were gone and about eating raw fish for the first time but I was happy to be welcomed to New York with an introduction to a different culture. And what a welcome it was! I have not seen such a large smorgasbord of sushi since…the entire table was covered with it and as I heeded the warnings to stay away from the sea urchin…I thoroughly enjoyed it…and so it began…my love of sushi! (oh…and my luggage was on the front doorstep when we got back that night!)

When I returned home I didn’t have an opportunity to have sushi. I think Suisha Gardens may have still been open in the Maritime Centre then but my menu choices there were always cooked (chicken or beef teriyaki anyone?). Soon after I moved to Ottawa. I learned not to order fish at all when I was there. (I’m sure that has changed in the last 9 years)

Fast forward to 2008. I’ve been back in Halifax for 8 years and sushi restaurants are popping up everywhere. My birthday is spent with friends for a luncheon of ‘make it yourself’ sushi and I discover my favourite sushi restaurant is Hamachi House on Morris Street. Yumm.

And then came Twitter. It started innocently enough…you sign up, make a few tweets, follow a few tweeps and the next thing you know you are attending meet-ups at sushi restaurants affectionately known as Twushi! (of course on twitter we use a hash tag in front of it.... #twushi) Our first #twushi meet-up was at Minato on Queen Street. Thirteen people (some of whom had never met prior to that night) enjoying each others company and conversation while eating sushi. Mmmm…it was a great night and was to be followed up with another #twushi night at the Hamachi Grill Dartmouth the following month. And again at Sushi Nami Royale on Dresden Row last month (unfortunately I could not attend that one).

But I made it to #twushi last night!! At my favourite restaurant (although I seem to frequent Sushi Nami Royale in Clayton Park more often because of proximity to work and home...went there this after-noon as a matter-of-fact) with people who are strangers no longer. Viva the Hurricane Roll!! Viva my twitter friends!! Life in social media is definitely more than sitting at your computer! There were 15 tweeple at #twushi last night. Two people I had never met on/off line and two I met in person for the first time. It was great! Amazing food, good drink and AWESOME company including @bitdepth, @giftedtypist, @spennell, @aliasgrace and hubby, @iTeedee, @natniles, @jessyo @davemmett @porcelainduck, @nicolacourtney, @BradFraser, @areaeleven and @smistephen (with the notable absence of our organiser @DarrinSearancke).

I'm already looking forward to the next #twushi where I will vie for the title of #twasabi Champion...I think I shall practice increasing my tolerance of wasabi now....the others won't stand a chance!

Re: Free Parking for Motorcycles & Scooters

RE: FREE Parking for Motorcycles and Scooters in Halifax

(a recent article on CBCNS)

I don’t mind that Motorcycles and scooters are to have access to free parking spots for up to 90 minutes in Halifax but it’s hard to see these spots which can accommodate up to 3 motorcycles open when it seems that ½ the metered parking downtown has been taken away for outdoor patios! (and yes…these vehicles are more environmentally friendly considering the amount of fuel they use but could we also have the city/province legislate that these motorcycles have mufflers? I can get a ticket for having a hole in my car’s muffler but motorcycles contribute to noise pollution every day…but I digress…this is about parking after all)

Recently I parked in the MetroPark off Granville to attend the Grand Opening of the HubHalifax on Barrington. It was a Friday after-noon…a nice day outside. I spent 5-6 hours downtown….big mistake…it cost $16 to get out of the parkade. I could have parked on the waterfront all day for less than that! Maybe I would have parked outside the downtown core and taken the bus to downtown but I was running late and it’s hard to find a place on a convenient bus route that isn’t limited to 2 hour parking.(I can’t even visit family in the South End without having trouble finding a spot that isn’t limited to 1-2 hours.) Even FRED, the free bus shuttle downtown doesn’t start until July 4th and isn’t frequent enough to make it worthwhile. The city wants to encourage drivers to stay OUT of the downtown core…make it easier for us to do so. We CAN park outside the downtown core (for free), but offer day passes for unlimited travel on metro transit and put a bus route from these parking areas that is more direct to the downtown core. You can get passes for the day (or for so many trips) in New York and London…make it easier and thus more environmentally friendly to do so here in Halifax. We are the little city that wants to be big…we need to start somewhere!!