I squeal for eel

I love sushi. But when my friend suggested I try a bite of his fresh water eel roll I felt things had gone too far. How had it gotten to this point? It all started with crab and salmon then escalated to raw tuna and now eel.

As I sat there eyeing the dish, one image kept popping into my head -- Floatsam and Jetsam. Who are they, you may ask? An image of my childhood, Ursula's two eel sidekicks in "The Little Mermaid" -- one of three Disney movies I can still quote every line and song to. I'd just given the sushi a name and an animated face, how could I eat it now? I suppose that's a kinder visual than having the image of an actual, nonanimated eel swimming through my head.

I found comfort in two things:

1. The eel is not raw. It's broiled, which allows me to trick myself into thinking I'm actually eating Mahi Mahi with a bit of cucumber and avocado. The roll also is topped with a brown sugar and soy sauce that gives it a hint of sweetness.
2. My friend was eating the roll and not gagging.

I sat there with the eel in my chopsticks for what seemed like an eternity. Smelling it, eyeing it, debating what would happen if I yacked in the middle of Shogun. Then it happened, I ate the roll and didn't yack. In fact, it was really good. Eel is delicious? How could this be? Surely, as much as Ursula enjoyed shrimp cocktail if she had known how yummy her two friends were they wouldn't have made it past the first scene.

Since trying the eel, I've felt it my duty to spread the gospel of eel. I've ordered the roll and forced three of my friends to try it and all, after the sharing my initial reaction, loved it. So, I challenge you, embrace something new and try the eel. It's much better than it sounds or looks in the images floating around in your head.