Seattle Fast-Forwarded 3 Months

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When making big transitions in life, it’s nice to have some things constant, or in my opinion, reliable. When going through peaks and valleys, you know there are those things you can rely on no matter what.

If I were to map out my life, I would say that there have been three major transitions so far. The third and most recent transition has been moving to Seattle and adjusting to a full-time corporate job. It’s been difficult lately because so much of my life has been in flux - making new friends in a new place; battling the learning curve at work; and managing a relationship on the opposite coast. Cooking has always been my stress reliever and go-to thing, but even that has been compromised at times from long days at work and spoiled ingredients in the fridge.

A few weeks ago, I finally got so tired of struggling, realized that I was responsible for my own happiness, and created my own personal action plan. And of course, one of the goals involved the pursuit of my food passions. I have no excuse for not posting lately, but that needs to change as this is my document to committing that food will one day be my life. In the food section of my action plan, I have committed to the following:

  1. Use new ingredients at least once every two weeks.
  2. Eat somewhere new every time unless introducing the restaurant to a friend for the first time.
  3. Update at least one post on my blog each week.

Things have definitely been looking up since I’ve had a renewed mindset. I want to follow through on these commitments to myself and continue the momentum in all aspects of my life. I’m really excited to get back into blogging and sharing the many more food adventures to come. To great food and amazing experiences!

Jo An Japanese: Who Would Have Guessed Kentucky

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My company is headquartered in the Midwest, an area where people favor land-based animals as their meat of choice… which makes sense when you can’t get fresh seafood since there’s no access to water. Unfortunately, that becomes an issue for people like me who love sushi. Good news is, the best sushi spots are quickly noticed and then circulated around.

And that is how I discovered Jo An. If my co-workers never told me about it, I don’t think I would have ever ventured into an office park expecting to find a sushi restaurant in one of those bland, brown buildings. The location is so hidden that I had to circle back a couple of times just to notice that there is a little placard sitting on the side of the road providing a much-needed arrow pointing towards the restaurant. The story goes, Jo An was established because of the Japanese Toyota execs who were fed up with eating American food whenever they were visiting the nearby Toyota plant. 

I came really early because I had an evening flight to catch (it’s located an exit away from the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Airport), and I was alone in the restaurant, seated at the sushi bar. I was a bit skeptical at first when I was watching the sushi chef prepare my nigiri with plastic gloves, but as I uttered “Itadakimasu” out of respect, his ears perked up, and he had a huge smile on his face. “I have not heard that phrase in a long time!” he responded, and he instantly asked me, “Are you from around here?” It made me laugh. It was clear that this cute old Japanese man had been out of his cultural element for way too long.

Considering fish has to be shipped from either the West or East Coast, the fish was surprisingly fresh for Midwest standards! I had extremely low expectations, but the sushi was much better than anything I have had in some cities (i.e. Charlotte, NC). I could tell the fish had been quality cuts, but just not as fresh as it could have been if it were anywhere else besides the middle of the country. The hamachi and saba were pretty good, but the uni fell short - you could taste that it had been sitting out for a while (maybe even a day old…). Overall, though, it is definitely a find and a place that I would highly recommend for sushi if you’re out in the Midwest.

As I left the restaurant, I felt a little sad for the Japanese restaurant employees who do not get a chance to interact with their culture as much in Kentucky. However, I bet those Toyota execs are paying them good money to stay there. And as long as they are there, I will make sure to pay them a visit with the few phrases of Japanese I know… so they know that there are sushi-loving customers out there who appreciate their work and tenure.