I bought the wrong rice for a sushi-making party at home weeks ago.  Our appointed sushi chef, naturally kind and respectful, showed no visible disappointment when I told him that I cooked the sticky rice for the sushis.  He thoughtfully considered as he remarked, sticky rice will make it difficult to manage the rolls.  Nonetheless, he concluded, we’ll use it.  Too late to get the right kind of rice anyway. The guests had arrived.  He was right, the rice stuck to my fingers when I worked on spreading it on the mat and topping it with the fillings.  The stickiness caused the fingers to work awkwardly and with extra care.  More effort expended in the process.  The wonder of it all, the sushis produced tasted superb, regardless. Even with the wrong kind of rice. Of course, our sushi chef brought delectable sushi fillers.  Maybe, that’s why the rolls ended up superb. Though privately I thought, the sticky rice in the rolls tasted marvelous.

What I didn’t share with the sushi chef and guests was that earlier in the day before they arrived, I tried four times to boil the rice to find the perfect consistency.  Used different amounts of water for the boil.  I decided, the best result was with the fourth try.  Did my persistence pay off?  Hmmm …

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