The bar where everybody knows your name

All my life I have been shy, timid and reclusive. I have always assumed this is because my environment was changed early and often as I was growing up (my parents separated before I could form memories, my mom moved around the country more often than an army brat and my dad only lived in California but in just as many different houses). A theory which is validated by my recent discovery this evening: I feel at home at the sushi bar. I used to go out to the sushi bar with my dad, just the two of us for as long as I can remember. Whether it was Surf Sushi (later the Pink Godzilla) in Santa Cruz or Star of Siam (one of the first Thai restaurant/sushi bar combos) in Soquel, my dad was always the king of the sushi bar. He (We) would be greeted with a hearty hello or konbanwa upon entering and sitting in front of the sushi chef, we (he) would flirt with all the cute women who were lucky enough to end up sitting near us, and we would engage in conversation with complete strangers who I had never seen before or since. It was a time we could just relax and have fun, and for some reason it was one of the only places I could shed my protective shell and just relax.

Somehow I have been able to carry that tradition with me through these years and when I'm sitting in front of a large Japanese man with a very sharp knife I transform into someone outgoing, brave and social. It's pretty awesome I must say, to finally find a comfort blanket that isn't literally a blanket (mine is all faded and dirty).