It always starts in the kitchen…maybe an average filet knife….and of course, the tuna fish… Twelve faces staring at you in awe, not sure to laugh or to listen intently. Nevertheless, nervous chuckling would be rewarded well.
It’s interesting when you begin to dissect the word “fresh” for its true essence….and what you find may usually disappoint. In this quest to seek Fresh Poké all across America (and yes, we are quite the travelers), many bowls have fulfilled the belly but not quite the heart or the tastebuddies. The only satisfaction would be with each bi-yearly return from Oahu. Within each trip, a fresh, long-line caught Ahi (cold-packed, never frozen) also journeyed home to Seattle, where it always starts in the kitchen. Many times fresh sashimi, many other times fresh Poké . Years and years would pass, the same occurrences of family gatherings in the kitchen. Ravings of top quality pieces and a delectable homemade recipe usually ended the nights with clinking glasses of sake. With these were courageous suggestions of smiling faces: “this Poké is better than any restaurant,” and you know what I mean by that. The kind of thing you say to hosts to express gratitude for their generosity. How many times do you ever mean it? Kindness always wins. And that’s all it ever was: just kindness and nothing more. Then one day, there was a lightbulb moment. You know what it is: ahh! aha! Ta-da! voila! The moment you have when God suddenly flashes an unreasonable scene from your future, the scene you’ve never considered an option…a scene from your blindspot.
And this time, in the kitchen…. when he wore a homemade sushi chef bandana, spontaneously made of a paper napkin: sharpie-d was a giant red circle centered on his forehead; outlandishly flamboyant in his mocking of Jiro Ono (mocking of admiration and respect, needless to say). Being from Hawaii, his hands fell into precise rhythm as the blade seamlessly glided romantically across the cutting board. Sure, he looked ridiculous, his accent was extreme, but his filet cuts were accurate…even Jiro Ono, the master of sushi, would be impressed. Again, nervous chuckling would be rewarded well.
“You should open a restaurant,” Dad says with bright eyes. “No, we are not restaurant people” she interjects immediately. Then the silence….in this lightbulb moment, what began as a joke has turned into very serious business planning and persistent collaboration. This is going to be what you know best as a Three Headed Monster. Odd, but extremely irresistible. The idea of opening a Poké restaurant was once a laughing matter, as semi-serious as the nervous chuckles…which, of course, will soon be rewarded well.
If you’ve never had his famous Poké , the Le Brothers have finally decided to make enough for all. Without this trio, perhaps that story could have just been one more occurrence in the kitchen; and clinking sake glasses could have drifted away into the night. How wonderful that lightbulb didn’t burn out. More wonderful it is that after much patience, we will all be rewarded well.
Listen to their doubt, as they open your eyes to blindspots in your journey. Appreciate their arguments, these stepping stones encourage you towards realization. Love the ones who support you, as they are the soil that will keep you.
LOVE MỹLinh 