pain is trendy

By Todd Stadler · Friday, June 29, 2001 6:59pm

For dinner, we went to Country Station in the Mission for sushi. Why, just writing that sentence earned me ten cool points!

Potential trendiness aside, this is a great place. It was recommended to me by some friends of mine. It has a squatty, homey look to it, as with our napkins, which were stolen from a 1984 Super Bowl party, I believe. But that is parte de su encanto, as the Spanish say. I do wish they'd speak English, those darned Spaniards.

Anyhow, it's not just the nice, somewhat kooky family that runs this place, or the odd musical selection (when we were there, it was something reggae-ish) playing on a boombox in the back. This place makes good sushi.

One roll of theirs that caught my eye is called the "eye scream". I may not be a sushi expert, but that's not Japanese. Neither is the roll, probably. Jalapeños, cucumber, and lots of wasabi. It's designed to hurt.

Naturally, I got it. I wouldn't be much of a chilehead (or a man!) if I avoided pain and the glorious endorphin rush that accompanies it. It wasn't all that tasty, but it was uniquely, wonderfully painful. It's rare to have your tongue and your nasal passages burn at the same time.

Unfortunately, I forgot that my tolerance for such pain sometimes exceeds that of my friends. After Julia tried an eye scream roll at my urging, she looked as if she might die. Or kill.

I think we all learned a little lesson tonight.