Live Uni

I’m a sucker for a dare.

The other night a friend and I went to our neighborhood sushi restaurant, Sushi Groove on Hyde. I saw “live uni” on the specials menu and made the mistake of joking about how one would eat it—picturing someone battling a spiky creature to get to its custardy center. After a challenge from my friend (who absolutely hates sea urchin) and actually watching the sea creatures being transported in a cooler into the restaurant, I took my friend up on the dare.

Turns out, eating live sea urchin is a bit more civilized than what I imagined. When they brought it out, the spiky body rested on some ice with the uni at the top. Although most people love or hate it, I’m ambivalent about the taste—to me it’s a bit like soap. The eerie part about this whole experience was that when we tapped the spikes, the body still moved. I feared it might leap up and attack me.

If you’re curious, head over to Sushi Groove—there are two in the city right now, and one set to open at Fifth and Mission around Labor Day.

I dare you.