Rolling Sushi on a Snowy Friday

On a snowy Friday in February, my roommates and I decided to learn to make sushi. None of us had ever done it. We bought a bamboo mat, sushi rice, sheets of seaweed, fresh salmon, cucumber and avocado and watched a video on someone's phone propped against the toaster.

The rice was a disaster the first time. Too mushy. The second time, it was perfect, sticky and shiny and seasoned with rice vinegar. We learned to spread it thin on the seaweed, line up the fillings and roll it tight with the mat.

Our first rolls looked like they'd been run over by a car. They fell apart when we cut them. We ate them anyway. Our fourth and fifth rolls were actually beautiful, tight and neat with the colors showing in the center like stained glass.

We ate until midnight, sitting on the floor of our living room with chopsticks and soy sauce, watching the snow fall. Now we do sushi night every month. We're getting very good.