Sushi We Can Believe In

Takemura, the popular sushi outlet in Cambridge, has a new special—and it's got a nice political bent to it.

For $12.95, you can order "Obama Maki," a feast of shrimp tempura, cucumber, lobster, and spicy mayo. There must be no situation more ideal than dousing some Obama Maki in wasabi-tinged soy sauce, stuffing it into your mouth, and feeling patriotic all at the same time. We are quite pleased by the idea.

So we called up the place and had a nice conversation with "David," a waiter who seemed utterly puzzled by our interest in the Obama Maki. See the conversation after the jump:

FlyBy: So...why is this dish called "Obama Maki?" [And why did the receptionist just hand the phone over to a waiter? Hello, owner? Manager?]

David: "I don't really know. The owner created the rolls so I just don't know what she thought. She just made it up. At the time, Obama was a pretty big issue." [Yeah, I guess he's important.]

FlyBy: "Oh yeah, Obama...is there any direct correlation between its ingredients and its name? You know, the way it looks....and it's named after Obama..." [Ahem.]

David: "Just the name, it's Obama Maki. There's nothing really special about it." [Oh. Boring. Maybe should have been McCain maki? Kerry maki? C'mon David, you're killing me.]

FlyBy: "Does it taste good?" [I mean, $12.95 is a little steep...]

David: "I think so. I think it's pretty nice." [And so articulate!]

Several awkward revelations later, the truth finally emerged:

David: "I guess the owner wants to sell as many as possible...She's using his name in order to make the business better. He's still an issue." [Okay, maybe not such a great deal after all. Bye David. I think I'll just go for some of this. At least it looks like Obama.]