One of the great things about living in another country is the chance to try new and interesting things. (And here you thought I just spent all my time in bars and complaining about politics.) For example, I recently had the pleasure of trying the Japanese culinary experience that is "kaiten-zushi."

"Zushi" being a phonetic change of "sushi," small pieces of seafood on vinegared rice, and "kaiten" meaning "circling on a conveyor belt."

That's right. I stayed still. The chef stayed still. The waiters stayed still. But little plates of sushi traveled around the restaurant on a converyor belt. If you wanted it, you picked it up and got charged by the plate. If you didn't want it, it kept traveling. And if no one wanted it, well, then that unloved little piece of sushi would just go around and around until one of the chefs decided to exercise a little mercy and send it to that great sushi bar in the sky. Or the trash bin in the back.

And to top it off? A set price per plate. You know exactly how much it's going to set you back based on the number of plates on the table. For you jokers still living in America and paying $3.00 a piece for marbled tuna that you have to wait for in a sushi bar crowded with west side yuppie scum, think about this: I could pay 100 yen (about 82 cents) for two pieces, and have it come to me.

Really low prices.
No obnoxious crowds.
AND THE FOOD RIDES AROUND ON A CONVEYOR BELT!
In your face, Santa Monica!

Of course, I am now an active and participatory contributor to the over-fishing of Earth's ocean resources. But at these prices, how could I possibly be a part of the solution?