I had been led to believe that store sushi would prove different in Japan. The dangers that are foretold in the back pages of forgotten magazines wouldn’t come to pass.

The orange lined shrimp tail that looked so appetizing proved me wrong. My optimism took a sharp elbow to the jaw as I prayed to the porcelain throne at 3am.

I sweated the fever out as five blankets covered me and the bedside lamp kept a vigil. The passage of the new year came early for me as I transitioned out of sickness into health.