Matt Cornell ’13

As I walk into Mrs. Wilkinson’s classroom I see that my usual seat has been pushed together with 5 other desks to form a table that is covered in all different kinds of food. It is the day that we were all supposed to bring in food to try.I see an array of different foods, some look familiar, others do not. One food that catches my eye is what I am later told is mochi.

I have tried mochi once before. I had accidently put a small piece into my frozen yogurt one time while adding toppings. That first time that I tried it, I did not like the taste at all.

However, this mochi on the table looks different. It looks like an egg that is coated in sugar. My first impression of it was that it looked a little like a snow ball. This appearance makes me decide that I would like to give mochi another try. As I reach and pick up a mochi for my plate, I immediately second guess the decision I have made.

I originally was going to just eat the mochi with no questions asked. But the soft texture and the feeling like I was holding a jelly fish forced me to ask what it was made of. Someone in the room answers with rice and a chocolate inside. I am not a fan of rice but I can never turn down chocolate so I decide to try it anyways.

I can feel that the chocolate is in the center; it is harder than the rest of the mochi. So I take a big bite, the size of about half of the mochi, to make sure that I get some of that chocolatey center.

I have never had a weirder feeling in my mouth before. The feeling of a jelly fish carried over into my mouth and I have to force myself to keep chewing and not spit it all out. It seems like it takes minutes for me to chew the mochi before I can finally force it down my throat. I immediately grab the nearest drink to try to wash out the horrible after taste that is left behind.

Despite how disgusting the taste was, I try to get others in the room to try it. Mostly to get them to feel how weird the mochi is and then to endure the horrible taste that I had just faced. I had given mochi a second chance, and that is as much as it is going to get. There will not be a third try. The third time will not be a charm.