Sushi vs Pizza

By Mariana Conde

🎧 Audiocolumn

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I would start this column by saying that I am often asked what it is like to have a child with Down Syndrome but the truth is that no one has ever asked me; strange, isn't it? The veil of prudence conceals the discomfort of people unfamiliar with the subject. I would love to be asked, and if they did I would tell them something like this:

You order a pizza and they bring you sushi:

• But how, I didn't order sushi. 
• Ah sorry, that's what we have.
• They didn't tell me that when I ordered.
• We just didn't know.
• But sushi, really sushi? I have never eaten sushi. Nor do I like sushi.
• Ah, you've tried it...
• No, I haven't tried it, but I've heard it's raw, and the soy is very salty, and when you eat it, it falls apart.
• Well, not all sushi is raw, or salty, or crumbles.
• Ah, ah, ah! And that it comes with a guacamole ball, but when you eat it, it burns your nose and your eyes burn.
• Ah the wasabi, in fact it is not from avocado, it is a Japanese mustard. You get a taste for it and it is incredible.
• See? I didn't even know the word wasabi, or that it's mustard and not avocado. Also, I don't handle chopsticks.
• Mmm, it's tricky at first, but you can start with the fork and then some training chopsticks to help you learn.
• But I don't want to learn, I wanted pizza! Normal, like everyone else. 
• Yes, but what we have is sushi.
• Sushi... I have never been interested in China at all.
• Ehem, sushi is from Japan.
• See?
• You will see that you will like it. If you try it, you will become a big fan. 
• Hey, but my friends don't eat sushi either, and when I come to parties people drink beer, not sake.
• I do believe you, it happens.
• Imagine a game night, everyone orders pizza and I... pull out my sushi; everyone with their steaming triangles in hand, me, trying to catch raw fish rolls with my unusable chopsticks; my neighbor chasing with his mouth the melted cheese stretched between him and his succulent slice covered with delicious pepperoni and me, with my soy beans, those lizard green ones, looking for where to spit the peel. What if they see me ugly because of the fishy smell?
• Well, not everything in life is pizza, what about barbecue, for example? Not everyone likes it and that's not why we criticize.
• I don't know, if I had pizza everything would be easier.
• Maybe... or maybe not. Definitely if you have never eaten sushi it can be strange or complicated, but I can assure you that it will be a great experience. 

And just like that, you "order" a "normal" son, just like you order your pizza, or to change it, let's say, a hamburger, made to order: no lettuce, extra cheese but no mayonnaise, very little mustard and ketchup on the side, on gluten-free bread. You wait for the cook to follow your instructions to the letter and even before you see it, you are tasting that perfect, juicy, succulent burger. 

So too, we hope that, wherever children are cooked, our ideal will be met. It hasn't arrived and we already know its sex ⎯the one that is morphologically evident⎯ we name it, we can almost see it in the lace beanie our grandmother has been saving for generations. We expect him to come out handsome as one, smart as one, tall even if we're short, blond even if we're bald. And obviously "normal".

Reality is not always like that, sometimes your order does not arrive as you thought it would and there is no way to complain to that kitchen, but we complain to life, to destiny, sometimes even to our partner or to ourselves.

We forget that many of our favorite foods are the result of cooking accidents that result in a delicious and unexpected combination such as Caesar salad, coffee and even champagne. It takes time and work to get used to that new taste, it is, as they say, an acquired taste and for those who acquire it, there is nothing that compares.

Then comes the next challenge, how to make others fall in love with that dish as well. Man, to fall in love may be too strong, to make them open to know it, to taste it, at least to admit that it is part of and deserves its place in the menu. That's the biggest challenge, one that we as a society have not overcome.

Tolerance is not enough, genuine acceptance is required, and equal conditions are needed so that people with Down Syndrome ⎯or any disability⎯ can live like any other, without external obstacles; they already have enough with internal ones. 

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. A whole month, which indicates that there is still a lack of awareness and knowledge about it. As a friend responded to someone who said, "Is there really a month for that? Yes, do you think so? Too bad there isn't a day in honor of the mensos (using another word I won't repeat in writing), you should propose it. 

The opinions expressed are the responsibility of the authors and are absolutely independent of the position and editorial line of the company. Opinion 51.

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