“Haibo!”: Spar Employee Tries Tempura Sushi for the First Time, SA Relates to Her “Avosabi” Moment

• A hilarious video shared by @outeniquasuperspar shows one of their employees trying tempura sushi for the first time
• The unsuspecting employee refuses to use chopsticks before taking an entire chunk of what she thinks is avocado, but it was wasabi
• South Africans found the video extremely relatable, with many admitting they'd made the same mistake while trying sushi for the first time

A video of a Spar employee's first encounter with sushi has South Africans in stitches as they watch her make a common mistake. The clip, shared in May by Facebook user @outeniquasuperspar, a George-based supermarket in the Western Cape, shows one of their staff members sampling their new tempura sushi special with unexpected results.

In the video, the woman sits in the passenger seat of a car while her manager stands outside. She's presented with the store's tempura sushi special, which she's never tried before.

"This is my first time testing tempura sushi, I like it. 10 out of 10!" she declares enthusiastically after taking her first bite.

She then drops a piece into soy sauce before admitting she's not comfortable using chopsticks.

"I can't, I can't, I'm not a China, so I'm eating with my hands," she says matter-of-factly.

The real drama unfolds when her manager encourages her to try what appears to be mushed avocado on the tray, which is actually wasabi. Unaware of what wasabi is, she confidently pops the entire chunk into her mouth.

After a few seconds of chewing, the intense spiciness hits her. Her eyes widen in shock as she begins screaming, desperately searching for something to spit it into, eventually finding a serviette. Despite the wasabi mishap, she maintains that she enjoys the tempura sushi, just not the "spicy avocado."

Watch the Facebook clip below:

The wasabi surprise

Wasabi is a Japanese horseradish side dish known for its powerful, nose-tingling spiciness. Unlike chilli peppers that burn the tongue, wasabi's heat travels up through the nasal passages.

Real wasabi comes from the rhizome of the Wasabia japonica plant and is quite rare and expensive. Most "wasabi" served outside Japan is actually imitation wasabi made from European horseradish dyed green with only a tiny percentage of real wasabi, if any at all.

The confusion between wasabi and avocado is common among first-time sushi eaters, as both are green and often served together with sushi.

Mzansi shares the laugh

South Africans who watched the video found her reaction both hilarious and relatable:

@ManzoerManolitoIsaacs quipped:

"She don't like 'avosabi' 🔥😂😂"

@BarbieTitus shared a similar experience:

"😂😂😂 It happened with me, thought it was avocado 😭"

@CraigViljoen praised:

"Anna, you remain humble, fantastic, magical and awesome. You are great, thanks for the laughs."

@AphiweQobaniElefu commented:

"Love her, kesan😂😂😍"

@GerchenNadienPick found humour in her comment:

"I'm not a China🤣🤣🤣"

3 other stories of South African food moments

• Briefly News recently reported on a broke university student who shocked Mzansi by sharing photos of her weekly meals on TikTok.
• A Durban man's viral reaction to Woolworths' hot cross buns had South Africans laughing when he abandoned his purchase.
• South Africans were upset after seeing what two young boys chose to buy with their free food prize at Pick n Pay after meeting Keegan Gordon.

Source: Briefly News