Could something so good really be poisonous?

On a recent "trip" to New York with a couple of colleagues I had occasion to sit down to a great sushi lunch... sushi and these two colleagues is somewhat de rigueur so there wasn't alot of discussion around options.

On top of the great sushi, and a rather expensive bill, we (I believe I can speak for my two dining companions) discovered an amazingly refreshing way to cleanse the pallet at the end of the meal. Before clearing our plates our waiter pointed to the Shiso leaves on one of the empty platters and suggested that we wrap one around some of the ginger and pop it into our mouths. What followed was an electrifying burst of flavour - hints of mint and lemon, meshed with the ginger, delivered instant freshness. It was quite a discovery.

On a side note, I once again demonstrated my culinary ignorance when I suggested that, if not prepped correctly, shiso is actually poisonous - not death-defying poisonous, but tongue-swelling discomfort poisonous. It's a good thing I was with these two colleagues - a few more in the crowd and I probably would have been called on it. On my arrival home I checked the reference that prompted this remark and it wasn't shiso but Taro leaves. If not prepared correctly uncooked taro leaves can cause an alergic-like reaction among some people - Jeffrey Steingarten was the memory that I had. Now wouldn't that have been a bold and electrifying way to cleanse our palate.

However, armed with this discovery of Shiso I'm going to have some fun with it this summer. I envision some interesting experiments in the coming weeks of ways to use this newly discovered herb - in vinigrettes, salads, marinades, chopped into a granita.... or perhaps even a Japanese-styled Mohito. All of this from a paltry $200 lunch.