Can someone tell me what the word Ross Gellar of Friends uses to describe his "state of readiness" from his martial arts training? The girls [Rachel and Phoebe and Chandler] keep saying his word means "smoked eel" or something sushi'r.
Domo.
Ross: Hi!
Phoebe: Hey!
Ross: Hey, what have you guys been up to?
Phoebe: Ohh! We went to a self-defense class today!
Ross: Wow!
Rachel: Yeah, kicking a guy in the crotch all morning really takes it out
of ya!
Joey: Takes it out of you? (Laughs.)
Phoebe: Now, we can kick anybody's ass!
Rachel: Yeah!
Ross: After one class? I don't think so.
Rachel: What? You wanna see me self-defend myself?! Go over there (points)
and pretend you're a sexual predator! Go on! I dare ya!!
Ross: Well, of course you can defend yourself from an attack you know is
coming, that's not enough. Look, I studied kara-tay for a long time,
and there's a concept you should really be familiar with. It's what
the Japanese call (he holds two fingers up to his temple, and he does
this every time he says this word) unagi.
Rachel: Isn't that a kind of sushi?
Ross: No, it's a concept!
Phoebe: Yeah it is! It is! It's freshwater eel!
Ross: All right, maybe it means that too.
Rachel: Ohh! I would kill for a salmon skin roll right now!
Ross: Y'know what? Fine! Get attacked! I don't even care!
Phoebe: (deadpan) Come on Ross. We're sorry. Please tell us what it is.
Ross: Unagi is a state of total awareness. Okay? Only by achieving true
unagi can you be prepared for any danger that may befall you!
Phoebe: You mean in case someone is trying to steal your bamboo sleeping
mat or your kettle of fish?
(Rachel laughs and Ross mocks her.)
Ross: (moves closer) All I'm saying is, it's one thing being prepared for
an attack against like each other; whole another story being prepared
for an attack, I don't know, like a (turns and puts his face close to
Rachel's and screams) surprise!!
(Rachel calmly wipes the spittle off her face.)
Ross: All right, you know that one was coming, but that doesn't mean you
have unagi. (Does the finger thing.)
Rachel: (To Phoebe) Ooh! Y'know what? If we made reservations, we could have
unagi in about a half-hour.