I've never had sushi before, what should I expect?!

Well, if you are adamant about not eating it, then don't eat it.
But it is good to try new things, since sometimes you like things that you never thought you'd like.

California rolls are almost universally the sushi choice for any newbie to sushi.
They almost NEVER have anything raw in them. If you get something that LOOKS like fish in it, it is most frequently the white-fish based "imitation crab", which is actually cooked fish formed to imitate crab meat.

Most sushi bars/restaurants serve a COOKED shrimp variety.
There are many rolls which have no raw fish in them but things like cream cheese and avocado, or veggies and a tempura battered bit of fish, crab, shrimp, etc.
Good restaurants will have description of each roll/form (not all are rolls, some are blocks with the fish on top) which you can carefully examine to find ones that sound appealing.

Don't be put off by the idea of a "slimy piece of cold fish"... That is NOT what you get with most sushi! The good news is that if you like seafood, you will most likely be able to find something that is acceptable to your palate. Another bit of good news is only a few varieties of sushi are spicy, such as the aforementioned Spicy Tuna Roll, which has a spicy sauce over it.

Personally, I'd suggest that you try a little (one slice of a maki roll, which is usually a small roll) of anything that looks interesting to you once you have broken the ice with a cooked or fish-less type. The flavors of the fish/seafoods are very different (and sometimes quite delicate) than their cooked versions. (I LOVE raw tuna over cooked or canned!) Just warn him that he might not get the reaction that he is looking for and do yourself the favor of not making a scene by "ewww - ing" or anything since the Japanese (even American Japanese) culture frowns upon such displays as rude and uncultured and the operators of the restaurant might actually take offense.

Otherwise, try to open up your spirit to the experience and enjoy it. The soy sauce is salty if you like salt, and will tend to cover a taste that isn't exactly to your liking. The wasabi which has been mentioned here is a green paste made from oriental horseradish. It can be quite hot, so use it sparingly if you have issues with spicy things. And, if all else fails, many Japanese restaurants will have soba or udon noodle dishes, teriaki dishes and other non-sushi items on their menus. You can always order one of them for your meal and just "try a few pieces" of his sushi.

Fresh sushi has a clean, delicate, light taste and should have no fishy smell. I recommend starting with something easy like makizushi and then working up to things like maguro (tuna), shake (salmon) and ebi (prawn). I enjoy my sushi with a little wasabi and soy sauce and like to have some pickled ginger to cleanse the palate after each sushi.

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I suggest you get a cooked sushi roll first ...I got the upside down sushi roll and it was really good
good luck

Sushi is basically raw fish, for many westerners it is an acquired taste. People either hate it or love it, there is seldom people in the middle. I can also understand what your boy friend is trying to do, he thinks everyone should enjoy something he likes not realizing people have different tastes, there is no best or worst food.

Suggest you tell your boy friend in advance that he should let you try out the sushi little by little by first having the California roll which does not have raw fish inside, then you can have a bite of his raw sushi. If you like it, then order more for yourself, if not you can order rolls without raw fish or even hot dishes.

The wasabi that goes with sushi is really pungent, a little goes a long long way. Be careful with it.

Yes, try the Cali rolls first, you can ask the chef to go easy on the fish, as most good resturants are made to order so they can alter the contents on the fly, there are many dishes thats either none fish or veggie only, as well as noodles and rice, if you explain to the waiter/waitress , they can always come up with something that will cater for you so you can enjoy your meal.
My friends parent opened a sushi bar few years ago, and knowing I dont like fish, let alone raw ones, they always made them without fish or with cooked meat and vegie, sometime they will slip in small pieces of salmon, if the quality of the fish is high class, you wont even be able to tell you are eating raw fish, thanks to their efforts, I can now eat sushi with fish, even though i am still no fish fan, but within sushi, I dont even think of them as fish anymore.

california is the basic its the most bland sushi you can get so def start with that, if you like spicy the spicy tuna is always good for beginners. Everyones taste is way different. If you really like the california roll then you will prob like quite a few types if you think it just ok (like me) you prob wont care for many other types. And it also depends on your taste in fish if you will eat any kind of fish you should have a prob. Anything with octopus or squid is chewy, eel is really good (in my opinion) and if you cant tell what the names of the rolls mean just ask the waiter, what the sauce in it is, or what the fish on it is. They prob get asked alot so dont be afraid to ask.

Unagi - Grilled freshwater eel. If you like teriyaki dishes, you'll probablylike this one.

Crunchy roll aka tempura shrimp roll - Crunchy deep fried shrimp with a layer of sushi rice. Some places like to drip teriyaki sauce of them.

Ebi - Cooked shrimp. Peeled cooked shrimp sitting on a ball of sushi rice to be exact.

Cream cheese roll - As the name implies.

Kanikama - This is imitation crab. (Cooked)

Futomaki - This one contained no raw fish.

Tamago - Japanese sweet omelet.

Kappamaki - This is also called cucumber roll.

Salmon skin roll is made with crunchy, BBQ/grilled salmon skin. Tasted better than it sounds. If you could handle the seaweed wrapping, order the temaki or hand roll version for this one.

Philadelphia roll - Cream cheese roll + smoked salmon.

Other than Philadelphia roll which contained smoked salmon, everything on the list above contained no raw fish. Wasabi is optional for all sushi that were made with cooked seafood ingredients. But, trying a minute amount won't hurt.

If you're still reluctant to try, order combination dinner or bento box instead. Common choices for combination platters or simple bento boxes for those who aren't that adventurous: Tempura shrimp, teriyaki chicken/beef/fish, tonkatsu (deep fried pork chop), a small serving of California roll, and karaage (Japanese popcorn chicken). Miso soup, salad and steam rice are usually included.

By the way, very spicy foods could promote diarrhea in extreme cases but they will not cause involuntary vomiting. Food poisoning, on the other hand, is capable both.

PS: I think that John D will come and greet everyone with a thumbs down later. LOL

Sushi is absolutely delicious, in my opinion.

If you aren't afraid of the idea of eating raw fish, then you should try a tuna roll. It's very simple; rice, tuna, and seaweed.

When you get used to sushi, it tastes great. Just remember to use a bit of soy sauce and wasabi to go along with it. It might taste slimy to you. Wasabi is pretty spicy, just make sure to use it in good quantities.

California rolls are also good to try first, because they don't really use raw fish. They mostly use imitation crab which doesn't taste like regular fish they use in sushi.

Happy eating!

My ex girl friend turned me onto sushi. Just be ready for cold raw fish. It is difficult to describe the taste. It just depends what is on the sushi. They look like little tires. The skin on the outside and meat on the inner part of the sushi. If you are not much into experimenting with new food put some wasabi and or soysauce on it. That should help it go down easier.

get ready for mushy fish....cold too