FOOD was a huge part of my trip in Japan. My Auntie, with whom I traveled along with 2 of her friends, is an adventurous eater, always eager to try something new & often buying things before knowing what they are. (For instance, one night she proudly tossed a package to me while announcing, "Look! Look at what I bought!" The packaging was all in Japanese characters and the picture was of a nondescript but very nice looking farm. Lacking context clues I asked her what it was. She shrugged saying she had no idea but she was going to cook it, eat it, and totally enjoy it. She's awesome.) It's really thanks to her that my international pallet expanded as much as it did. I practically owe her my first born, a country and probably a small planet for all that she did for me in Japan. Like I said, she's AWESOME. So, food:
1. Sushi. Obvi. On our last day in Japan, we got up in the wee hours of the morning (4am!) to check out the Tsukiji fish market. It's a huge market in Tokyo, famous for, among other things, the tuna auction & the delicious sushi. The tuna auction is a closed event, only open to the first 140 people that get there. We unfortunately didn't make the cut & thus did not see the GINORMOUS tuna, tuna that could easily eat me and then have my aunt for dessert. And then probably a small child as a belated appetizer. I imagined all the tuna rolls a single fish could make- infinite tuna rolls! Which brings me back to the sushi. The sushi & sashimi at the market were AMAZING. The fish was just caught that morning and was fresh, sweet and such a vibrant color. The only thing that I wasn't wild about was the wasabi that was mixed into the rice. I kept crying and my nose burned most uncomfortably whenever I stumbled upon a wasabi bomb. But my sinuses were delightfully cleared by the end of the meal. Silver lining!
2. Okonomiyaki. n. A Japanese savory pancake containing a variety of ingredients (ours had cabbage, egg, onions, noodles, & seafood). The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked." SO GOOD. My Auntie went absolutely crazy over this dish and was like a kid at Christmas, glowing with glee and anticipation, when we went to a restaurant that specially served it in Hiroshima. If you're unfamiliar with my big food rule, here it is: I cannot eat/have great difficulty eating foods that resemble what they were when alive, eg. squid, octopus. But! I was able to eat BOTH in okonomiyaki, largely because they were hidden away in the pancake layers. They tasted okay, but I don't think I was really missing out on much during my regular non-squid-&-octopus eating days. But the okonomiyaki over all was delicious and I would eat it forever.
3. Ramen. I had both miso & soy sauce based ramen, and loved both! I did like the miso more, though. It was creamier and not nearly as salty. I think though, more than I enjoyed my noodles, I enjoyed watching locals eat ramen. Everyone in Japan must have throats lined with steel or must have lost all sensory nerves in their throats & mouths because they devoured this stuff in seconds. Seconds. I watched with fascination as businessmen sat, lifted gigantic bowls to their mouths and just continuously shoveled down boiling hot noodles and soup in a dizzy blur. They'd be done in less than 10 minutes. It was really quite impressive! I wanted to high five them, or flash them a peace sign, but something told me that wasn't kosher.
4. Fried mochi. n. Japanese cake made of glutinous rice pounded into paste and molded into shape. I had only ever had mochi with icecream before Japan, so fried mochi was something new. And I became addicted. The ones I ate most often were rolled into balls and put on skewers. Some were topped with red bean paste, others with powdered sugar, some were tempura-ized... all delicious!5. Bento meals. They usually consist of rice, vegetables, & a meat dish, but fancy-shmancy ones may also include soup and salad. But it's the presentation
(observe exhibit a & exhibit b) & the preparation of them that makes them so awesome. At the restaurants, I was first struck by the style of ordering- we paid and punched our orders into a vending machine outside the doors. Efficient and less human interaction- very Japanese. Going inside, the restos usually have just one long table that wraps around the kitchen area. Sitting down, we were immediately served water, soup & salad. Surprised by the quickness I looked up to thank the servers and was startled to find one person working. Just one person. Looking down and around the table I counted 7 customers, not including the 4 of us and another 2 coming in. The server amazingly and successfully served everyone! He seemed to glide between the meat grill, the rice cooker, the water pitcher, the vegetable steamer, the salad crisper, the dish washer... I leaned over the counter a bit to check if he was wearing roller skates or something. Nope. Just him. And his SUPERHUMAN SERVING ABILITIES.
6. Takoyaki. n. Literally fried or grilled octopus; a popular Japanese dumpling made of batter, diced or whole baby octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion, topped with okonomiyaki sauce, ponzu, mayonnaise, green laver, and katsuobushi (fish shavings). Yea. We ate this A LOT.And that about sums up the food highlights. And I should probably get to bed. I'm off again to Negros Island tomorrow afternoon! Good night, world! Infinitelove!
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