61) Japan: Adventures In Food

On our trip to Japan it was important for me to be openminded about the food I ate. I wanted to try everything at least once and I wanted to learn what Japanese people ate on a regular basis. If forced to choose a favorite Japanese meal I would have to choose between Okonomyaki or Yakituri. Okonomyaki are weird meat pancakes that you cook on a griddle in front of you. The ingredients include batter, an assortment of meat, vegetables and a raw egg. You mix the batter and cook like a pancake. In the middle of the process you crack the egg and place on top of the pancake. Once the thing is done you drizzle your pancake with a Japanese BBQ sauce. It was interesting and tasted better than the more traditional Japanese meals we ate.

Yakituri consists of skewered meat basted with different spices and sauces, then grilled. I enjoyed our Yakituri meal immensely. It likely would have won my favorite Japanese meal award, except that I like the Okonomyaki photo better.

L. and I are huge sushi fans and one would think sushi might have been considered for this coveted award since it originated in Japan. Our one sushi experience at the Skiji fish market, while interesting and fun, proved to be disappointing as far as the food was concerned. First of all, our chef was sick and he constantly coughed and sneezed on our fish. We like sashimi best, but at the restaurant we chose on the outskirts of the market the sick chef cut such large pieces I felt like I was eating a raw fish corndog. Did not feel the same as the delicate sashimi we get here in the states.

We also enjoyed a traditional Japanese meal with a group of friends we met. The meal consisted of several courses that included shrimp that still had the heads and tails attached. The worst thing I ate in Japan was from this meal. It was a squid fresh out of the water. I am not even positive it was dead. The thing was squishy, clammy and much too big to be eaten as one bite. I put the squid in my mouth and when I started chewing it felt like I bit into slimy entrails. Not a good experience.

When visiting with my aunt, we ate Oden. My family insisted on us trying it and I must say it was not good. If forced to describe it I would say it was similar to muchy beef sticks with a strange flavor. Tasted overly processed but with a displeasing consistency. I ate everything in this picture, and had to force myself to smile when my relatives asked me if I liked it.























On a side note, we saw the two young women in the below picture at the Okonomyaki restaurant. We noticed many of the Japanese youth to be dressed like dolls or characters out of the Nutcracker. We asked friends and family members about these young people and they informed us this fashion is in style at the moment. I thought to myself, "Man, these kids today are weird." And then I realized I sounded like my dad when he saw me wearing Jams and a t-shirt.