Of all the great number of distractions that could possibly fill any small part of a good day, I enjoy food the most. Preparing, enjoying, and remembering great food, or even simply seeing certain food can instantly elevate the day's mood (just as easily, its certain, as it can dissuade the healthiest appetite). A good meal can draw us back into time through the nose, or widen our eyes after dully realizing we've fallen into a monotonous dinner slump, "spaghetti again?...." When I'm at home, I like to draw out the process strategically, choosing my next meal after weighing what's left in the ol' fridge box, and what's on sale at the market around the corner. Cooking itself is as creative as any one's personality is, and good eats with friends and family captures the lighter side of our primordial social-nature. Eating out, on the other hand, brings all the same qualities and none of the dirty dishes.
I have taken down lots and lots of meals during my time in Japan, and now that I am beyond the seven month mark, I thought it might be good to go back and check out some of the eastern fuel that is propelling this twenty-eight year old gastric intestine. The first five weeks digesting Japan cuisine were especially exciting, in light of my accompaniment, and both Sis and I did so well to account and document those delicious dishes that great items like Takoyaki, unfortunately, remain off this menu. I will instead focus on what has happened since. Lastly, the changing season is bringing about changing treats, yet another reason to update you all on just what tastes are slowly emerging on this side of the world. Here are just a few of the culinary rich eats that warrant photo and caption.
But first, a sunrise.
I can't lie - There are days in which I wish my transparent screen doors didn't face East at all, mornings that I wish my curtains were forged of reinforced steel instead of green tinted voile. But then again, once in a while, there are these morning sunrises that automatically and instantly reinvigorate the body with its seemingly bright yellow and orange rays (the Sun is actually white), removing the slightest desire to ever fall back asleep anytime soon, and promise hope. I used to wonder what I was doing, living so far out in the country. I don't hardly any longer.
I can't lie - There are days in which I wish my transparent screen doors didn't face East at all, mornings that I wish my curtains were forged of reinforced steel instead of green tinted voile. But then again, once in a while, there are these morning sunrises that automatically and instantly reinvigorate the body with its seemingly bright yellow and orange rays (the Sun is actually white), removing the slightest desire to ever fall back asleep anytime soon, and promise hope. I used to wonder what I was doing, living so far out in the country. I don't hardly any longer.
Nothing fancy here, just some good old fashion eats. Chicken, broccoli, black beans (which, are priced insanely high in Japan), rice, and some homemade salsa. Throw in some tortillas and avocado, and we're more than half way to a burrito....
Back on the farm, I do make French toast from time to time. No yogurt, no berries, no granola or cereal to throw between this classic dish and a generous serving of maple syrup. At least, not today. A perfect warm meal for the these cold autumn mornings.
Lets see, this is a shrimp curry that I ate one night to mix things up. Shrimp is quickly becoming my new favorite go-to seafood. Its cheaper here, considering what I used to pay back home, and can be used in so many different ways. I've even relaxed my "no shell" policy that for such a long time would swear by.
There are many types, kinds, styles, techniques, and varieties when it comes to eating and making sushi - and this one is not kind. The conspicuous green sauce atop the rolls in the photo is of a special, unforgiving family. This sadistic sushi is the first I have come across, and although the restaurant that serves the dish is only a few minutes bike ride away, I don't ever really want to go back there (and order this again). That is because the sauce is really a combination of two different sources of heat: its a combination of wasabi, which is more of a nasal burn, one that rides the inside of your larynx and nasal cavity. The other heat is fire spice, a hotness that burns the tongue. And both water the eyes.
Feeling cold but want something a little hardier than what miso ramen soup can deliver? Curry is the way to go. In particular, I love to eat my home made curry with some store bought fried pork. Neither is overwhelmingly spicy, so I make sure to punch up my curry by adding some red pepper spice shipped over from home to give the meal that radiating heat feeling well after the last spoonful of sauced is scrapped from the bowl.
Veggies and fruit are always hard to come by in Japan, they just don't have the land mass available in this eastern archipelago. This in turn forces some reliability on imported goods and creates higher yields for the service - which, is all fine. I get it. At least the chicken is still cheap.
I especially enjoy this meal not only for the great protein and taste of bbq sauce, I also enjoy it for a special novelty that I have grown accustomed to, and greatly miss since landing in this country. Namely, street food. You simply wont see any push carts, or street cars, or general food even being consumed on the streets away from public festivals and the like. In fact, I still get surprised looks when I cycle to the store and walk out eating an onigiri before work. Anyways, yakitori is a general exception to this. I still havent come across any push carts, but at least there are store fronts that are not shy about grilling the meat openly and letting all that sweet, grilled aroma fill the space and allow it to work for them as the best kind of free advertising. Yum!
I don't normally like to go for this kind of fancy fu-fu food, ascetic decadence's don't turn me on at all. They're a distraction from the truth of the matter: there's just not a lot of food here.
I'm focused on the meat, and the consumable. Don't get me wrong, the lobster tastes great. It's just that there is normally a strong correlation between the amount of food on the plate and how visually stimulating the dish is. Usually the more flash, the less food. And because I like to eat a lot, and become internally frustrated when I see more shell than meat, I don't usually go for this kind of thing. Luckily, the boss was paying so I didn't mind as much although I would have much easily preferred some better filling rice and beef.
Now this is what I am talking about! Potatoes, spinach, broccoli, chicken, carrots, onions, and mushroom stew over rice and a couple of hard boiled eggs garnished with rich bean sprouts - its an undeniable favorite here in la casa de Tobar and although it comes in many different forms and sometimes not always with the right ingredients, its what I like to eat in a pinch because its filling, it keeps for days, and I can make a huge batch of it at a time. Also, its ambiguous in its nature, thus making it suitable to eat for dinner as much as for breakfast; there are just not too many dishes that can do that (pizza comes to mind....).
Keeping it simple. No one said that cooking has to be intricate or complicated. Tofu and sprouts is as easy and scrumpcious as it gets. Maybe some soy-sauce for dipping, otherwise, that's it.
Now here is something I never thought I would enjoy so much. I used to have a bad temper against peeling off cooked shrimp shells - I never enjoyed having to put additional work into the eating process after my plate was on the table. But, I suppose that is the great advantage of cycling out of one's comfort zones: new perspectives. A friend turned me on to the idea that you can peel off the shrimp and cook the meat as you would normally do. When it came to throw away the shells, instead of heading for the compost, reach for a small frying pan and with a little bit of oil and some salt, turn compost trash into an appetizer.
Right, so this is a picture that falls under the general topic of this blog post, but I cant even add a small dash of review because I've never tried it (them). The idea is simple enough, the burger selection is "white" from the cheese and the one on the left, well, that'd darkened due to the use of squid ink. That's not what's discouraging, to me, anyways. Squid ink is used in many dishes, including the famous squid-inked pasta. No, I can't tell just what it is....perhaps, ostensibly, it hits too strongly at something segregationist.
Finally, there is the prolific eateries of the yakiniku variety. Identified by that huge, sunken grill built into the middle of the table, these restaurants have some really choice meat to go after. And although they are not always on the cheaper end of the scale as far as dinning out goes, they are almost always on the higher end of quality. Forget the fact that you are actually paying to do the chef's job for him/her for a second, and have fun with this one. My way? I like to take a long bike ride and skip breakfast. Then, when I start to feel really hungry, I'll double back into town and plant myself at an all you can eat yakiniku, and give people good reason to believe why Americans are so obese.
Much Love to you all, and have a very happy and sugar indulgent Halloween.
-A
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