Granted, I've only been in this great country for a month and a half but I've had some great eats. Fresh sashimi, okonomiyaki, and fried mochi just to name a few. Of course I've had some questionable grub as well (who thought seaweed on donuts was a good idea?) But last week's meal was truly a culinary masterpiece that left a lasting taste in my mouth-so much that I felt the need to write about it a whole seven days later. I watch a lot of Man Vs. Food, No Reservations, and Iron Chef so I'm kind of an expert in the food world...brace yourself for this epic culinary critique.
After a staff meeting my Japanese co-workers took me and two other gaijin teachers out for dinner to an authentic Japanese restaurant (by authentic I mean everything on the menu was written in Japanese characters and I was completely confused). This was a special treat for us gaijins since our most frequented restaurant is named after a street in Las Vegas and specializes in a variety of crappy pizzas and 20 dollar nachos. Tons of tiny one room Japanese restaurants litter the streets of Nagoya waiting to be discovered but we can never go in without someone who speaks fluent Japanese. It's tragic really...everyone should be able to taste something this heavenly.
When we walked in I couldn't help but notice the restaurant was only slightly bigger than my Japanese apartment...so it was similar in size to a gerbil's cage. We all sat down at the high top bar which only seats about 10 customers at a time. Behind the bar stood the "The Master", the owner and chef of this fine establishment. I want to say that he greeted us with arms crossed and two nakiri knives in hand because he's just that badass...but that's not exactly how it went down. He gave a friendly "konichiwa" to all of us and made a special effort to talk to me, Dermot, and Jen. He seemed pretty excited to be in the presence of gaijins and as he continued to talk to us I continued to smile and nod like I understood it all. Then I sat back while Ai-sensei ordered us the most amazing bowl of Yakisoba.
Sure, I've had noodles before, but this is nothing like I've ever tasted.
Fried noodles served with egg and a special secret sauce that The Master created himself. Four varities of spices to sprinkle on your noodles at various times and a variety of sides. The only bad thing about the whole experience was that my chopsticks slowed me down (I inevitably switched to a fork).
As I stared blankly at my empty bowls and plates wondering where it all went, I felt myself slowly slipping into a food coma. I concentrated on trying not to pass out and The Master continued to talk to us gaijins. My Japanese vocabulary consists of about 10 words and half of those are for different foods...so I humbly allowed Eri-sensei to do the translating.
He marveled at Dermot's height and abundance of facial hair and then said the three of us look like we could be in Harry Potter. He went on to talk about his love of Western movies and the song 'Rawhide'...he may have even sang a line or two. He ended this cultural exchange by snapping a picture of the three of us on his camera phone and gave us each a 50 cent discount on our meals.
5 star meals, paparazzi, and special discounts. I think it's safe to say I have officially achieved celebrity status in Japan. It's about time.
Sincerely,
Hermoine Granger
sounds delish Briski. Very good read.
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