I knew that navigating Japan would be difficult - an extremely stylized, ritual filled and insular culture. But navigating the culinary landscape has been next to impossible. Not only am I squeamish about any sort of sushi that doesn't include crab, avocado or cream cheese; but I have also picked up a handful of fellow travelers with even more particular tastes than mine. You see, my brother and my sister, along with her boyfriend, have joined us for a week in Japan. Thankfully, we have made some progress on this front in the past two days, including:
1) I now eat slabs of squishy tuna with impunity. With or without rice. I can shabu shabu with the best of them. Beancurd and tofu are also within the realm of impossibility. My "off-limits" list has now narrowed down to: strange shellfish, anything with a suction cup that may adhere to my esophagus on the way down (this includes sea cucumber, as I include any sort of sea-foot or leg in the suction cup category).
2) My husband is truly omnivorous. There is nothing that his all-eating-stomach can't handle, and which he doesn't handle with some aplomb.
3) The willingness of a picky eater to try new foods is inversely related to how hungry they are. This is a bit of a tricky situation because over time, this seems to become an geometric, rather than arithematic function.
4) As such, it usually makes sense to have "safe" food early in the morning. This serves as a stable "western" foundation, upon which to build for the rest of the day's culinary adventures. I'll give you two ends of the spectrum: For my brother, this includes two pieces of toast, orange juice mixed from a power, Starbucks double cream cheese danish and Java Mocha Chip Frappe. For my husband, this includes double decker bento box of bbq eel, anything with suction cups, and tuna, followed by Sbux Americano for good measure.
Tonight we are really going all out - a 12 course, "omakase" style dinner. Omakase means something like "chef's choice." I personally found out on a gruesome dinner double date several months back, when I embarrassed myself with extremely limited chopstick skilz; the result was miso glazed sashimi, sushi, rolls being dropped in my soy sauce bowl, on the table, falling apart all over my plate, with a little sticky rice trail connecting all three. This of course, only happened to the pieces that I actually made a go at. And there were plenty of pieces I didn't make a go at at all.
So I have got my game face on. Ryan has already scoped out an acceptable pre-meal at Subway, just to make sure the belly is good and settled. Before this Battle Royale, two western-style
foundations may be better than one. I'll let you know how it goes...
T here - across Asia we have seen a lot of things; some of these things you can see in New York, others you just don't see everyday. I suppose it would be best to make a list of these - but after awhile they begin to blend together, become more normal, at times, mundane. Part of it is the going native effect - after awhile things shock you less and less, you begin to become part of it. There is always a mutuality of experience most Westerners face traveling thru Asia. It is recognized in the familiar nod, the askance eyes, the furrowed brow, the baffled shake of the head - "No, You Don't See that Everyday."
ReplyDeleteSome cultures are truly impenetrable. Some by choice, others by tradition. Japan, impenetrable to the core, truly an island unto itself.
So we landed on this island and as travellers are making an effort to at least understand what the heck is going on over here. We could start with the food: most bizarre cuisine I have eaten. Unlike the things I sampled across SE Asia which fell deep into the realm of the bizarre, Japan truly seems to have a cuisine in the French sense of the word. I suppose eating raw fish, egg custard with a few surprises (chicken liver and a giant bean) layered throughout, or bean curd is little different than foie gras or flan - but what's the point of placing the food in a Doll House Bento box system?
Some other things that have thrown me for a loop here:
The heated TOTO toilet with adjacent toilet-remote control - why?
The ubiquitous SARS masks - ok, I understand SARS scared the heck out of Asia - but it's been years. And the air quality in Tokyo - seems fine to me. Blame it on the pollen from the cherry blossoms - come on. And what do we make of the couples on dates in the park, walking together, both wearing their air-cleansing SARS mask. I suppose they even kiss thru it. Like everything in Tokyo, I think there is a deeper meaning in the SARS mask. Maybe it is a fashion statement (I swear I saw one in Burberry plaid), or potentially even a statement of social-superiority - as in, I don't breathe unless it's filtered. Remember when bottled purified water surfaced... wasn't that long ago, but now everyone drinks it - who still drinks out of the tap?
What is going on with this fascination with cuteness? Hello Kitty this, Hello Kitty that... adults with little charms dangling from cell-phones; women dressed in skirts and knee-high stockings everywhere.
My quick theory on Japan (2 days in, subject to change) is that Japan is a post-post culture. A culture where everything has been experienced, and the people have grown bored with the banality of normal human experience. I personally find the more banal human experiences to be some of the most pleasurable. I may like to think of myself as a complicated person - but there's something quite enjoyable about the normal morning bathroom experience that doesn't require the toilet to be heated, wired, and ready to please.
Two days in, wanting to like Tokyo, I find myself unable to get over the mores of its culture. I find myself, like Bill Murray in Lost in Translation, for lack of better words, repeating over and over again "For Relaxing Time, Make it Suntory Time."
ok the sucker looking thing is really quite gross--I saw this around lunch time and it definitely took away my appetite. Kudos to Todd with his cast iron stomach and his ability to eat all those different delicacies! Ryan looks great -- bib and all!
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