Reflections on food

According to our Culinary Backstreets guide, the Japanese “take any food and make it better”! I will miss a lot about Japan, but the food is what I’ll miss the most! Here are some of the things on the food scene I found noteworthy:

- Good food was everywhere: for a thin and healthy people, food is everywhere. Literally, you are never more than a half-block from something to eat. From small restaurant and cafes (often specialized like a ramen place or sushi or teppanyaki, etc) to the abundant convenience stores, quality food was everywhere. Most surprising to Westerners is the quality of the food at the 7-Elevens, Lawsons, and Family Marts. Onigiri and sushi rolls were our go-to for lunches or fill-in meals for Lexi who occasionally had issues with her gluten-intolerance if we happened to eat at a ramen place. The packaging technology for these was impressive… they have a way to insert a plastic film between the seaweed wrap and the rice that magically removes itself if you open the package according to instructions. The 7-Elevens are also renowned for their egg sandwiches, though I was not really a fan.

- Food on a Stick: For a culture that does not approve of eating on the go, there was lots of fun food on a stick. One of my favorites was the simplest- a cucumber on a stick that has been soaking in ice water. Topped with choice of sauces such as Miso Mayo, it was the perfect cool healthy treat on the super hot afternoons. The regatta had 2 different food-on-a-stick trucks, a cute chocolate covered banana and chicken yakitori. At the fish/farmers markets, fruit on a stick (usually strawberries and/or grapes) was common, as was so many other items like grilled unagi, baby octopus, etc. We also loved the dango- sweet rice dumplings, sometimes coated in a sweet soy syrup. The odd part to me was that, after you purchased your food on a stick, the proper etiquette is to stand there (or at a table or stool that was sometimes provided) until you are done and hand your trash back to the vendor. Trashcans are notably lacking in Japan!

- Amazing Supermarkets: holy moly, what I wouldn’t give to have a Japanese supermarket in my neighborhood! The produce was fresh and impeccably presented, the meat and seafood had a huge variety of types and cuts (the pork was cut in so many ways!), and the prepared foods made you wonder why anyone bothered to cook.

- Seafood: OMG, the fresh fish. So good, so abundant, so inexpensive. Of course the sushi/sashimi was amazing with wasabi that actually made your eyes water. From the fancy to the super cheap/fun Hama Sushi (via conveyor belt), the quality was outstanding. The other notable memory for us was the Shirasu- tiny fish (think the size of orzo) served as part of almost every meal in Enoshima, mostly boiled, but sometimes raw or fried. Grilled fish, tuna served every which way, fish flakes/powders on French fries, octopus… so much seafood served breakfast, lunch, and dinner! It is amazing wonder that there are any fish left in the sea…

- Food the Japanese didn’t invent, but made better! The example our Culinary Backstreets guide was referring to was Tempura. Apparently, this concept of Japanese staple was introduced by the Portuguese in the 1600’s. They took the European breading/frying and made it better!

For me, the best example was soft serve ice cream. The BEST soft serve I’ve ever had was at the Golden Temple in Kyoto - sweet sake flavored soft serve, drizzled with ginger-infused honey, sprinkled with gold powder served in a matcha. Flavored waffle cone. I drool just thinking about it. Other great flavors were matcha/vanilla and melon. Yum!

One other interesting veg on the Japanese table that surprised me was okra. I am not a huge okra fan, but I had it here simply boiled and tempura. Both were remarkably delicious. Not sure if it a different variety, freshness, or prep, but it was not as fiberous or slimy as I think of southern okra.

- Presentation: so much attention is given to presentation! Colors, textures, flavor balance is all considered in every meal. Our favorite restaurant in Enoshima even had custom ceramic plates for the sashimi that depicted in relief Enoshima Island with the bridge from the mainland where the restaurant was located.Okumaya devam et