Yum

I was pleased to discover that I am not the only one who takes pictures of the food here. Karyn, the woman I met through Journeywoman.com, takes pictures of everything, and last night I watched my classmate Num photograph his meal. The food here is not as healthy as one would think it was going to be, but it is delicious! It's a lot of starch and fat, and the strive for 5 servings of veggies and fruits is a pipe dream. At some places you'll get little plates and bowls throughout the evening each containing just a couple bites of sushi, sashimi, tempura, and other delicacies. At other places, you can order just a big bowl of thick udon noodles with a little meat and some scallions or nori in there. Yesterday, I had an Anthony Bourdain experience at a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant around the corner. They had this pancake with egg, scallions, gristly mystery meat, hoisin sauce, cheese, and other stuff on it. It looked like someone barfed on the plate, but it was so yummy! I didn't eat again till after class when Num, Meyou, and I went to this Japanese fast food place where you look at these pictures on a vending machine, put in your money, push a button, and get a ticket for your order. Then the waitress picks up the tickets from your table and brings your food. I had a salty cabbage and pork dish that was very much like the street food I ate at the To-ji flea market. It was great until I noticed a really big cockroach on the wall behind Num! He flipped, and I offered to change seats with him - After all, I've been to Charleston, SC! Karyn and I attended a "Tea Ceremony Experience" at which we watched a truncated version of a tea ceremony and then imitated the process ourselves. I actually kind of liked the taste of the green tea, although it is a bit bitter. It tastes a little like the Argentine stuff you drink through a metal straw. There is a lot of non-Japanese cuisine here too : Italian, Chinese, Indian, Thai, and even McDonald's. I confess that I indulged in a Big Mac once - they put a bit of horseradish in the special sauce. Outside of many restaurants, they have displays of plastic food. If you can't pronounce the thing that looks good to you, they'll take you outside to point to it! I cracked up at the big plastic steak and noodles outside of an American restaurant in the Hanku building. Karyn said she once pointed to a display that looked like spinach, and the waitress nodded and said, "papai" Karyn asked again after identifying it indeed as spinach, and the waitress emphatically declared, "Papai!" You guessed it: 'Popeye' is what they call spinach here.