Dinners in Japan fell into three kinds of categories. The first - the ones we will review today - were mostly one offs.
Soba (buckwheat noodles) and donburi (rice with various items - chicken and egg in this case) on our first night in Japan. This was a shop where one purchased a ticket from a machine, turned it in, and got one's order:
A couple of nights I had onigiri (rice balls) from the grocery store downstairs. Three made a prefect meal. They were around 300 Yen per item - unless you got there at the last our of operation, when they were 600 Yen for three. Everything was made fresh daily:
Ehomaki. A rather fat roll, it is traditional consumed on the holiday of Setsubun, the last day of the Winter before Spring in the Lunar calendar. Tradition has it that in order to insure good luck for the coming year, one must consume the ehomaki at a single go, without speaking, facing the auspicious direction for that year.
I am not really sure how to classify this. One ordered different kinds of meats and vegetables and they were brought on a very hot iron plate. One cooked the meat and vegetables right there.
A little more formal dinner at the hotel restaurant. The main courses are saba (mackeral) and karaage (Japanese fried chicken). As you may note from the pictures, rice and miso soup is are standard side dishes (the beer may also appear to be a standard side dish but, sadly, must be ordered separately).
Dessert. A coffee flavoured jelly with ice cream.
It all looks good to me with the exception of the dessert which I would have to pass on due to my dairy allergy.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks so interesting. Is there much regional variation in Japanese cuisine?
ReplyDelete