A word about fine dinning

I try not to compare Japan and America. I just don’t think that’s a healthy mindset to constantly debate about which way of doing things is better, so I try to stick to “It’s just different.”

On the other hand, Japanese food is really quite good. It’s tasty, it’s odd, it’s fun to eat, and although I’m trying not to pick favorites here, it’s much more healthy. :D

Lasagna’s still my favorite though. ;)

I’ve had a few cooking experiments, but nothing to really speak of. I made a video about making miso soup, but so far I can’t upload it. So I guess I’ll have to leave you in suspense if you’re interested. However, I have eaten several other people’s cooking and it has been extremely tasty! The mother of my host family is a very good cook! She made lots of different things while I was staying with them. Also, the other ALT introduced me to his host family and that mother was also an extremely good cook. AND I eat kyu shoku (school lunch) everyday. Again, I hate to compare America and Japan like this, but school lunch in Japan is infinitely better than in America. Chicken nuggets and mystery meat just don’t compare to homemade stew and soup. Kyu shoku usually consists of rice or bread (depending on the day), soup or stew or a bowl of some kind of hot stuff, cool vegetables or salad or something, and milk.

I don’t mean to say that I will never eat pizza again and that I’ve turned my back on all American food. On the contrary, there are some American foods I miss! However, before I came to Japan, I was a little worried that I would be eating rice and soy sauce all day everyday. Or I would be hungry all of the time. Or raw fish (sashimi) would be served at breakfast. And I won’t say that these things aren’t true to some degree, but no food is perfect. I really like Japanese food because it’s fresh and light tasting, but I’m ALWAYS full after kyu shoku. It’s healthy too, so I can eat my fill and not worry about a thing other than how full I am! ;) Also, eating with chopsticks (hashi) is really fun. It’s a little challenging with noodles…I still need lots of practice. :D Also, I really like slurping and drinking soup from a bowl. You can put your elbows on the table and it’s not terribly rude (awesome!), and I like the sharing aspect-when eating with friends it’s sort of like al acarte.

In conclusion, lasagna and veggie burgers (Ha!) will always have a special place in my heart, but I’m experiencing a new culture with my stomach and enjoying it all the way down. :D