The next photo is of a restaurant where we had some tempura, miso soup and cold noodles for lunch. It was a standard lunch by Japanese standards but not by North American standards. When asked later if he enjoyed lunch, one of the men on our tour grumbled, "I didn't have lunch. I had an appetizer."
Beef is not a staple in Japanese cuisine like it is in Canada. So about a week into our tour, everyone was seriously jonesing for some beef (except the vegetarians and vegans, of course). Then our prayers were answered! At a Japanese BBQ restaurant, we were given several plates of thin raw beef to cook right at the table. You can see our round inset grill on the left of the photo.
There were various cuts of beef on the plates, including (as I learned after the fact) tongue. As a dedicated picky eater, I would not ordinarily have touched tongue with a ten foot pole. But ignorance is bliss, as they say, so I wolfed it right down. And how truly delicious it was! *yum yum*
31 comments:
Great meal and experience! My grandparents at tongue and other things that I never would eat, and still don't. LOL
What a fun experience and OOoooh my...the food!!! Mom would occasionally cook tongue..eeew!!! Never tried it.
it seems everywhere i've traveled people eat tongue. ireland, england, asia and of course montreal and quebec. i have yet to eat it. my family alway ate pickled lambs tongues but not me. i just can't do it.
I love those soup spoons.
I was afraid to try tongue when I was a kid, having seen my mom cutting it up raw , but it turned out to be really good.
I love those tiny dishes too! When we get Japanese takeout I love the way it's all so beautiful. The chef smiles when we pick it up, and you can tell all the food was made with care. Now I want Japanese for lunch!!! Love hearing about your trip.
Did the tongue taste like chicken?
Yum Yum!!!
LOL @ Robin -- I know, everything strange is supposed to taste like chicken! Actually, the tongue did not. Its flavour and texture had a somewhat baconish nature. I enjoyed it but recognized as I was eating that I wasn't quite . . . sure . . . what this meat was? But I decided not to worry and just go for it!
I am a terribly fussy eater. I don't think I would do well in Japan. It does look good, though.
Mary
I've only eaten Japanese food a few times but I love the way it always looks so neat and colorful. I just don't think I could do tongue though - you all must have been desperate for beef to chow down on that!
My Mother would fix beef tongue two or three times a month. While I didn't enjoy looking at it whole, I did enjoy the flavor.
Did you have a big, fat juicy steak upon your arrival home?
So beautiful..gorgeous photos..sounds divine and such fun!!
Victoria
i love trying international cuisine, and do so at every opportunity... truly yum - for the most part - on occasion, some tastes were horrid to my palate....
" A dedicated picky eater" - I like that, lol! I bet all the little dishes make the meal extra special - just like a tea-party. They would be perfect in Hobbiton :)
Totally cool. The first meal would have been so much fun with all the different little dishes.
The food looks beautiful! I guess I might be persuaded to eat something new if I liked the preparation and the presentation. We eat first with our eyes! What a great experience you had!
I used to eat tongue all the time and so did the kids..it was cheap meat..not any more..the last time I bought a beef tongue it was $10 and it was small..I love all the tiny dishes.
Oh my gosh, I love miso soup! You really just gave me a craving for it...and it's lunch time. I'm so excited for the experience you had.
I probably would have passed on the tongue, although I do eat some things others would consider nasty such as liver paste...lol
Never been to Japan; you make me want to go and eat myself through it! Where are the Japanese Alps?
Okay, maybe you did go for the food. But yuck on the tongue:( Otherwise it looks quite lovely!
I've not eaten tongue (at least I don't think I have!) Little plates of food are very tempting....I don't know, maybe not so daunting? It all looks great :)
I'm not a Japanese food eater but I ADORE THE TINY DISHES!!!!
great pics!!!
I LOVE Japanese cuisine. I still remember my first full blown Japanese meal when I was 8 years old. "Bachan" only spoke Japanese and wanted to feed me raw fish... I think I looked a little desperate (as I could not understand Japanese and the thought of eating anything raw was alien to me), because my aunt's sister-in-law came to my rescue.
I am enjoying these posts so much, I agree, the little many little dishes is a wonderful way to eat.They do eat less than we do, thats probably why we are fatter here in canada.A Japanese girl that lived with us often said our portions in Canada were huge, she and her friend that came on exchange to Canada said they were afraid of how much weight they gained in Canada, both lost it when they went back to Japan, just by eating normal,
I have had to start a new blog, i hope you will find me.I have called it When the bough broke
I love the texture of tongue, especially grilled and topped with a nice sauce. Yum, yum, indeed.
I love using TONS of plates! And this feast would have given me TONS of pleasure! lol
I love how meticulous the Japanese can get in their food preparation....makes it taste even better!
I love all Japanese food. We eat tongue in Louisiana. It is good, but I just can't stomach the idea of eating it too much.
Looks amazing!!!!!
It all lokks so delish, and it too is a favorite of mine! But Im in shock you had a tea set???
Wow, everything looks amazing!
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