Ok, so food is kind of one of my favorite hobbies. Since arriving here I’ve been mangled several times. Out of all my travels, this is the first time where I kind of wish I just had some good old HOME cuisine. In France, I never desired food from home. Here is a whole other story. I have spoken several times about school lunch and that’s where most of the adventures come from. So instead of talking about all those meals that put me in the corner of the room in silence, I’m going to give you some good stuff to try!

Phone Camera Action

So the title of the post is the food I want to mention. Okonomiyaki is probably Mom’s best friend in Japan (and mine too)! It’s super easy to make. You have the mix, add an egg, some water, assorted vegetables and some meat. BAM! You have okonomiyaki (after some frying pan action of course). They have a spiffy sauce you toss on there with some mayonnaise and you have dinner. In Japan of course, each region is famous for something in every category. Famous lighthouse, famous food, famous omiage, famous tree, famous rock, famous street sign pole. Whatever. In Hiroshima, they are well known for their Okonomiyaki because it comes with a twist. You have the choice of Chinese Noodles or Udon! It’s alright, but classic okonomiyaki is just as good. Come on over, we’ll grab a drink and hit the okonomiyaki bar.

Some may be offended with this next post. I just give the truth as it comes. So cooking in Japan, as my understanding will have it, is the woman’s job. Because I live alone, I often get the infamous question “Where do you eat?” That’s when I say, “Oh well there are several supermarkets in my area, so I eat at home.” On Cue: Jaws hit the floor. I also favor the blank stare that I often get, (you know, the one reserved for disbelief or crazy people). I wonder if I should just stop cooking and spend life at the local tempura restaurants. Although I guess the looks I get are priceless enough for me to keep cooking.

So here’s a great story for you! I have school lunch. At 3.50 a pop, it’s a little expensive since I have it 20 days a month. Usually it’s a side dish, bread/rice, a main dish, milk, and… well…. dessert if you could call it that at times. I have had all sorts of interesting concoctions. I mean concoctions in the nicest way possible,… no… you can guess what I mean….. I have eaten cabbage, tofu, Japanese pumpkin, carrots, fish, and rice in more ways than you can trip, fall, and land on a rock with your backside. By far the pumpkin soup is AWESOME. The fish with bones was a little weird at first (sure fish have bones….. but you eat the bones with the fish…). But the day I had my rice staring back at me…. I couldn’t handle it. I almost lost myself and after the first bite, forget it. I really try to be open, and I eat everything,… I mean everything, to at least show I’m a “team player” as work would put it. That day too I ate everything…… Now most of you are probably wondering “What the heck?” Well I will tell you the heck part. My rice had tiny,… little,…. white,…. fish. I’m talking the whole fish. Super tiny. And they aren’t tasty. They put those suckers in my rice. Now any gajin here would know what I am talking about. Ninety percent of them would probably gag. For all of you back home though, I have no pictures because I think my teachers would most likely take offense to it. And so the food section racks a second post! I’ll try to post more just for you Ainsley ;).

Sooooo, someone was saying I should make this a food blog and speak entirely about the foods I eat with pictures and blah blah blah. I decline, sorry Ainsley! However,… today I want to talk about sushi. I know lovers out there like Jill will be seriously jealous of what I get for sushi. Not only are the ingredients as fresh as the Sea of Japan, it’s cheaper than a bottle of soda! Buying sushi here has to be one of the best things ever. I can go to the super market and get entire rolls of it, made and everything for under 5 dollars. Buying a tray of six pieces won’t run you more than 2 dollars. There are also restaurants here that serve solely sushi where each plate sells for 105 yen (1.05 dollars). So looking for a good plate of sushi that won’t break the bank every time you go out to eat? Japan is that place! It just might break your bank to get here!