Lunch With a Couple of Students

(Photo L-R: Yumi, Manabu, me, Nobuko)

On Monday, September 13, I got a call from one of my students. Her name is Yumiko, but most people call her Yumi. She is in one of my advanced adult classes. It’s not unusual for her to come to class ready to try out some sort of slang word. Anywho, she called me around 11:15am and asked me if I had plans for the afternoon. She knows that I have Monday off, but on this particular Monday I had plans to meet some friends downtown where we were going to grab some Korean food. I told Yumi that I can go as long as we are back by 5:00. She said, “Great, me and my husband will pick you up in 45 min.”

After she picked me up, we then picked up another student of mine, Nobuko, one of her good friends and her husband. The five of us were on our way. I had no idea where we were going, but I was told that we were going to a suburb south of Sendai. It took about an hr to get there, and it was a very very small town…so not really a suburb by North American standards. We came into this small town and parked, and started walking down the street. They told me that it was a very old town. We walked into this old building that was now a tourist info store. They then shared with me about how this is a traditional old store-front down main street. The family would operate the business, which was also connected to their house and living area. A lady took us on a tour of an empty house that appeared to be on display for tourists such as myself. It was very cool and interesting, but I was getting very hungry. When I first got the call, I had in my mind that we would be eating a little after noon. It was now around 2:00.


From the old main street, we drove a little ways and came to an old mom n’ pop kind of restaurant, this place was run by Yumi’s friend. We walked in, and it was a very friendly atmosphere. We sat down, and after the two friends caught up with each other (oh, I should also add that I think the actual owner was the Grandma, who was also there, and sat at our table), they started to bring out the appy’s. Now, they wasn’t gyoza or egg rolls, or any other typical North American Japanese restaurant appetizer, we were given picked egg plant. That was about the only thing that I recognized. The rest were vegetables, but I did not know what they were. This was one of these situations that is REALLY uncomfortable when you are surrounded by people you don’t know very well; not to mention the owner sitting at your table. I felt like I was one of those judges on “Iron Chef.” Everyone wanted to know what the foreigner thought of this new food. It was especially intimidating to have the Grandma sitting there too. I was in no way in a place were I could say no to the food, or even say, “I don’t like it.” To be honest, none of it tasted bad, just different. So my usual response was, “hmmm, interesting…It’s a new taste, not a bad taste, but it’s different.” That would be a phrase that I got comfortable saying during that meal.

Soon after the egg plants, the grandma came over with a recycled plastic water bottle, filled with something that resembled Kool-aid. I was a little curious when she started pouring them into shot glasses, but I was informed that it was non-alcoholic. I brought it up to my mouth to give it a try, but the strong smell of vinegar made me pause. Apparently this thing that I was about to shoot was some sort of plant drink…but I was still a little suspicious. Well, I gave it a shot, ha pun, and it was interesting, not a bad taste, just different. Next, the grandma came with some other beverage in a recycled water bottle. This drink was the same color and had the same consistency as eggnog, but this was no eggnog. I was about to be served egg wine…yeah, egg wine. I did not want to ask too much about it, because I did not want to find anything out that would gross me out I tired it and it was actually not that bad. It was room temperature, a little thick, and had lots of zip. (Oh by the way, here is a great life lesson: If you are about to eat something, and you are unsure of what it is, or you don’t know the name of it, or the look of it scares you, and you have no food allergies, you are best off not asking too many questions about it)

When the food came, my appetite was not as big because of all the new foods I had been eating. But, I ordered fried chicken and rice, so that should be a sinch right? Well, kind of, it was a definite battle to finish because the size was so big. In Japan, they serve you a number of side dishes with the main entrée. I don’t know what any of my side dishes were other then the miso soup. One was a green slime that I was told tastes best when you add soy sauce. It did not taste bad, nor was it the best thing I’d ever eaten. The texture was….well, slimy, which was the hardest part. The next side dish looked like little chunks of Swiss cheese, but they weren’t. In stead it was some sort of hard, radish maybe? But they didn’t really taste like much, so that was easy. The next side dish was some sort of yellow egg thing that was all right I guess. The final side dish did not touch my lips. Partially because I was stuffed, and partially because whatever it was, was black, slimy, and yeah….next time maybe. One slimy thing per meal is my policy. We left the restaurant, and I was dropped off back at my apartment around 5:00, just in time for me to meet up with my friends for Korean food downtown.

The eight of us got to the Korean restaurant around 6:45, and I was still full. But, I couldn’t miss out on this experience…my first taste of Korea! Manami ordered some appy’s and when they arrived, it looked like pizza, but I was told it was not pizza. I don’t’ really know what it was, but like I mentioned earlier, you’re better off not asking. When I was eating it I couldn’t break down whatever was in my mouth, I just kept chewing this little thing. Then I looked into the bit that I had just taken and realized that there were little octopus tentacles in there. That was maybe the easiest way one could be introduced to octo. Since they were just little pieced, the texture and taste was not bad.

All of these little appetizers, and new foods/tastes do quite a number on ones appetite. Once my actual meal come, I was not hungry. After my first ten bites of my vegetable, raw egg and rice bowl, I asked for a doggy bag. I felt lame for not finishing, and I sure was given a hard time. But boy, that was that an eye opening day for my pallet. Everything about the day was great, and there was nothing that I was terrible. If I was given each of the same foods again I would probably eat them, and its always easer the second time. The mental and physical game about eating was sure overwhelmed by the end of the day fo’ sho’!