For The Love Of Bento Boxes

Oh how I wish we had bento boxes where I live. Sure, we have food in to-go containers but nothing seems as gourmet and classy as bento boxes.
There's nothing to unwrap, no paper to fumble with, no paper bag, etc. Just a simple cover between me and food arranged in a elegant presentation.

A bento box had been on our Tokyo list but we never thought we'd have so many options. It seemed that every restaurant in the vicinity of our hotel put stands outside during lunchtime with ready-to-go bento boxes so we definitely had our pick but every one seemed just as fabulous as the last one and it was tough to decide. When we finally chose a stand, we paid the equivalent of $7 each for a bento box which also came a cup of hot miso soup.
My bento box was divine and an absolute steal for only $7. My box contained pieces of fried chicken, a piece of cooked fish, rice, a small bean sprout salad, a few pickled vegetables and some sliced nori. I loved everything - something slightly unusual for me - and when I was finished, nothing was left in the box.

Gourmet and on-the-go. Fast food just took on a whole new meaning.

Vending Machine?

When I first came across these types of eating establishments in Japan, I have to admit, I thought they were weird. Part vending machine/part short order cook. In the photo below, you can see the vending machine to the right. You select the food you want and pay and the machine prints out a ticket. Then you hand it to the chef behind the counter and he cooks it for you.
But then I thought -- genius. The chef never has to handle money (yay for cleanliness!) and there's never any language confusion about what is ordered, as he has the ticket in front of him. The process is so simple.

Unfortunately, we still had a slight language problem when we had trouble deciphering which photo above corresponded to the order button on the machine. The picture below is what I wanted to order.
And this is what I got.
Fortunately, I LOVED what I got. A hot soup full of udon noodles, greens, and tempura flakes. It was amazing! If I had to order again, I would have ordered the exact same dish. And it only cost about four dollars.

A vending machine item never tasted so good :-)

That's Quite a Welcome

On our first full day in Tokyo, we set out to find sushi for lunch. I love sushi and wanted to eat it as much as I could during my trip.

My husband and I noticed a rotating sushi place in Ueno that was crowded at 11am. There were restaurants all around the area, but this was the only one that was crowded. As a restaurant fan, I know that if a place is crowded with locals, it has to be good.

"There," I said. "I want to go there." We peered through the glass but there wasn't a seat available. I glanced around at the other restaurants in the area and then back at this one. I really wanted to eat there. We were about to step away when I noticed two people getting up from the counter.

"Come on." I grabbed my husband's hand and we entered the restaurant.

The entire staff shouted the welcome of "irasshaimase" as we sat down at the counter. A female staff member demonstrated how to make our green tea with the cups, hot water spigot, and container of powered green tea that was within reach at all times. And then the fun began. We pulled plates of tuna sashimi and spicy tuna with avocado off the rotating belt. The tuna melted in our mouths and we knew we had struck gold.
My husband and I are very quiet people so we talked in low tones as we ate, mainly focusing on the atmosphere around us. The sushi chef was only a few feet away from us and he talked in Japanese to other clients as he prepared dishes.

We were getting ready to leave when the chef placed this in front of me.
"Welcome," he said. "On the house gift."

After hours of traveling (18 to be exact) and suffering from jet lag, this kindness almost made me cry. I thanked him as I picked up my chopsticks.

He said, "Enjoy. But has wasabi, very hot."

I smiled and nodded. I was a pro at wasabi. I ate it all the time back at home.

I dipped the first piece in some shoyu (soy sauce) and put it in my mouth. It was delicious at first but then the wasabi fumes reached the back of my throat. I started to cough but quickly washed it down with some green tea.

My first lesson: Japanese wasabi is not the same as the wasabi we have in America.

I picked up another piece and put it in my mouth, determined not to let the same thing happen. I managed to swallow but my eyes had started to water.

The chef was watching me. "Good?"

I blinked back a few tears. "Good. But hot."

He handed me a tissue.

My husband and I laughed as I dabbed my eyes.

My husband and I shared the plate, each having four pieces. He ate all four quickly and although he agreed the wasabi was very hot, he had swallowed quickly to avoid the effects and was now sipping green tea and watching what I was going to do.

I stared at the two remaining pieces. I would not leave a piece on the plate after the chef had been so kind. The welcome plate had to be finished.

And so I continued, picking up the third piece and after swallowing, drinking lots of green tea and dabbing my eyes with the tissue.

Three down, one to go.

I took a sip of green tea and picked up the fourth piece. The wasabi flared into my nose and tears filled my eyes but I chewed and swallowed.

When I put my chopsticks down, the chef beamed and handed me two lollipops that were shaped like sushi.

I thanked him and the rest of the staff and we paid and were on our way.

Outside, I turned to my husband. "Well," I said as I put my hand on my stomach which was warming from the inside. "That was quite a welcome."

Japan, how I love thee...

I just got back from my trip to Japan and all I can say is WOW. What an amazing place!

I took lots of pictures of food, but unfortunately 95% of the time I had no idea what I was eating. The places had pictures of food on the menus, but most descriptions were in Japanese. It was more of a guessing game, but a very delicious one.

However, there is one dish that I can talk about with ease. Sushi.

I LOVE sushi. I could eat it all the time. Unfortunately I feel that Japan has now spoiled me. I was warned that once I had sushi in Japan, it would never taste the same anywhere else.

The warnings were right. The sushi in Japan melts in your mouth. Seriously.
The picture above was taken at a sushi bar just outside the Tsukiji fish market. The two to the left are tuna, the middle is albacore, and the far right is minced tuna.

To say that the fish is so soft that you don't have to chew would be an understatement. I love tuna but albacore has always been my favorite. At the restaurant that morning, I announced to my husband that I can never eat albacore again (unless I am in Japan). The pieces of albacore I ate - and yes, I ordered much more than was pictured above - were absolute perfection. Sigh...

I guess I'll just have to go to Japan again! :)

One thing I found interesting was that there wasn't the large decorative rolls that I see in the US. Not sure why - perhaps Alisha can provide some insight? The hubby's thought was that since the fish is so amazing in Japan, you want to enjoy just the fish.

More fun pictures to come!