March 10, 2006
tasteEverything
The awards are being annouced for the 2006 Independent Food Festival. Check them out
Back from the east
My month long excursion to Japan is now over. It was in a word amazing. All that I hoped to do on the trip I did. I drank and ate my way through a good portion of Japan. The train carried me (real fast) north from Osaka to Sapporo and then back down ending in Osaka a month later. Tokyo is a site to be seen - more crazy and amazing then i ever thought it could be.
Overall the food was some of the best I have ever had. Your every day random restaurant serves a higher quality of food then I am use to in every day places in new york. And some of the places i went that specializes in a type of food served meals with bright tasty food that sang out in support of the main ingredient.
The Japanese are also food crazy. I don't think the term foodie would ever make much sense in Japan. Everyone has a favorite ramen place. Most people know that you have to get to the fish market early and pick up what you need for dinner. And they love to play with food. "Ice cream city" or "Gyoza stadium" - it is all fun. This is the country that brought us Iron Chef. TV is full of food shows. During prime time I watched many variety shows where the hosts went on an expedition to a great chicken place or a grilled meat place. Off hours - elaborate cooking shows took place where chefs would show a host how to make a very complex dish.
Oh and the pastries...ok i could go on and on - and will! For the foreseeable future i will post stories and photos from my trip. Viva la Nihon no tabemono (viva Japanese food)!