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observations on Japan #54
May. 28th, 2008 02:58 amToday's Engrish t-shirt message: ARCANE RITUAL: GOOSE GREASE WITH ERESSEA. Do you think I could make this shit up? No way.
I think I've finally figured out why I have so much trouble with Japanese cuisine -- particularly as served in restauraunts. I realized at some point that the fancier the restaurant, the more trouble I had with the food. It's because Japanese cuisine puts extremely heavy emphasis on presentation -- making the food look special, attractive, and colorful, and in many cases, as little like its main ingredient as possible.
The problem is that doing so conflicts with my almost neurotic need to know what the hell I'm eating. I'm more willing to eat a dish prepared by my parents than one served at a restaurant, even if it's the same dish -- and more likely to eat my own cooking than even food prepared by my family. The more of the preparation I can oversee, the more secure I will feel thaat no objectionable elements have gone into it, and the more comofrtable I will be eating it.
But when I'm confronted with an extremely delicate, painstakingly prepared Japanese restaurant dish -- well, at least part of it is that I don't have the knowledge database to identify all the traditional dish elements, but a lot of it is that it just doesn't look like food. What the heck is this white, translucent slice of stuff? Is this raw fish, or perhaps a sliced root vegetable? And what is this substance served on top of it, which has been rendered to consistancy of jelly? Other, more adventurous people might be able to just take the plunge, put it in their mouth and then figure out from there what it is. But if I can't recognize it, then it doesn't register as food to my brain, and if it doesn't register as food, then I can't eat it.
It is perhaps an exaggeration that I'd be happiest if I could oversee my food from the moment of butchering/harvesting till it lands on my plate, but the reverse is definitely not attractive to me. :(
I think I've finally figured out why I have so much trouble with Japanese cuisine -- particularly as served in restauraunts. I realized at some point that the fancier the restaurant, the more trouble I had with the food. It's because Japanese cuisine puts extremely heavy emphasis on presentation -- making the food look special, attractive, and colorful, and in many cases, as little like its main ingredient as possible.
The problem is that doing so conflicts with my almost neurotic need to know what the hell I'm eating. I'm more willing to eat a dish prepared by my parents than one served at a restaurant, even if it's the same dish -- and more likely to eat my own cooking than even food prepared by my family. The more of the preparation I can oversee, the more secure I will feel thaat no objectionable elements have gone into it, and the more comofrtable I will be eating it.
But when I'm confronted with an extremely delicate, painstakingly prepared Japanese restaurant dish -- well, at least part of it is that I don't have the knowledge database to identify all the traditional dish elements, but a lot of it is that it just doesn't look like food. What the heck is this white, translucent slice of stuff? Is this raw fish, or perhaps a sliced root vegetable? And what is this substance served on top of it, which has been rendered to consistancy of jelly? Other, more adventurous people might be able to just take the plunge, put it in their mouth and then figure out from there what it is. But if I can't recognize it, then it doesn't register as food to my brain, and if it doesn't register as food, then I can't eat it.
It is perhaps an exaggeration that I'd be happiest if I could oversee my food from the moment of butchering/harvesting till it lands on my plate, but the reverse is definitely not attractive to me. :(
