Ok, i admit it, that was slightly over dramatic. It's not disgusting, certainly not eggplant casserole disgusting. Its rather pleasant, you could even call it tasty at times. Perhaps because I've been sick and lost a bit of my appetite, I haven't found much of it all that appealing. There just isn't as much variety as i imagined.
A bit like aeroplane food, there are really only two options. Despite the numerous items on the menu's, you either have chicken or pork, with cabbage and rice or noodles. Sometimes there's a sauce like substance. This was fine for the first few days, but man i was hankering for a fresh piece of fruit after a while. But fruit is rare and expensive here. That first apple i managed to get my hands on and devour never tasted so delicious. Beef is expensive because there are no cows in japan apparently, or perhaps only a few, as they take up too much space to farm. Lamb does not exist.
But that is nothing compared to the next shocking piece of slightly over exaggerated and most likely half ignorant piece of information i am about to reveal...
There is very little sushi here. And I haven't seen one sushi bar this whole time.
We've been lied to. I was totally expecting sushi train's and sushi bars on every street corner. Just like it is in Sydney. For weeks before i left i was getting my taste buds ready with regular trips to japanese eateries and chomping down sushi in eager anticipation. But i haven't eaten a slice of fish wrapped in rice and seaweed since i arrived. I'm gutted. Perhaps there are hidden underground sushi bars that i haven't discovered yet, simply passed them by...
Maybe its just a similar story to Fosters. Many people from other countries believe that is the beer that Aussie's love to drink, but nobody sells it in Oz yet alone drinks it. Maybe we simply made the choice to believe that everybody in Japan ate sushi for breakfast, lunch and dinner but in reality its very different. You all believed that right? It wasn't just me?
Anyways, last night Dad and myself were booked into a lovely little hidden away restaurant operated by a former sumo wrestling champion. Lovely fellow. Tall and broad, but weighing a lot less than he used to, he always wears his sumo outfit, shows off his sumo hair in a glass box that he cut off when he retired 13 years ago, and welcomes photos with his guests.
Our meal consisted of a huge broth filled with pork, chicken, cabbage (no surprised there), sprouts, one mushroom, some tofo, and udon noodles that you stir all together and boil yourself.
It was very filling, probably rather healthy and tasted pretty amazing at times. Definately the pick of the meals here so far. The pork belly i ate on our first night in town comes a close second. Overall however, i remain skeptical of the food here. I reckon the following cartoon summarises my feelings when it comes to eating japanese food after a massive day of adventures on the mountain:
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