Tokyo, Japan: Itadakimasu!
Itadakimasu! This usually said before beginning a meal. A direct translation of this would be “I humbly receive,” but it’s more of saying thanks for the food I’m about to eat.
The meals in Japan are relatively around the same times as America in terms of breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For breakfast in Kyoto, to save money, I would usually pick up some onigiri and some type of bread at the convenience store the night before. An onigiri is rice that is packed into a shape covered in seaweed. Onigiris can also be filled. My favorite so far is tuna and mayonnaise. I’m currently in Tokyo, and the hotel I’m staying at serves complimentary breakfast. It’s a buffet style with various selection of foods from western style like toast to Japanese style. I usually opted to go for the Japanese style in which I usually pick up a scoop of rice, miso soup, fish, and some other sides.
I’ve been eating lunches in either restaurants or when I was at Doshisha University in Kyoto, I ate at their cafeteria. The cafeteria had a wide selection, such as, udons, ramens, and curry rice. Sometimes when the cafeteria gets too crowded, I opted for a bento, which just usually consists of rice, and various kinds of sides (which can include fish, tempura, chicken, vegetables, etc.).
Dinners are mainly eaten at restaurants since we don’t have kitchens to cook in. So far, I’ve tried ramen, okonomiyaki, tsukemen, and oyakodon. And… I had pasta one time since I was craving something non-Japanese. I would say my favorite meal so far is okonomiyaki. Okonomiyaki is a Japanese styled pancake with batter and various toppings, and usually cooked in front of you on a flat grill. I think the reason why I like it is because it’s so rich in flavor. It usually contains noodles, a type a meat, and cabbage within batter. To top it off, okonomiyaki sauce, seaweed flakes, Japanese mayonnaise, and bonito is added. With this mixture of sauces, toppings, and the main pancake creates something delicious and savory.
One of my more interesting meals is when I visited a Buddhist temple and got to experience eating an all vegan Buddhist meal. It was beautifully presented and consisted of miso soup, tofu, various vegetables, and roots. I’m not exactly sure of everything I ate, but surprisingly the meal was very filling and delicious! I had a slight misconception of what vegan meals may be like, but this meal changed my mind.
Gochisousama-deshita! And this is usually said when the meal is finished. Which is just saying thanks for the meal.
