- One More Food Indulgence To Go
I have a confession to make.
Even as I raised alarm over binge eating in Japan in the previous blog post, it did not stop me from having Kobe beef steak on the day of departure. Too many friends told me not to give it a miss since I was already in Kobe.
It wasn’t the first time I had Kobe beef. And as always, it did not disappoint. Its flavour, tenderness and marbled fat, called shimofuri, which dissolved at low temperatures, gave it a melt-in-the-mouth sensation. And not to forget those crispy and flavourful garlic chips which went very well with the rice.
Just in case you ask, here is the location of the steakhouse, Steakland (ステーキランド, pronounced as su-te-ki-ran-do). For the lunch set, it cost about ¥3,200 (S$40).
- The Battle Ain’t Over
Unless you intend to fly home empty-handed, the lure of Japanese food does not simply end after you leave this country of many food temptations. The second round of battle: Japanese snacks.
Here are some of my family’s favourites:
No. 1: Hokkaido Grilled Scallops
No. 2: Tokyo Milk Cheese Factory
No. 3: Tokyo Banana
No. 4: The Loved Ones In White Winter (白色恋人, shi-roi-koi-bito)
And be impressed by the Japanese creation of Pocky, Pringles and Pretz snacks available. They come in all sorts of flavour such as sakura, takoyaki and even cow tongue!
The fun part was to pick and pack the snacks for our loved ones according to their preferences. I gave my wife and the two children each a goodie bag of snacks. I told them it’s a fortune bag (福袋), a pack of surprises given during the New Year celebrations in Japan. They were delighted by the choices I made.
As for me, I kept away from the snacks. Heeding the words of a wise friend Anding, I have been taking light meals since my return. And I raised the intensity of my exercise regime a few notches. The result was a flattering remark from my son Conan this morning,
”Dad, do you see the toning of your tummy muscles? Keep training and you are going to see your six packs soon.”
That was really encouraging. But son, that was because I was holding my breath! (laughs)
William W. K. Tan
11 March 2018, Sunday