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I`m pretty sure I like Japanese food, I`m just not really certain what it is. Nobody has given me a list, and I know there`s far more to it than just soba noodles and sushi.
Last week, wandering around tourist-free Tokyo, I tried a couple of dishes that are not traditional Japanese, but they are unique to Japan. I have called them Japanish.
My first Japanish dish was in Asakusa at Yoshikami Yoshokudo. Yoshokudo means western diner, but the name is just a cunning disguise. The chefs and patrons are all Japanese, as are their main dishes – like omuraisu.
Omuraisu was first served in Osaka in the 1920s. Now you can get it anywhere in Japan. It consists of sticky rice, mixed with fried pork, wrapped in a fried egg and hosed with tomato ketchup.
It`s kids food in adult portions. Eating it, I felt nine years old, but the sweet tomato ketchup was worth all the shame.
A couple of days later, near Shinjuku, I went to a restaurant for some French curry. French curry sounds like a dreadful idea, as appealing as English sushi, but the small counter-seating only restaurant is always full.
The enthusiastic head chef told me he had studied French cuisine for several years. Adding red wine to curry sauce seemed to be his specialisation.
The meal came as a pleasant surprise. Smooth sweet and satisfying, it was the only best French curry I have ever had.
Japanish food does stretch credibility at times. You sometimes wonder if they are jokes, like the pineapple chunk sandwiches, horseradish flavoured Kit-Kats and ice burger buns on sale at conbini stores. I don`t recommend all of those, not in one sitting anyway, but trust me, Japanish food is here to stay.