Bon Appétit

The weekend of June 6th thru 8th seemed to be all about food in Osaka.

A great number of us were staying in the hotel that I found, but we each sort of had our own agendas. Louise was in the market to buy costumes for the various approaching parties. Sean was going to a Metal and Rock bar. Claire Maya and Emma were bicycling around, and Janet, Take and I were just casually enjoying Osaka. We all grouped together Saturday evening for a lovely Mexican dinner at our absolute favorite restaurant. To our horror and dismay they were having a birthday party and could not seat a group of our size. They wouldn't even let us wait for a table. We were so angry. Maybe we left an angry not on their cork board, maybe we didn't... I'm not pointing any fingers... but we weren't happy about the whole situation to say the least.


So, abandon ship. Damn. I really wanted nachos and margaritas. What now. Well how about Indian. Sean says "There's this really great place by the Dotonburi bridge..." and then Take and I say "no no, I know this place, we got a flyer for it...its by the Dotonburi bridge..." We're actually talking about the same place, how embarrassing for us. But regardless of our individual shame, we go there anyway.

The thing that I cannot understand about Indian food restaurants in Osaka is their spice level gauge. I can't handle things that are too spicy, so I usually get a 1, 2, or 3 if I'm feeling really brave. Louise sometimes gets a 5 or a 6, and that tastes like death in your mouth. Its so spicy. Reasonable so far, right? Now, keep looking at the chart, and you'll notice it goes up to 50. 50?!?!? If a 6 is unpalatable for me, I cannot even imagine what a 50 would do. Are there people who can eat a 50? Is it there to show off? I honestly believe that much spice going into your stomach would kill you. Maybe I'm just naïve. Sean has to catch a bus home that night for a date, so he leaves after dinner.

The food was great. We stuffed ourselves silly, as usual, and then head out for a quick Karaoke. Nomihoudai (all you can drink), standard fare. We sing for an hour and a half and then leave. The highlight of the night was a song "Osaka Strut" which Take sung, that involved really really fast Japanese talking and just generally sounding impressive.

After the karaoke, we went to martini bar. It was way too crowded as usual but we found little spots to occupy. Louise ordered a dish called "Lucifer's Pizza." Called that for its spiciness, it wasn't that bad, or that spicy. One would have a very puny image of Lucifer after experiencing such a mediocre pizza. Janet heads home a bit early. She's had a long week of her sisters visiting and has been in Osaka the whole time. She needed to rest. Louise and Claire find a man working at the bar who looks like Andrew Dahms, one of the JETs who is in Tokushima, but fatter. She asks me to try to get sneaky pictures of him to show people, but finally ends up calling him over and posing with him.

Meanwhile we get a call from Janet, who, while walking home, was stopped by 2 big guys (one had a blue mohawk) asking to see her passport. They said they were doing routine checks, but police never do that here, especially not undercover in punk attire. They were clearly Yankees either trying to scare her, or worse. She showed her Foreign ID card, and ran away from them, going to the hotel and locking the doors. Janet has the worst luck in Osaka, I swear... :( That's never happened to me. But then again, I'm not a pretty girl...

The next morning Janet wakes up early to go home by bus. Louise wakes up early to do some costume shopping in Umeda. Claire Take Maya Emma and I meet at Choco Cro for breakfast. We then make plans to eat nachos and drink margaritas at the Mexican place for happy hour. Figure around 3. We leave breakfast at 11o'clock. Emma goes off shopping on her own and Take Claire Maya and I wander. Around 1, we get a call from Louise and meet her in Namba. We then decide that we want nachos earlier than expected and go to happy hour then. We phone up Emma and she says to go without her.

The best part about the Mexican restaurant is that during the afternoon you pay half price for food and drinks. Its almost encouraging sinful behavior. We get the largest pitcher of strawberry margarita that they sell and set to work devouring nachos and drinking. We invent a Japanese word. "Koi-ppoi" which, obeying grammar rules means "carp-like," but it really just sounds like nonsense to native Japanese speakers. During a brilliant game of mash-someones-face-to-make-them-uglier, we decide (we being Louise and I) that its high time we make a video. The others reluctantly agree.

Here it is (video).

Fortunately I have pictures of this week, and here they are! (pictures)

posted by Living and Teaching in Tokushima @ 8:43 AM Comments: 0