I Should Learn the Japanese Kanji for Raw
Last night I ate raw chunks of chicken dipped in raw egg. Last week, it was slices of raw horsemeat. I passed on the sliced raw liver. No, I am not Hannibal Lector, nor am I trying to kill myself one spoonful of salmonella at a time. I am simply in Japan — and letting our Japanese friends order their favorite dishes.
In the US, Japanese food is rarely ever my choice because I love Mexican, Italian, Thai and Chinese too much. And American Japanese food usually equates to sushi, ramen, or teriyaki. Here in Japan, options are much more plentiful — and creative — and I find I actually like most of them. However, I do not read Japanese Kanji and since many smaller restaurants do not have English menus, this is where the problems begin.
Whenever we go out with local friends they do the ordering for us. The conversation always starts out with, “Is there anything you don’t eat?”
In a country where poisonous blowfish is considered a delicacy I guess I should be more specific. Initially, I would say nothing slimy. After last week, I added horse. Going forward, I’ll be adding no raw meat or eggs, please to the list. But how do you know what to say if you don’t know what your choices are? That is the conundrum I’m up against. There are a LOT of things I don’t want to eat, but if they’re not even a food option am I just insulting our host?
“I’m sorry, but I don’t eat placenta or tapeworms…”
“Well…neither do we! We’re not animals!” our friend would say before storming off.
No, here in Japan the list must be built using a trial by fire or perhaps more accurately, a trail of tears, I fear. In the name of global diplomacy I will have to ‘take one for the team’ over and over.
The next time, I’m served yet another dish that makes me want to throw up just a little, I’ll simply pull out my notebook and add it to my list.
“So what exactly is the Kanji for this, please? If you could just add it right there. Yes, under the raw chicken chunks…”
Lists will be for sale soon. At a very high price.
