Japanese culture has certain customs you should know so you can show respect and not offend anyone. First, don’t be afraid to dine out in Japan. Keep in mind you’ll be a part of over 20 million tourists visiting Japan each year. Yes, locals have their customs when dining in public, but they are not watching you, waiting to call you out. So, let’s talk about a few general table manners when dinning in Japan to fit in and have respect.

General Table manners

When it comes to table manners, Japanese customs are meaningful but second in nature. Slurping at the dinner table is normal when eating dishes like Ramen or Miso soup. Drawing in air while drinking soup or eating noodles helps cool down the food and enhances the intended flavors. It is also conveying you’re enjoying the meal, but don’t go crazy, like most other cultures, certain noises are disrespectful. When your finished eating you may automatically set your chopsticks on the table but in Japan this message is that you are not finished yet. Setting them sideways across your plate is recommended. In Japan you’ll become accustomed to the practice of politeness, so at the end of your meal it is customary to put things back in place like it was originally.

Hand Towels are not for washing your face. Dining at home, washing your hands before a meal is taken for granted. The hand towelette is to wash your hands before and throughout the meal. At the end of the meal place it on top of the opened package as a sign that your finished

Dipping Etiquette

When eating sushi to not dip the rice in soy sauce, it is an insult to the chef. The taste of sushi is created to already be perfect. Also, the rice will be compromised and break apart. If you use soy sauce just touch the fish to the sauce. Do not double dip food in community sauces. Take what you will use on tour plate. Don’t take too much and leave unused sauces behind, it’s considered wasteful.

Tipping

There is no tipping in Japan. The set price of the meal includes everything.

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McDonald’s in Japan

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McDonald’s in Japan has the same menu as in America, but they do offer items only available in the Japanese locations. The French fries at McDonald’s are seasoned with salt but in Japan they offer Shake Fries. The fries come with a seasoning packet and a bag, you shake it up and have ramen noodle flavored fries. They have a version of the Big Mac called the Mega Tomago. The difference is they add an extra beef patty and an egg. Adding an egg to a burger sounds good to me. The next Item is unique to the menu in Japan, it’s called the Gracoro Burger. This burger is a croquet filled with macaroni, shrimp and a cream sauce. The croquet is between two buns with a brown sauce and a bed of cabbage. This doesn’t sound appealing on many levels; I’ll pass on this one.

Wendy’s Japan

Wendy’s in Japan has a very similar menu as in America, but they offer pasta in many varieties, like brown beef stew pasta, creamy pasta with salmon and avocado, tomato sauce with eggplant and bacon pasta and seasoned Hakata cod roe spaghetti. I think I’ll stick with the burgers and fries. One sandwich that is different in Japan is the Roppongi bacon egg and cheese burger. Its everything in the name with tartar sauce. I say no to tartar sauce on burgers

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Burger Kings Japan menu offers many of the same items just in massive sizes, like the five-patty anniversary burger or even bigger, the Windows seven burger with 7 patties. With a more unique twist they offer the Bolognese Burger. This is a pork patty, topped with cheese, a hash brown, and Bolognese sauce. This actually sound like it would be good; I’d try it. This next item is the Ringo burger. It’s a whopper but they substitute the tomato with a grilled apple slice to add sweetness. This doesn’t sound terrible but not sure I’d order it.

Japanese cuisine is intriguing to me, it’s one of the reasons I want to travel there. I want to experience the culture and eat their traditional food. Although I am a picky eater, I do want to try things at least once. Recently I tried sushi, something I swore I would never try. Raw fish? Just the mention of it and I got woozy. I was having dinner with a friend and he ordered the spicy salmon roll. This was raw salmon in the center with a spicy sauce. The salmon was wrapped in rice and seaweed and he offered me a piece. I took it with my chopsticks and smelled it. There was no fishy smell like I expected, so I just shoved it in my mouth and started chewing. The texture surprised me. The seaweed wrap was chewy and earthy tasting and the rice was firm. Then the raw salmon, it melted in my mouth. With the spicy element and the soft salmon together was umami. I liked it and eventually had another piece. So, my verdict is, to eat sushi.

Natto is fermented soybeans. This delicacy is usually eaten for breakfast in Japan and it has many health benefits. This superfood’s taste has an earthy, fermented taste and is compared to cottage cheese or liver, so I’m told. The issue for most people is the smell and the gooey texture, if you can get past that then apparently the taste is earthy and umami. For me, I say natto is not to eat.

Uni is the Japanese word for sea urchin. The outside of a sea urchin is dark in color and round with long spikes. After carefully opening, the inside has the of the creature is a bright yellow-orange color, and the texture is creamy and custard like. The taste is described as salty, like tasting the sea but without being fishy. Uni is primarily used in sushi and eaten raw. The fresher the uni the better the quality, and taste. If I could get past the look and texture of this delicacy, I will probably try this, but I’m not holding my breath on this one and say, maybe eat uni.

Chirimen Jako are little white sardines. They usually are served in a bowl with a lime wedge. These are very small and look like small noodles, then you notice the little eyes looking back at you. The Japanese are fans of fishy tasting food and this one fits that niche. They are very nutritious, but I would need a few wedges of lime, maybe a lemon and an orange to even consider trying these little guys. my verdict is to not eat chirimen jako.

These were just three of many traditional foods from Japan that I want to try but I think I’d rather leave it to the locals. Let me try some foods that are more picky eater friendly like tempura ore mochi ice cream. I think going to a Japanese buffet would be a great idea to be able to try many traditional foods without committing to just one or two dishes. I know for certain I will find many foods at their buffets to fill up on and taste unique treats to satisfy my curiosity.

There are far too many street foods from Japan to mention in one blog post, but I will start with 3 choices that I think I’d enjoy. The first one on the list is something most of us have tried in some form or another. Tempura is simply a choice of vegetables, meat, or seafood, deep fried in a light airy batter. I think my favorite will be shrimp and pork but I must branch out so I will try some vegetables as well.

Next is another familiar street food I can identify with called yakitori. This is different types of meat or organs that have been marinated and skewered, then grilled over charcoal.

This snack is very popular in Japan and many yakitori food stands are famous and considered mandatory destinations when going out with friends, like this place, Iseya Koen-ten.

Lastly and most adventurous for me will be takoyaki. This street food is cooked on a special grill made of consecutive half cylinders in a row. The cook pours a batter into the grill and starts to add ingredients like onions and garlic but the main attraction is a chunk of octopus. After a minute or two, the cook skillfully uses chopsticks to turn the ball over to cook evenly. Then they present a portion of about 8 takoyaki topped with a mayonnaise sauce, bonito flakes, and seaweed powder. The outside is crispy leaving the inside batter uncooked but hot and gooey. With the chewy octopus in the middle, this treat will take a lot of courage for me to try.

Since I have been interested in the Japanese culture, food has been the biggest influence on me. I discovered mochi while watching foodie videos on YouTube and was confused why this food was considered so good and tasty. It looked like a ball of gooey, sticky mess. It surely wasn’t appealing to this picky eater, but I appreciate culture, and I thought this was just another weird, culturally bizarre food.

Then I went to the grocery store “Aldi” and found they offered mochi ice cream balls. I was excited and had to try this weird food combined with one of my favorites, ice cream. The flavors they had were ripe strawberry, and green tea, so I got one of each.

Mochi is part of Japanese history and deeply woven into their culture. This food is very important spiritually and ceremonially. Mochi is considered soul food, literally. Mochi isn’t just food, it’s home to inadama, the soul or spirit that dwells within rice.

The word mochi is derived from the word “motsu” which means to have and hold. The samurai used mochi as a source of nutrients when traveling distances into battle. The light weight allowed them to travel longer distances without having to carry heavy food items.

Mochitsuki is a New Years tradition celebrated since the Heian period (794-1185). This tradition of making mochi is celebrated by families or even whole communities. The pounding of the soaked rice is an all day event involving entertaining performances and the participation of everyone. The belief is that the eating of the mochi while celebrating the new year will strengthen teeth and bones and bring wealth.

Appetizer

Paneer Pakora, Samosa, Aloo Tikki

I hadn’t tried Indian food before and couldn’t decide on what to try for the appetizer, so we chose the Darbar vegetable platter. This trio of deep-fried finger foods comes with a dark sauce for dipping that looks like soy sauce but has a mild savory flavor with a slight tanginess. Paneer Pakora is homemade cheese that is dipped in chick pea batter and deep fried. This is not your typical fried mozzarella stick with marinara. The chick pea batter is crispy, but the cheese doesn’t melt. The consistency is firm and hot, and squeaks when you chew it like a cheese curd. The Samosas’ are a triangular shaped deep-fried pastry filled with a mixture of potato, lentils, peas, onions and spices. The pastry is thick and crispy, but chewy at the same time. The filling is dense and mild in flavor, but the dipping sauce helps. Aloo Tikki is made with boiled potatoes and a variety of mild spices. Aloo means potato and the word tikki means croquette in Hindi, so basically is a fried potato cake. My favorite of the three is the samosa with that sauce, it’s so good.

Main Dishes

Dal Makhni

Chicken 65

I Am a Picky eater, but there is a Supper Club in Appleton I love, “The Red Ox”. This supper club is one of few still flourishing supper clubs in the Fox Valley area. I remember growing up, going to eat at a restaurant was a big deal. Our family did this rarely, but when we did, we went to supper club. The experience is unique, compared to chain restaurants that are everywhere today. Supper clubs were locally owned joints in a rural area, only open for supper with a limited menu. The homemade menu usually focused on surf-n-turf or a variety of steak choices. Most supper clubs now keep the menu relevant to modern cuisine, with choices like Shrimp Diane or Garlic Stuffed Tenderloin. One of the signatures of the supper club is the “Old Fashioned” This drink was born in the Wisconsin area around the time of prohibition. Because the quality of liquor wasn’t good, mixing it with sugar, bitters, fruit and soda improved the taste and a classic was born.

https://www.redoxseafoodandsteakhouse.com/index.php

I always considered Eastern cuisine to be out of my comfort zone. It seemed exotic because many of the ingredients were things I was never exposed to as a child. My friend wanted to share his favorite restaurant with me, but when he mentioned it was “Far East Korean & Japanese Cuisine”, I was hesitant. I hadn’t tried anything like octopus, satay, sweet potato noodles, or curries. He persuaded me by insisting on paying for our meal. How could I not accept?

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When entering the restaurant, you’re greeted by a gentleman behind a small bar that seats about 15 people. Most of the stools were occupied, but we settled into a couple of seats toward the end. My friend, Troy, took charge and ordered us a couple of large bottles of cold Japanese beer called Sapporo. The bartender poured beer into a tall glass. The ice-cold crispness of the dry Japanese rice lager hit the spot. Then we had some warm sake. This was served in a small clay carafe with a tiny clay cup. The contrast of the cold beer and the warm sake was really enjoyable. After contemplating the menu and a few suggestions from Troy, I ordered the tempura trio for my appetizer. After some convincing, we decided to share some sweet potato noodles. This was an item I was wary about. The noodles were a brown translucent color, and didn’t look appealing to me. Troy ordered the octopus bento box as his main dish. I ordered the beef bento box. We each got something that I really wasn’t looking forward to, a pan-fried soft-shell crab. 

We were seated at our table in the small, but comfortable, 15 to 20 table dining room. We first received the tempura. This looked like something I would eat all the time. Deep fried shrimp, chicken, and beef, battered in a light fluffy batter. It was served with some soy and plum sauce. I loved this, the crispy coating paired with the sauces and proteins was perfect.

Next came the soft-shell crab. This was testing my picky eating boundaries. Apparently, you eat the whole crab, shell and all. After watching Troy try his, I hesitantly took a bite. Wow! If I didn’t know better, I wouldn’t have known the shell of the crab was there. This was wonderful. I quickly called over the waiter and ordered a second. The appetizers were a success, I was very happy.

Before our entrees, we had the sweet potato noodles, they looked weird. Brown translucent noodles in a dark sauce was not appealing, but it smelled wonderful. Reluctantly I took a small taste. The noodles were the consistency of firm, chewy Jello, which I didn’t care for. The taste was very good, but didn’t taste like sweet potatoes. They were chewy and slimy noodles in a sweet soy sauce, mixed with green onions and bean sprouts. I liked it enough to eat my fair portion.

Finally, our bento boxes came. This was presented on a rectangular dish with portions separated in small squares. Both came with rice, edamame (boiled soybean pods with sea salt), stir fried vegetables, and half of an orange. Troy’s was with octopus, mine was with beef. The beef was sliced thin, with a savory sweet and spicy sauce. I was very pleased and loved everything but the veggies. Troy offered me a taste of his octopus; I wasn’t ready to try that yet. I really enjoyed trying a couple of new foods. The biggest surprise for me was the soft shell crab. It was my favorite item of the meal and I order it whenever possible. I recommend , “The Far East Restaurant” for someone who wants to try Korean/Japanese style cuisine, here is the Facebook page , https://www.facebook.com/FarEastAppleton/ .

This adventure continues almost like the first day played out, except for the rain. The next 3 days was overcast and raining half the time. during the day we were ok, wet but warm and doing fine. On the fourth night we encountered heavy rain, thunder and lighting. We had to spend most of the time in tents and eat dried foods like beef jerky, gorp and chocolate. No fire meant no frying fish or making those awful freeze-dried meals. That last night of rain was the worst. Our tents were flooded with streams of rain water flowing through them. Finally the storm passed and the morning came, greeting us with a worm sunrise. Everyone was soaked wet along with all the supplies. We agreed that this day would be spent hanging out our wet clothes and sleeping bags to dry. while waiting for dry clothes, some went fishing and some fixed up the camp site. Having no luck fishing we had to settle for freeze dried stew, yuck.

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After our clothes dried we packed the canoes and did a night paddle. We needed to get to our next campsite soon because the rain had put us behind schedule. More beautiful sites, and at night under the light of the biggest moon and the Milky Way. We made it to the campsite with no problems. Along the way our guide was collecting edible mushrooms and roots to cook a stew, we were low an food and no luck fishing. I thought this concoction smelled bad. The taste was even worse and not cooked all the way. The roots were chewy and the mushrooms were slimy. It was grainy like sand and tasted like dirt. Everyone else seemed to like it fine, guess I’m just a picky eater. Sadly we were making our way back to the lodge and going to heading home soon. This trip, although the food was not great, I went back three years consecutively, and made two more trips after High School with friends. I will never forget those canoe trips.

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