Raw squid and other things I cant have again
Lessons I learned in my 2 weeks trying everything I could in Japan, Singapore and Malaysia
I’m very critical, I don’t like this about myself because it makes me see things in a negative light more often than not. My standards for food are extremely high and putting these two things together often means I’m disappointed. This also means I am willing to try ANYTHING in hopes I will be surprised and mesmerized. I am in constant search for my Ratatouille moment.
With that preamble out of the way, we just came back from a bucket list-checking trip. We spent 2 weeks going around Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto), Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur) and Singapore. The first thing I did was to book food tours, we went to 4 in total. Two were in Japan, one in the Tsukiji market (where I got my second born, a beautiful Japanese Deba knife) and one bar hopping tour. In Singapore, we tried Michelin guide Hawke Market food and in Malaysia we went to Sambal St and had the best food tour of my life. I will get into more detail on why it was so special in my next post.
I spent 2 weeks trying everything I could, I wanted to change my palate and preferences. I wanted to broaden them because I hate being picky. I pushed it so hard that I (TMI) gagged trying a few things. A few years ago I wrote, The art of appreciating food you don't like. I exercised a lot of that during this trip because I really really really wanted to love everything. I wanted this trip to change my assumption about Asian cuisine in general, broaden my perspective on what I thought it was and crave all the dishes I came across. That did not happen, but I also don’t want to be negative because there is a lot I did love.
So here are some of the things I hope to never have again paired nicely with something I absolutely hope to have again. Life is all about balance, you know?
Fresh Raw Seafood // Fresh delicious fruit
I have PTSD from trying to eat raw squid, it took me too long to chew. Just typing this makes me think of the moment I was tearing up trying to swallow. It was not a good time and I definitely shouldn’t have started with squid, learned my lesson. I do feel accomplished because now I can eat salmon sashimi with so much ease. I never thought I would look forward to getting to the raw fish on my plate, look how far I have gotten! It was incredible to see how much care the Chefs in Japan take when dealing with fish. Every cut was thought out and precise. Did you know, that in Japan if a restaurant sells fresh fish, the chef would make a decorated plate of the fish being served and place the head and tail on the top of their counters.
Fresh Fruit!!!! Watermelon revived me in the depths of Singapore’s heat. In Malaysia, it brought me so much joy to have the most delicious mangosteens. In Japan, we had peaches and figs in the most beautiful desserts you could imagine. Everybody knows how much I love fruit and how important they are for my well-being, I need to have some every day. Asia has amazing produce because they care about food and it all comes down to how we treat ingredients. Canada, the USA and to be completely honest, Mexico, don’t care about our produce, we treat it as luxury and it's concerning. True health comes from good raw ingredients, not substitutes. We can skip importing Durian though.
Jell-o texture on everything // Incredible drinks
I was so excited to cross off my bucket list my bento box going from Tokyo to Kyoto on the Shinkansen train. I made the horrible mistake of choosing the expensive BEAUTIFUL bento box rather than the one that looked delicious (side note: the packaging of everything in Japan is extremely beautiful and I must say I fell for them multiple times). This was a pivotal mistake because I got fish jell-o and it ruined my meal. Sad bento box day, but again I learned my lesson, go for the delicious-looking bentos, not the pretty ones!
I had so many delicious drinks. Starting with the plum sake that I should have bought and shipped back. We had Calamansi water which was so refreshing I am seriously looking into ways Canada can start importing Calamansi. A Calamansi citrus pie sounds like something that should exist in my kitchen. I had coffee that made me cry of joy in Tokyo. On the plane there, Ian asked me if I thought I was going to cry over any food this time, I said yes, expecting it would be over a bowl of ramen so I was surprised I cracked over coffee, I am not a coffee girl, but this was SO SO GOOD!
Chewy Meats // Noodles
On our bar hopping tour, we stopped at a skewer place. The guide was so excited for us to try the 4 mystery meats he had chosen. I was less amused than him, I generally don’t mind taste but the texture kills me, I can’t do greasy, chewy or worse, chewy and crunchy. We had intestine (which I actually eat, caved by peer pressure), trachea (I hated too much the crunch), pig forehead and tongue. Our tour guide said Angelina Jolie has a chiselled jawline because she eats trachea every day, so take note. The chewy texture some people call tenderness was not for me and this applied to a lot of the meat we had. Pork belly does not make my belly happy. But just to add for the record, I do believe we should be eating every single part of the animals so please eat all the jelly parts for me.
YEAH NOODLES! How easily and cheaply you can get a bowl of delicious noodles soup should be mandatory in every city in the world. One of my favourite experiences was getting a ticket for curry udon and seeing them move with so much ease to prepare a perfect bowl of soup. It seems to be a family business and the atmosphere felt so homey. I felt so comforted by my udon I didn’t want to leave, but that was not the place to hang out, you eat you leave. I enjoyed this experience so much. Next time I want to take an udon or noodle class.
All the food I had was basically cooked in front of me. I had no doubt throughout the whole trip that I was eating very fresh food. It is commendable how seriously these countries take their food. Japan has fancy stores for fruit! They respect tradition and speaking mostly about Singapore, which is a big mix of so many cultures, they care to preserve what they have created. Our guide explained that Singaporean food is not fusion food, is international food, it has a little of everything but it is its own cuisine. The most clear example is the addition of coconut to South Chinese dishes. Malaysia, also a big mix of cultures, incorporates a lot more palm sugar into their dishes, they love the sweets.
I can’t wait to go back to Asia and try many more things I won’t like but also be surprised but things that will bring me so much joy, comfort and even tears. I have no plans yet but South Korea, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand and Taiwan are high on my list. And of course, the eventual trip to the countryside of Japan is a must. What are your suggestions? Can you remember a dish you tried on a trip that you still think about? Do you remember something you really didn’t like?
What an amazing food experience you had, beautiful pictures, congratulations!!
You were very brave. I was not as adventurous as you with your food selections when I was in Japan.