A taste of Japan in Seattle

Two of my favorite things from visiting Japan were the food and 100 Yen shops. A recent move across the country has unexpectedly brought me half way around the world again. Ah yes, for those of you who haven't heard, we now reside on the left coast. Hopefully that explains why I have been MIA for the last few months.

Daiso is sensory overload at its finest. My heart starts racing as I see the 5000+ items the store has to offer....all for around $1.50! No need to price compare, everything is dirt cheap. This Japanese Walmart has made its way to the West coast. Seattle is currently home to two stores as well as a few in California and BC. Wyatt and I have found the best compromise; he drops me off at the store and heads to Cafe Ladro or another fine Seattle coffee establishment. A few hours later he returns to peel me away from the glittery, overstocked shelves.

APM's Splendid Table recently ran a podcast including a piece on Ramen noodles. I'm sure that brings to mind your college days where $5 would get you 30 meals, but this is serious cuisine in Japan. The guy on the show recently went all over Japan just to eat Ramen! I would have opted for discovering the subtle differences in toro around Japan, but to each his own. The podcast prompted my craving and I dug up Samurai Noodles in the Chinatown/Uwajimaya area of Seattle. Think about bones simmering away for 30 plus hours to produce a lovely collagentaed white broth, fresh, homemade noodles and yummy toppings like scallions, sesame seed, and seaweed. Cup-o-Noodles has nothing on this stuff.

Ethnic foods have become my new comfort food over the last several years. I cook and eat Pho (Vietnamese noodle soup) more than anything else. Curries, coconut milk, and chilies stock my pantry. Dim sum is my weekend brunch. I work my way through the Indian Buffet line like a pro. I find nothing unusual about picking raw tuna, salmon eggs, or sea urchin off a conveyor belt for my dinner. Viva globalization!


Thought for the Day: Variety's the very spice of life that gives it all its flavor~William Cowper