My husband and I lived and worked in Japan for 5 years. It was a great experience.
Living in a foreign country forces you to try new things – especially food! I grew up in a house where global food was Tex-Mex. The only exception was the lutefisk and lefse my Swedish grandfather would bring over. So eating raw fish was a bit outside my comfort zone.
But once I got there I learned that raw fish is sashimi, not sushi, and that it’s quite delicious. Sushi is the combination of rice, seaweed and a filling, which may or may not be raw fish. But Japanese cuisine is much more than raw fish.
I love yakitori. It’s chicken on a stick with green onion and a kind of teriyaki sauce. Kobe beef is amazing! And every Christmas Eve our family celebrates with a meal of Shabu Shabu – beef, vegetable and noodles we cook at the table. Or try yakiniku. We bought a table top grill and cut some steak. We also cut some veggies and bought some sauces. And then we had a romantic meal at home while we cooked dinner at the table. And it was much cheaper than eating out.
Recipes are all over the internet. They are the easiest way to practice creativity. And it’s practical. You have to eat! Read the recipe, buy the ingredients and give it a try.
