FROMTHEARCHIVES
97
FEASTING INOSAKA
There isJapanese food, and then
there isOsakan food. Indeed,here in
Osaka, thecountry’sunofficialculinary
capitalof thesouth, I indulged inan
eight-day food trip likenoother.
Afterawalk through the lively
Dotonboridistrict, itwaseasy tosee
why thecity issometimescalled“the
kitchenofJapan”.Ononebuilding’s
façadeahuge,motorizedoctopus
beckonedwould-begourmands to
delicioushelpingsof
takoyaki
,or
octopusballs;onanother, agrinning
chef-robotbrandished
kushiyaki
(skeweredmeat)sticksas if they
werenunchucks.Therewerealso
bizarreballoonsresembling
fugu
, the
poisonouspufferfish that isa tasty
—and,whenprepared improperly,
potentiallydeadly—delicacyaround
theseparts.
Allof these foodscamewith the
Osakanguaranteeofperfection.
Even thestandardJapanese fare—
theramens, thegyozas, thekatsu
curries— tastedbetterunder
Dotonbori’sglitteringneon lights.
My tastebudswerepamperedand
myolfactorysensescaressed,buta
certainsadnessaccompanied this
gustatorybliss, too, for inOsakaI
knewI’dreached thepinnacleof
Japanesecuisine.After leaving,
Japanese foodwouldnever taste the
sameagain.
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2010
