Before every meal rush of anticipationovertakes me.
It's been like this since I was a kid.
I remember walking through themarket with my mom tugging her hand with purpose.
The food stands.
They calledfor me.
Eventually I end up letting go but only when my nose smelled somethingdelicious.
It drew me in like a spell and before mymom knew it my face was pressed against the displays.
Since then food has become asort of my own Odyssey, an adventure in its own right.
Through the 'Hungry' serieswe discuss the swirling flavors and excited palettes.
Taste first, ask questionslater mindset and always with an afterthought.
"Should we grab dessert?" Our first destination is Japan and we visit the collective string of cities: Tokyo,Osaka and Kyoto.
Chaotic but orderly Eccentric yet reserved Traditional alongside contemporary Japan proves to be the land of contrasting personalitieswhere all differences are set aside when it comes to flavors.
If you are watchingthis video then you probably are where I was a year ago.
You booked a trip toJapan in a spontaneous moment like I did and are beginning to realize that thecountry has a lot to offer.
And by this I of course am talking aboutfood.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
However in Japan you'll behard-pressed to find somewhere open early in the morning.
You can instead head to theconvenience stores as you'll find they're one of the only places open andthey happen to be everywhere.
Here you can find variety of baked goods instantfood and my favorite go-to breakfast in Japan the onigiri.
Unwrapping the onigirican be tricky so we prepared a step by step instruction so you don't end upwith a mess.
Step One: 99% of people will not get thisstep wrong.
Pull the tab in the middle Step Two: This is where it starts gettingtricky.
Firmly pull out the bottom corner of the wrapper and allow it to slide out.
Step Three: Now proceed ever carefully pull out the other corner.
If your onigiri doesn't look like ours it's most likely you missed a step somewhere.
Eat your onigiri in shame and try again next time.
Now that breakfast is out ofthe way and you've had a chance to do a bit of sightseeing you're probably readyfor lunch and since breakfast was a bit light you're most likely cravingsomething heavier.
My suggestion? Gyukatsu Gyukatsu is one thing thatgot me culture shock from the first bite.
When I worked in the kitchen briefly thechefs always joked about deep-frying a steak when running behind on the order.
You can imagine my surprise when we stumbled upon this deep-fried beefcutlet restaurant with a decent lineup which added to my intrigue.
When I finally bit into my first piece, I questioned why beef isn't deep-fried more often.
Surely it had what I look for in a perfect meal.
Deep-fried, check.
Meaty, check.
Juicy and tender check and check.
Beef grades can definitely vary as youwill see the changes in price.
However even the cheapest great which I orderedturned out to be very tender.
Not surprising since I find Japanese beeftend to be high quality even at low grades.
Another option for lunch is to find yourself in one of many ramen shopsavailable in the city you're in.
Each shop offer their own unique flavor withsome shops having perfected the recipe over a few generations.
So whether youwalk into an independent shop or one of the well-known chains make an effort totry out a different one every time as you'll be rewarded with broth oh-so richin flavor with the perfect balance of fat.
As the Sun begins to set in Japan, thecountry as a whole go through a transformation.
First thing I notice isthe prominence of men in suits or salary men as they're known here, have loosenedtheir ties or ditched them completely.
Their now red faces turn a shade darker withevery establishment you visit Depending on when you decide to have dinner, you encounter the salary men at some stage of their transformation.
For me the mostintimate encounters were in the tight spaces of kushikatsu shops.
With mostindependent shops lacking the space for a proper booth or table.
Prepare to rub elbows with the locals seated along the bartop.
Kushikatsu to meseemed like the ultimate drinking food Lightly battered and flash-fried theseskewers are offered with variety of vegetables and meat satisfy yourcravings.
The sauce is sweet and savory which blends well with this crispiness.
Just as a tip, Double dipping is strictly prohibited here.
A lot of times the menuwill be in Japanese but we didn't have too much trouble pointing at random andordering.
If that doesn't happen to be your style, take a picture and use GoogleTranslate as that often works better than trying to ask the chef.
Other quickdinner option is to find a conveyor belt sushi restaurant.
The sushi here is stillbetter quality what I'm used to back home and a fraction of the price.
Thereoften is a wait to get yourself seated but I assure you it's an experience notto be missed and I found that the line moves at an incredibly fast pace.
Lesli and I love dessert and feel thatit's a must after dinner and sometimes after each meal.
Those looking to cooloff after a long hot day can do so with a bowl of shaved ice dessert.
Served ingenerous portions with condensed milk for sweetness, topped off most commonlywith matcha tea, fruits or red bean We found ourselves eating the bowl clean inno time.
Not in the mood for a cold dessert? Try some baked sweets from thenearest bakery as you find a lot of delicious things that you won't see backhome.
Our favorite happens to be the bouncy cheesecake.
We stumbled upon UncleRikuro's in Osaka and weren't sure what to expect.
Subtle but sweet aroma andthe sound of ringing bells drew us in.
On paper, its a cheesecake.
But it bears noresemblance to the one you know Fluffy, light with undertones ofcheese.
Savor each bite as it will melt away leaving you longing for more.
This definitely was the case for us as we went to try just one slice and left withthe whole cake.
Looking back I'm not sure what Iexpected in Japan when I first arrived.
Things just seem better here.
Queues areorderly, convenience stores are actually convenient and to my delight people herecare about food.
A lot.
I knew that in mere three weeks that would barelyscratch the surface.
Yet the longer I stayed, the closer I got to the country andsoon realize the busiest streets don't necessarily have the best restaurants.
Infact it's the ones of the side streets that will carry the alluring scent ofauthenticity.
I fell in love with Japan in more ways than I expected.
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