a brief history of cravings…

i’m talking about food again… i’ve decided the japanese aren’t very adventurous with their meals, which isn’t surprising if you examine the way they live so many aspects of their lives. i truly miss the variety of cuisines available in america. there is no el cerro grande or monterrey’s to turn to when i want a chile relleno so bad i can taste it. there is no after-work spot with top notch grape juice and creative dishes like gervais and vine [a tapas and wine bar in cola]. i can’t find a pita pit or a grecian gardens when i’m craving a gyro so badly i am dreaming about it. it’s amazing how often i get cravings here, some that can be satisfied and some that cannot.
i recently discovered frozen flour tortillas at yamaya, the saving grace foreign food market in town. we promptly had a fiesta to celebrate and attempt to satisfy our mexican urges. i invited over liz, carrie, sato [met him on a train back in october] and his friend for chicken enchiladas [a decent cream of mushroom soup version, available at yamaya for about $3.50 / can, smothered with monterrey jack, same store for about $5.00], beef soft tacos, mexican corn and guacamole [which they weren’t really in to]. it was absolutely amusing trying to explain to the guys how to make a taco. they literally stood there, staring at the table, until we began step by step instructions.

we stuffed ourselves with food and beer and had a lively time chatting [excellent Japanese practice] and goofing off.

the only time time we’ve had proper mexican food was during a trip to Tokyo about 8 months ago. the restaurant is nestled in an entertainment complex a bit outside the city. the food was great although we had to repeatedly ask for more cheese please.

it’s always so interesting to realize the cross-cultural bridges span more than the divide between American and Japanese culture. the Americans were having a mouth-watering conversation during which we decided a philly cheesesteak dinner party was in order. one of our british friends, mel, had never heard of this sandwich and even mistakenly called our get together a philly cheesecake party. we shopped together and headed to melanie’s to make the cheesiest, greasiest meal i’ve had in a long time.

i stole this pic from carrie
there is a serious lack of sandwiches in this place, that’s one reason Tokyo is such a treat, they actually have delis. our desperation recently lead us to pay $11.00 for a footlong at subway which was worth every yen.