being carnivorous

my Japanese friends think it’s quite odd that i go out to eat by myself because solo dining is rarely done here and solo eating out by women never happens. sometimes it’s nice to be cooked for and waited on and being in another environment keeps me from getting distracted by things that need to be done around my apartment when i wanna study Japanese or read [avoid it and it’ll go away right?]. last week i went to one of my favorite spots to dine and study, gyu kaku, a yaki niku ya [grilled meat restaurant]. one reason i frequent this place is because it is literally 20 seconds from my apartment. this pic was taken from the hall outside my door.

you choose from different cuts of beef, pork, internal organs, odds and ends parts of animals, seafood and vegetables then slap ‘em on the hot grill over the coals in the center of the table.

i opted for negi shio kalbi [slices of beef that you grill before smothering with a blend of olive oil, diced scallions, garlic and salt. yumm.], hotate [scallops grilled in spices and a pat of butter on a cast iron hotplate.], a hefty bowl of rice and a couple of draft beers.

this type of dining is delicious, hands-on, social [except when you go alone] and sorely needed on the other side of the big pond.