hey good lookin', whatcha got cookin'...

i’ve always been an entertainer. i’m not talking bedazzled dresses and stage shows, although with all the recent karaoke practice i’ve been getting, that could be a possibility [minus the rhinestone part].

i’m talking about getting people together and creating an environment that facilitates socializing. breaking out the hard cheeses and big red wines, downloading mariachi music as a backdrop to the all-out mexican fiesta. eating is a very sensory experience, smelling the ingredients meld together, watching the chef work in their space, listening to the sizzles, grabbing tasty bits before it’s actually time and of course savoring the product on your palette. be it pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres, post-restaurant dessert or all-night party fare, in the past i’ve preferred to be thematic in my approach. adopting a theme points the food in a certain, exciting direction and also provides an opportunity to practice some of those less-often prepared specialties; like stuffed grape leaves, or kafir lime and coconut curries which aren’t american mealtime staples. this thematic method is just how my brain works, it’s part of the reason i was good at organizing essays in english class and why i was decent at producing radio shows centered around a weekly topic. but recently i’ve noticed many of my brain’s systems are stretching in new directions, allowing new avenues to conflict resolution and new approaches to problem solving. i’ve also noticed my approach to gastronomy broadening thanks, at least in part, to the japanese izakaya. these restaurants, traditionally marked by red lanterns around the door, ply all sorts of sake and food on customers ranging from grandmas to salarymen to high school students.

usually the patrons sit on tatami mats around low coffee-style tables.

after all that sake, when things get a little nuts, it's probably good to be close to the floor.

and on the menu is a dizzying hodge podge of traditional japanese foods and fusion specialties that are often rotated, sometimes nightly or to reflect the seasons. although the servings are larger than what you’d expect at a spanish tapas bar, they are smaller than a meal and that means you order lots of dishes to share which encourages the social ambiance of these restaurants. and oh the dishes…beautiful ceramic wares in all shapes and sizes, accented with bamboo woven mats and delicate serving chopsticks. part of the enjoyment of cooking and entertaining for me has long been in the presentation, which recently has manifested in me buying tons of dishes. although i do own some round plates, i rarely use them, favoring the squares, rectangles and crescents that add flair to food i’ve taken pains to prepare. it’s rare eating establishments back home create such an environment with their atmosphere, menus and way of doing business. [here i wanna give a shout out to gervais and vine in columbia which has a changing but reliably delicious menu served in a communal, social style. the establishment takes good food seriously but themselves, not too much so, which kept me going back again and again.] i was also pondering the american bar food phenomenon as it compares to the japanese izakaya. they do offer a range of foods, like chicken wings and nachos, which share little in common other than their place on menus in sports bars. however the cuisine in these places is usually limited to deep-fried greasy goodness, sometimes lopped on top of lettuce, served with a side of celery sticks or sandwiched in a bun. the lack of breadth of food preparation and seasonal choices in american bars scores another point for the izakaya. this whole food rant was spawned by my dinner tuesday night. hase was coming into town and i’d agreed to cook. [gastronomically we pair well together, as we both love to create and devour good food. he owns a ramen noodle restaurant where i eat the chef’s special on the house every time i show my face. i enjoy cooking and experimenting and he loves to eat all the not-traditional-japanese oddities i come up with. anyone can feel like emeril in a place like this, where a homemade grilled ham and cheese sandwich is greeted with unheard of enthusiasm.] so i’m on my way to the grocery store after work and can’t decide what the hell i’m craving for dinner. i took a deep breath and decided i’d just cater to all my varied whims instead of trying to craft the perfect set of dishes. as i set plates on the table, hase didn’t think anything was odd about the this-and-that smorgasbord. on the menu: a take on a german recipe for sautéed onions and cabbage with sausages [hase loves the links and has kinda turned me on to the scary meat. the ‘most interesting recent wieners’ award goes to the completely black ika sumi, or squid ink, sausages at a restaurant in kasiwazaki.] also, a recipe i tried out on liz of fresh tuna sashimi, cubed and tossed with avocado chunks, light soy sauce, sesame oil and seeds garnished with spicy radish sprouts and served with toast points. my mexican food addiction was apparent in the taco rice, a blend of tomatoes, beans, corn, salsa, cheddar, rice and spices. [he thought this dish was really intriguing, saying that japanese people would never put all these flavors with rice in that way. although there is taco rice to be found in this country, most notably in okinawa, it has a decidedly unauthentic taste. and i’m obviously the authority on official mexican food being that my name's pedro and i'm hispanic and all…] then there was a garden salad comprised of 7 lettuces and herbs [i’ve started frequenting a new grocery that has an impressive mix of hydroponic greens which makes all the difference in a fabulous salad], carrots, button mushrooms [a rarity here], black olives [which my friend has seldom eaten], croutons and a cheesy, fresh parmesan dressing. [i wish i had some photos that i would proudly insert here, but unfotunately my camera gave up in china. ]cooking in such an attention deficit disorder manner just isn’t practical for one, especially when that one’s kitchen is only equipped with one slow electric burner. the lack of facilities definitely limits meal possibilities, but makes preparation a complicated and interesting puzzle. having a guest who loves to eat was a perfect reason for me to try out a myriad of recipe ideas i’ve been rolling around in my head. it was made even more fun by his genuine interest in every spice, method and ingredient that had been transformed into dinner. it was food we were able to chat over. and although there were leftovers, none of them were lingering on anyone in particular’s plate meaning there was no pressure. learning new ideas is always pleasurable, especially when they revolve around something that is so necessary for our survival and happiness. you know, i’m really starting to give some thought to the old adage ‘the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.’