A Lazy Saturday / Yakiniku Friday

I’ve only been awake for two hours, yet it’s already shaping out to be quite the odd duck of a day.

But first, this is jon and I, taken last night:

This is the first Saturday that Jon’s been called into work. Poor guy – we got in way too late last night and he still had to wake up at 5:30 and get on the train. Somewhere between here and then, I’ve lost my house key. Among other terrible side effects (who knows how much they charge for replacements!), I’m house-bound on a beautiful day. This morning, our company did some heavy handed layoffs, letting go a lot of really fantastic people. For the most part, my team was spared, though I’m sure I’ll find out more on Monday. If any of those people are reading; you will be missed!

I can only hope the rest of the day gets better.

Last night, Jon and I met up with Phil, Will, & Reece for something called tabehodai and nomihodai (All you can eat / all you can drink). For $35, we had a steady stream of Asahi and meat to grill up in front of us.

Pretty standard stuff: marinated chicken, 2 kinds of beef, and fatty pork belly. The fat drippings from the pork made the grilling a bit unmanageable at times. Jon quickly became the grill-master of the evening, and got us into a good rhythm of damage-control.

I love the concept of yakiniku – one that we just don’t do in America. If you’ve ever had Korean bbq, it’s a lot like that (but with less side dishes). There’s a grill in the middle of the table so that you can Yaki (grill) your Niku (meat). I love interactive food! After our initial inability to control the flames on our grill, we decided that the concept would never really make it stateside, because drunken 20-somethings would most likely burn the restaurants down.

Restaurant service in japan is way different than in the states. I wish I had this perspective before I waited tables for 8 years! Here, the waitress doesn’t come by and ask how things are. They don’t stand by and check in to see if you’re ready to order. Instead, in your most nasally voice, you yell “SUMI-MASEN!!!!!!!“. And then from the back, you’ll hear an even more nasal response, “haaiiiiiiii!!!!“. I wish you could hear it.

Then your server comes out from this door, and stands by very patiently while you butcher her language.

This is our friend, Phil. He’s a cowboy. (okay, he’s really an engineer. and a cowboy.) Phil is also a very good sport, but really likes beef more than the other crazy things we make him eat. I think yakiniku might be phil’s second favourite japanese food.

After dinner, we said goodbye to Phil and the four of us headed home. We stopped to watch some teenagers do tricks on their bikes (they were definitely showing off for us), and to terrorize some playground equipment.  Reece taught me a naughty word and I, like the obnoxious foreigner that I am, said it about three hundred times at innocent passersby.  I’m embarrassed for myself this morning.