And to add insult to injury, they even got ice cream with it. That's what the little blue thing up top is. *Sigh*Well, since I missed Friday I decided to go ahead and do today's, Monday's, instead. And I'm glad I did since this was a very typical lunch. [And for the record, I forgot my digital camera so these were also taken with my cell phone.]
Yes, this is an excellent example of the standard Japanese school lunch in many different ways. Allow me to go into a bit more detail...
Main Dish: Sanma no Kabayaki (Broiled Pikefish)Sanma is one of many dishes that I had eaten several times before ever bothering to look it up in my dictionary (usually at the behest of a Japanese person). And when I do, I realize that I haven't got any better an idea what it is than I did before I looked it up. Is a pikefish tasty? Do we even eat them in America? I don't know.
This is probably the only thing we get here, other then the Japanese "omelets", that I actually don't like. Today's was far better than normal because there was a sauce on top and it was a smaller piece than usual. See, another problem with sanma is just the way it's prepared. They tend to chop off the ends of the fish and then cook it as is. So, the skin is still on and the bones are definitely still inside. I usually take the extra time to pick the skin off of the fish myself. I don't consider myself a picky eater, it's just something I prefer. I have seen other teachers do it here as well, but today I was the only one out of nine people who didn't eat the skin. I also usually take some time to pick the bones out, at least the ones I can see. I know they are cooked enough that they have been softened. I've been told this time and again, even by elementary school kids (who eat them with no hesitation). Again, I'm just not a fan of fish bones. Thanks.
But, like I said, today's was better than normal. The skin came off easily and there were very few bones. And since it was a small piece the whole experience was over quickly. I just don't think that's how you should approach your lunch. And the fact they we get this fish at least once a month (usually twice) casts a shadow upon school lunch that cannot be removed.
Side Dish: Kiriboshi Daikon no Nitsuke (Thinly Cut and Dried Daikon Boiled Hard With Soy Sauce)Every bit as delicious as the name makes it sound. By the way, "boiled hard" doesn't mean that they only boil it a bit so it's still hard. It means that they boil it hard in order to crush its spirit. Yes, let's take some radish (that's essentially what a daikon is), cut it into strips and then boil it with a dash of soy sauce until it's completely limp and flavorless. Let's also take some tofu and fry that, but then boil it as well to remove any life it might have had. And finally, for color, we can boil some carrots in there. Make sure they haven't got any taste in them when they come out!
I actually pulled out a few of the carrot slices and ate them separately, and they still didn't have any flavor. As much as I hate to say it, this is what I expect from the side dishes in my school lunch. Something with no flavor and a texture that can best be described as "would make good brains or guts for kids to stick their hands in, while not looking, at a haunted house". I get something like this two or three times a week.
Soup: Shirotama Mochi Nyuu Sawani Wan (Sawani [a kind of fish] Soup With White Mochi Balls)I like mochi. I think it's really pretty good, when prepared correctly. Mochi is what would have happened if someone had made marshmallows out of rice instead of sugar. It would be much more cohesive and heavier, and wouldn't be sweet at all. It's kind of fun to eat, and it's really chewy. It is not, however, bursting with flavor. That's why you typically eat mochi with something on top of it. Sweet bean paste or something of the sort. It is also put into soups, like it was today. But obviously, since it's really just rice that was made with too much water and cooked for far too long, it can't be the centerpiece of the soup. It can't give any flavor to a soup, it can only interact with what the soup already has.
That's why today's soup was not so great. I guess there was supposed to be fish in there. I didn't really notice, so perhaps it was more of a base or maybe it was finely shredded. I did notice the mushroom and burdock; two more things that aren't bursting with flavor. And while I enjoyed eating the mochi like always, it was diminished a bit by being part of such a lousy soup. Again, this is not atypical at all. We get soup like this all the time.
Bonus: OrangeBut at least I had some oranges to pick me up when everything was over. No matter how many bones are in the fish, or how slimy the side dish is, or how bland the soup may be, having fruit always makes the meal end on a high note. I mean, you can't mess up oranges, right? All you have to do is pluck and cut. That's it!
And here's where my aforementioned time in Florida bites me on the behind. My last bite of my last school lunch for this blog, and it's a disappointment. I don't think I've ever had oranges this flavorless in my entire life. And considering that this week saw the best citrus I've had in Japan, that's especially disappointing. Still, it only makes sense. Going out like this is sort of poetically perfect for this little project. These oranges sum up what school lunch is all about here: Not bad, but disappointing.
Total Calories: 758
That's is for the week of lunches. I'll write up a summary and wrap-up in a day or two so check back for that.
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