Yesterday, I took a day trip over to Osaka to do nothing in particular. I've been to Osaka 3 or 4 times in my life and have enjoyed every time I've been there. This time was no exception.
What is different about Osaka from other cities in Japan?
I usually describe the difference between the two places with one word: people. Anyone who has ever been to Tokyo will remember the zombie-like stares from people as they head to their next destination (probably some place related to work if not work). The stand orderly on the left side of the escalator as it carries them to endless humdrum of their life.
The only zombie I saw in Osaka was a crazy man that could speak a little English. He yelled at me as I was rounding the corner in my search for a good place to eat an Osaka favorite, kushi katsu.
Kushi katsu (whatever you like skewered and fried), takoyaki (octopus balls (it's ok to giggle)), okonomiyaki (flour, egg and various ingredients of your choosing) are some of the favorites that people have to eat when they go to Osaka. It is all summed up in the word kuidaore or eat till you drop. Kuidaore symbolizes the love for food that Osaka-ins possess. You're constantly reminded of it as you eat and eat in Osaka until you are about to drop.
I followed in this tradition by eating all the takoyaki I could going from my favorite place in Shin-Saibashi all the way to some place near Namba Station, hitting various places on the way. I topped it off with okonomiyaki from this place that always has a line everytime I go to Osaka. After a few hours of windowshopping, I was looking to cap off my day of Osaka eating with the aforementioned kushi katsu. We ate pork, bacon and asparagus, cheese and potato, cheese and mochi, some sort of fish, and squid. Each one cost around a buck, but the total was increased by the "table charge" since we ultimately chose an izakaya (pub that serves Japanese-style finger foods and the like).
The day was completed with a trip back to Kyoto and some Japanese fastfood. All-you-can eat white rice with a ginger stirfry, miso soup, tofu, and cabbage salad for $6 isn't that bad of a deal.
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3 comments:
Oh, man, you ate octopus nads? Ewww gross!
We missed you at Thanksgiving dinner, cuz!
I ate some Tako balls from a stand here in Korea. They sure put a lot of sauce and junk on them. I thought they might have been better plain.
They are in the shape of balls which is where they get the name octopus balls. I personally love the pun, but it only exists in English and English-speaking countries don't usually eat this food leaving me with only a few people to share my joy with. In Japanese, the direct translation to English would be grilled octopus..nothing about balls or nads....
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