My coming-of-age as a food-loving hedonist happened in Tokyo during the 80s when I was in my early twenties. During my three years of living there, my eyes were opened to all the glories of food available in that city - not just Japanese food, but cuisine from all continents. These food encounters became a conduit to the rest of the world, leading me to crave other cultural experiences.Despite the fact that I grew up in the Bay Area, the center of California cuisine, I didn't come from much of an extraordinary food background. After emigrating to the States, my mom learned to cook the standard favorites such as spaghetti and meatloaf, and these dishes would be alternated with stir-fried veggies, Japanese style curry, and some Okinawan standards with the occasional Spam dish. My grandmother on my dad's side was a good cook, but again, never anything very experimental. From her I learned to appreciate classic Americana cooking: chipped beef on toast, split pea soup with hot dog slices, chicken pot pie with biscuits on top, strawberry shortcake. Growing up we rarely ate out because it was too costly, except for the occasional excursion to a Japanese restaurant. So, up until my teens, I remained ignorant of the countless culinary experiences that lay in wait for me.
In Tokyo my two older half sisters took me under their wings, and thanks to their many well-off acquaintances, I was treated to unforgettable dinners and nights out. In Tokyo I tasted my first authentic Italian food - dishes other than Americanized pizza and overcooked pasta with marinara sauce - at a restaurant called Sin. At Sin I learned that simple, top quality ingredients, skillfully put together, are simply incomparable. Up to that point I never knew something as simple as al dente spaghetti with olive oil and sauteed garlic could be so spectacular, or that herbed olives, the kind with pits and not pimentos, could make such a wonderful treat with pre-dinner drinks. That night at Sin was revelatory and I'll never forget it.
I also had my first classic French food in Tokyo at a little bustling bistro in Azabu called Aix where an excellent prix fixe lunch was around $12 - we went there all the time (alas, they closed long ago). Then there was much savory, Indian curry to be had, and spicy Korean barbecue, and Chinese noodles and dim sum. My first experience with Greek food was a bizarre (but fun) tourist trap, a restaurant called Double Axe, a cave-like basement space where the staff gave you plates to break during a designated time during the entertainment. I even had my first taste of upscale Californian cuisine in Tokyo, at Spago in Roppongi. Then there was shabu-shabu (beef as well as crab), higher-end sake that wasn't heated to a near-boil like in the States, and at izaka-ya and yakitori-ya I learned that basic grilled ingredients like fresh fish or shiitake mushrooms with a mere touch of salt and squeeze of citrus can be heavenly. I've had fugu sashimi, horse sashimi, every part of the pig, sea cucumber, various fish innards and roe, and odori sushi - where the fish is so fresh it's still moving as you consume it. (That's one thing I'll never eat again - it just made me feel evil.)
Since I became a first-time apartment dweller in Tokyo, I also had to learn to cook creatively in my tiny doll-house kitchen (I was clueless in the kitchen before this). My boyfriend at the time taught me how to make miso soup properly, and also showed me how natto on rice makes an excellent, wholesome breakfast, especially after a long night out of overindulging. In an attempt to impress my b.f. and make my way to his heart via his stomach, so to speak, I even experimented with preparing elaborate bento lunches for him (for about two weeks, until I got sick of rising at ungodly hours just to prepare food).
Once you've opened the door to food culture and its endless variations, the world feels like a bigger and better place. Food connects people like nothing else. And there are few better places to expand your sensory and culinary horizons than Japan. Now, it's better than ever, with even more top-notch choices for the adventurous palate.
Recently Andrew Zimmern did a show there (even visiting my home island Okinawa!), and in his "Japan highlights" video, he passionately goes into this very topic, talking about what a huge influence Japan has had on the culinary world, and ending his spiel by emphasizing that if you are a foodie and have never been to Japan, you need to get on a plane and go there right now. I totally agree with you, AZ.
