A Random Pattern

Last night (or Friday morning for those in the U.S.) I had dinner at a Japanese Italian restaurant.  It was quite an experience,though that is true of all my meals here so far.  The first dish had Korean stylings, hence the title.  But the part I want to share right now is something I am particularly proud of, and it starts with our second dish.
The second dish consisted of pasta – and one full-bodied large shrimp.  (Ok, I’m not sure if it was shrimp, but I don’t know my seafood very well.)  When I say full-bodied, I mean eyes and everything still there.

My host then explained the best part.  You guessed it – bite the head off whole.  He also recommended a lot of chewing immediately. 

To be honest, I wasn’t that sure I was going to eat any of the thing, much less the head, eyes and legs and all.  But the other two gentlemen at the meal with me (one Japanese, one living there but from Belgium) also tried it for the first time.  I decided to give it a go – it was obviously doable.  So I told my eyes and stomach to shut up and picked it up.

The shrimp was white and reddish orange.   It looked like it had been crawling along the sea floor, got scooped up and thrown in the pot, then transferred to my bowl.

I took a bite, which can actually be described in one word: crunchy.  I suppose if I had thought of it, I could have just closed my eyes and imagined I was eating chips, with a little salty dip in each bite.  Savor that mental picture, while I go off to eat breakfast.  Ciao!