Japanese Italian Korean
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. Â 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!
March 2nd, 2007 at 8:36 am
*shudder* Well, obviously you survived!!
So, would you do it again?!
March 7th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Even the other Japanese guy agreed that it wasn’t really any good, and later as we talked to others they all thought it a bit strange. So no, once was enough for me.
Would I try something else new if the situation arose? Yes, probably.
March 8th, 2007 at 7:47 am
#1 – *gag* that was a prawn
#2 – *GAG* you couldn’t pay me enough – more power to ya if you could keep it down!
March 14th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
A prawn, eh? Thanks for the info.
Yeah, I don’t really want to think about it any more right now, though. Just ate . . .
March 21st, 2007 at 8:54 am
It’s always kind of odd to go to a foreign country and eat at an even more foreign restaurant. Sorta like being a Frenchman and coming to America to eat at a Chinese takeout.
Considering my extensive history of eating at really bad Chinese places, it’s a hit or miss proposition. You’re probably better off sticking with the native cuisine, though Japanese food itself is typically high in creepy, crawly, and/or raw seafood.