Risky Shrimp

I contemplated the meaning of “parasite” and the millions that could be pictured next the word in the dictionary, quite literally becoming the dictionary of parasites, the tiniest of life forms seeking out different hosts to complete each stage of its lifecycle; blood suckers, possessors, nutrient robbers, parasites have many roles in the world, and the majority of humans have at least one kind of parasite living in them. I returned from my thoughts of pure amazement with simultaneous horror, to the very raw shrimp decorating my plate, it was the second course in an eight-course meal my husband and I were sharing together – what would be on my plate in the next course? I was definitely guessing!  Picking up the shrimp with my chopsticks, I took a bite.

This particular moment was the result of a string of spontaneous events that had occurred earlier in the week.  My friend Claire had flown from Korea for a brief trip in Tokyo and then to California.  It was great to see her and spend the day catching up.  She has lived in Japan before and offered to show us around Tokyo for the duration of her trip; unfortunately, we were unable to meet her until the four-day weekend began.  We agreed to meet her at the New Sanno on Friday around noon for lunch.  So our adventures began on the train and subway system, neither of us truly confident that we would make it even with our previous experience in Korea. 

Once we arrived at the train station, we proceeded to the ticketing machines, at which point confusion began to take hold.  A moment passed and an elderly lady asked us in perfect English, “Would you like some help?” “Yes, please.”  She purchased tickets for us and was about to send us on our way when another lady stepped up and began talking to her in Japanese.  I told her where we were heading, “Hiroo”, she looked at the tickets and then went to ask for a refund of the tickets.  Don and I stood staring at each other the whole time, not completely certain what we should be doing, while the nice lady exchanged our tickets and purchased the correct ones.  Then she looked at me and said, “I go too. We go together.”  Smiling I said, “Okay”.   We were finally on the train and began chatting in broken English and Japanese.  It was very amusing, she used a translator on her phone and questions we asked were apparently not translating correctly.  The three of us kept trying to communicate and get to know each other better. If you have ever been in another country and attempted to talk with another person in their native language only knowing a few words yourself, you know this is challenging and very funny. We learned that Milkaru runs a shop in our local area for massage and selling body lotions, and has two young boys who are athletes; the most significant thing we learned was how kind this woman was. She helped us so much! I wish I knew where her shop was!  She made our train trip very enjoyable, and even rode with us to our next stop past hers to make sure we got to the right place!

Finally we made it to the New Sanno and met up with Claire, we chatted and walked around the district for awhile then headed to a enjoy a glass of wine at a wine bar.  The wine was very good and we also enjoyed dried fruit and cheese, well Don and Claire enjoyed the cheese.  It was so relaxing to sit, sip on wine, talk, and people watch.  What could be a better way to unwind?  Claire left us to catch a plane back to Cali, and we decided what to do with ourselves. 

Tokyo Tower was just two train stops away in Ruppungi and close to the restaurant that had advertised a gluten-free menu!  We made it to the tower quickly, and I was completely ignorant of the fact that it was replica of the Eifel Tower in Paris. We went up the tower to see what we could see.  Tokyo is a massive city! From the top of this tower we saw several graveyards, temples, high-rise and apartment buildings, parks, the tallest building in the world, “Sky Tower” and the grand Pacific Ocean.  It was rather hazy, so we missed many things in spite of the density of the city. By this time our stomachs were telling us it was dinnertime!

At last we made it to the coveted gluten free restaurant, S. Komatsu. I was completely elated and very excited. We sat down and were informed that we would be served an 8-course meal, and they had gluten free beer, which of course we ordered two glasses.  The beer is imported from Australia and could be compared to a Corona, yet not as bitter; it was delicious!  Our waiter brought out the traditional warm cloths to wash our hands with, and then the appetizer created from fresh greens topped with salmon flakes.  Sashimi followed, and reminded us of all the different types of parasites we had read about in Parasite Rex (Sashimi is a traditional Japanese dish with thinly sliced raw fish and served with wasabi, and no rice).  Of the animals presented on the plate, the shrimp was our most questionable item as it is a bottom feeder and the texture is unlike anything we had ever experienced before.  This could be cause for future concern, but what an experience! A “savory-cup” custard comprised of mainly cooked egg followed this adventurous plate, and the custard was very mouthwatering.  The next dish was the most delicious grilled fish we had ever eaten, if I knew what the sauce was, I would definitely try to make it at home.  Gluten-free tempura was to follow; I cannot express the many times I have seen other people indulging on this “delicacy” and have been green with envy as they raved about it’s delicious flavor.  This tempura was made with rice flour and was cooked to perfection, completely fabulous! (This has also sent me on a quest to make this delicious food at home.) Traditional sushi followed, and then miso-soup, both were amazing just like the rest of the dishes.  Finally, gluten-free, dairy-free “brown sugar” dessert with green tea; could this get any better? I doubt it.  The cost of the meal seemed expensive, but it was most enjoyable and truly worth every penny. After dinner we headed back to the New Sanno to catch a bus back home, and I would definitely put this day on my list of perfect days (minus the fears of the body snatchers possibly living within us)!