Japanese cuisine, an artform!

Yesterday two of my friends took me out to a fancy lunch.  They do this regularly for me at the end of a "term"... such as before winter or summer break, but yesterday was special because it was the last day for all of us to study English together.  We have gotten together on Wednesday afternoons for over 15 years I think!  But each of my friends has built a new house in Tokyo and husbands have retired.  We decided that it will be too difficult to continue with our English time but hopefully we will get together when both of them spend time in town again (they will both be maintaining two houses).

So we went out to a fancy, expensive restaurant for lunch.  Pure Japanese style with low tables and kimonoed serving ladies.  After taking off our shoes, we followed the kimono clad hostess down a long tatami mat hall and then ducked low to enter the small doorway with sliding paper doors.  The restaurant had separate private rooms for their guests and the low doorway is reminiscent of Japanese tea rooms where people slide in and out on their knees.  In our case, we didn't slide in and out but the serving girls did!

So... here are photos of our lunch.  I wonder what the restaurant staff think about the customers who whip out their iPhones and cameras to take pictures of each dish before eating. In days of old, people would just admire the artistic cuisine and immediately enjoy the tasty morsels but yesterday all three of us were taking pictures of each course before we picked up our chopsticks.  Still, maybe the staff is happy that their efforts are appreciated.

The appetizers were a lovely presentation of morsels in tiny Morning Glory dishes.  Notice how the dishes are not just set level... They were tipped artistically in a bed of ice and then a vine of some sort (Morning Glory vine?) was arranged artistically.  In the dishes were a bite or two of avocado and raw shrimp, strips of raw squid and orange fish eggs and fig compote.

Next we were served cold corn pottage in this lovely little dark purple dish with a cover that made it look like an eggplant.  A slice or two of the corn cob, ever so tender, made the pottage special.

The third course was a couple of pieces of steamed fish with plum sauce, and sashimi yuba.  Yuba is a delicacy made from the skimmings of soy milk.

 The main dish consisted of pickles (in the tall dish), one piece of sushi (in a summer lantern plant shell), a  bite of zucchini and tofu, a roll of salmon and cream cheese, steamed chicken, a sweet potato star, and a "summer fan" made of edible paper called Fu.  This is all illustrating the Tanabata holidays in Japan (that's what the Japanese there says) which revolves around a legend of lovers and the Milky Way.

Anyway...  There were also a few bites of cold noodles encased in a cup made from bamboo (another connection to the Tanabata festival where decorations and wishes are hung on bamboo fronds.)  The cup was covered with a soaked piece of Japanese paper to keep the noodles inside cool and moist.

 There were individual pans of simmering vegetables that were cooking over tea candles.

And rice mixed with tiny deep fried fish.  The rice was cooked in the traditional way in a ceramic pot over a fire (and our leftover rice was made into rice balls for us to take home.)  There was also miso soup and shredded radish pickles on the side.

 Dessert was one cube of watermelon and lemon jelly with a fresh cherry in the middle.

And finally demitasse espresso.

It was a gorgeous meal and actually all those morsels added up to be quite filling!  I sure don't eat like this when I'm with Tetsu!  Usually we have noodle bowls or cheap revolving sushi!

Did you know that last year UNESCO recognized Japanese cuisine as an Intangible Cultural Heritage?  Japanese are very proud to be recognized for the seasonal and artistic details given to preparing specialty dishes.  And well they should be!