Kyoto Cuisine

I went out to dinner tonight with my two advisors. We went to a place known for its Kyoto atmosphere and traditional cuisine. Let me briefly describe to you the twelve course meal that we ate over a period of three and a half hours.

Courses:
1. Goma-dofu : A square of sesame tofu, lightly covered in soy sauce with a decorative green vegetable on top.
2. Appetizer tray : Spinach, mushrooms, tofu, chicken, fish, renkon (lotus root), fish eggs, and ginger, all delicately arranged on an elevated tray.
3. Shabu-shabu: Mushrooms, fish, tofu, leafy veggies, cooked at your leisure in your own little pot.
4. Sashimi: Two kinds of raw fish (one was tuna).
5. Grilled Mushrooms: Large, Kyoto specialty mushrooms, grilled at your leisure over hot coals in a shared pot.
6. Steamed Daikon: A section of a daikon (lit. big root = radish) steamed in a light broth.
7. Sato Imo: A certain kind of potato, accompanied by a special Kyoto leafy vegetable.
8. Miso shiro : Miso soup.9. Salad: Vegetables and an unidentifiable, but delicious, kind of fish.
10. Mushroom rice: Japanese rice cooked with those special mushrooms and a light broth, creating an extra sticky, light brown yummy rice.
11. Fresh fruit: Kaki (persimmon), nashi (asian pear), and melon served with a clear gelatin.
12. Mochi and Macha: Mochi (rice cake) covered with kinako (sweet soybean flour), served with a frothy cup of macha (powdered green tea).

* We also recieved a very nice cloth handkerchief and a Japanese candy to take home with us.
- The reason for all the mushrooms is that it is mushroom season. I am generally not a big mushroom fan, but these were very good and very fresh.
+ Drinks, of course, were traditional sake and three varieties of tea: green, brown, and a different brown.

I knew going into this that it would be a good meal, but I was surprised every time the next dish came out. I seriously thought dinner was over after the shabu-shabu. Something of this nature had to cost at least $60 a person, probably more. I gratefully thank my advisor for her generosity, and gladly consent to any further dinner invitations I might recieve.

I would also like to note that a large part of the wonderfulness of traditional Japanese dinners like this is not the taste of the food, but its presentation. For example, on top of the sashimi was a carrot piece cut in the shape of an autumn leaf. The colors of the food in each dish were perfectly matched, as were the tableware on which they were served. We spent a good amount of time admiring the beauty of the food before we even began to think about eating it. I have heard it said that the Japanese must make their food beautiful looking to make up for the lack of taste, but I would like to argue that the meticulous presentation is just one highlight in the delicious flavor of Japanese cuisine.