The Inevitable Food Post

You have a pattern; you may not know it, but you do. When a friend or family member takes a trip or moves overseas, they infallibly get the food question. What food question? I'm glad you asked.

Have you eaten anything weird?

Hmm. Complicated question... The answer is both yes and no. Most of the foods I find in Okinawa are extremely similar to foods in the US. To be frank, I was a little disappointed at how similar the foods were. For example, Okinawa boasts a Starbucks, KFC, A&W, Subway, and Pizza Hut among many other American options.

There are some AWESOME foods that are either Japanese or Okinawan in origin. Here are the highlights so far; pardon the pictures since they taste OH SO MUCH BETTER THAN THEY LOOK.

 These little puppies are called "dango." They are mushed and squashed balls of rice with a sweet sauce on top. We only get dango about once a month, but when we do, they are gone within the hour.

They look nasty while being truly addicting. The reason these aren't very pretty is a fault of my inferior Asian cooking techniques, but I'm working on it. When I succeed in making my homemade ones as beautiful as the store's, I'll let you know. The outside is tofu in a sweet and sour sauce stuffed with rice, onions, sesame seeds, and egg.

 I call these "Rice Sprinkles," but the true name is 'furikake.' After long hours at school and cross country practice, I can come home to cooked rice (in the rice cooker) and pour these babies on top. Dinner done.

 This badly taken picture is matcha or green tea with tapioca bubbles at the bottom. Some of you are familiar with bubble teas, but I find they are ten times better after a hot and humid day in Okinawa.

Introducing the best fruity tea on earth... Hibiscus Tea! Coming from an American Southerner, you know this is high praise. I could drink a carton every day without blinking. So far, the roommates and I have gone through one a week by rationing ourselves half a cup a day; otherwise, it would be gone in minutes.


You are in Asia right? Does that mean you just eat rice and noodles?
Contrary to popular belief and the themes of the pictures above, we don't just eat rice and noodles. This week alone, we have eaten chili, polenta, hummus, a variety of sandwiches, melon bread (which I will discuss in a later post), and fried sweet potatoes in addition to the rice and noodles in question.
That said, my new favorite restaurant is actually a vegan cafe that serves pure deliciousness on plates.

  

Photo courtesy of  https://www.facebook.com/gubgubsvegan

 I can already hear some of you mumbling 'vegan... How can it be good without chicken, pork, beef or even bacon?!'  Hear me out. For years, my favorite sandwich was a meatball sub; however, it has been off limits to my digestive system for years now. GUB GUB's has a 'meatless meatball sub' that tastes like home without the dire consequences of beef! I do not know how they do it, but it must be magic. I already plan to go back every Friday night. Get in my belly, Meatless Meatball Sub!

That's all I have for now, but I'll see you back here next week.