Cultural Differences

Japanese delicacies - Singaporeans' Fear Factor

Of the 10 restaurants that we patronised during Part II of the honeymoon trip, 8 had menus that looked like this. So every meal, N & I did it omakase style but at a much lower price than the real deal ;p



The dining table was where the real cross cultural orientation began for us. It wasnt only about the general politeness of the whole country, the orderly lines at the platforms, the longer steps we need to take at the metro, the Blue Lable or the Samantha Thavasa(both of which I got ;p), the bai se lian ren (which we bought plenty from both Hokkaido and Nagano), the everybody strips naked at the Onsen and you only have a tiny towel to cover the most important part (which we also went).

Because food wise, we didnt just stop at the Sashimis. And that alone makes all the other oft-hyped about observations of a Japan trip seem less wow-y.

If anyone asks me about our Japan trip, I probably would be sharing our food adventures instead of telling them how we had lol-ed at the squashed faces pinned flat against metro glass doors during the morning rush hour although the next train was going to arrive in another (just) 2 minutes. Funny truth about how our friend's official working starts at 930am but he usually arrives in office at 830am, while it is the other way round for Singaporeans ;p yet he would be the one rushing to get into THAT train and I am the one who would wait for the next!

So back to our little food adventure...it was very exotic as I mentioned earlier. If there is an equivalent of a fear factor for Singaporeans, I am very sure we would have made half the mark with the stuffs that we had. In no order of yucky preferences and bearing in mind a language difference that didnt allow us to find the exact translation of the more profound delicacy names:

1) Horse Sashimi!! We were served horse intestines too but couldnt make ourselves eat the intestines

2) Grasshoppers

3) Bee babies

4) Silkworm

5) An anonymous worm found under the rock in the river

6) Some crab's internal part. This was served with cottage cheese and actually tasted quite oiishi! And since we didnt know which part of the crab they were exactly talking about, we ate this with less caution. ;p

LASTLY, this is the MOST EXCITING!!!!!

Swallow or spit out your food first!

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We BOTH

SWALLOWED SEMEN!!!!

No, dont judge us yet...we were coerced into it..

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That semen was actually a delicacy!

We had milt!

Milt is the seminal fluid of fish, mollusks, and certain other water-dwelling animals who reproduce by spraying this fluid, which contains the sperm, onto roe (fish eggs). It is actually super yums (milky and soft) if you dont think about the actual organ that you are eating.

So there I said it. Arent they more exciting than the usual stuffs people share with you about their Japan trip?

And so we have lugged back one of the delicacies for gatecrash at The Next Wedding! ;) That's the result of cross-cultural exchange by exposing the Jap friends to our very own gatecrash 2 weeks ago! ;) This time round, they have better ideas what to get for the typical suan, tian, ku, la! ;p Lucky I am on close terms with BOTH bride and groom!