8 Days in Japan

Eel, and nothing but eel ...

Bob knows I love eel, so he found a restaurant in Kyoto that's known for its eel, Edogawa. Like a lot of restaurants, it had several set menus, combinations of sushi and tempura or sushi and eel. But we decided to go for the the Unagi Zanmai, all eel, all the time ...

What you got was grilled eel, a casserole made with eel, burdock root and scrambled egg in a clear soup, cold grilled eel and pickled cucumber in a light rice wine vinegar sauce, Japanese-style omelette with grilled eel, deep friend eel bones (basically the spines, they were quite tasty), eel livers stewed in a soy sauce-based broth (savory and pretty wonderful), Japanese pickles, rice and a clear soup with eel livers.

That's a lot of eel.

But it was quite tasty and there were a lot of different flavors going on, savory, sweet, salty. The clear soup has a smoky flavor which made up for the tiny organ meats bobbing around in the black lacquer bowl.

Bob ordered tea, but I set my sights on Shochu, or as they called it in the English translation on the menu, "distilled spirits." When I asked for a glass, the waitress asked: "Potato or wheat?"

That's when I knew I was in a little trouble.

I went for wheat because anyone who has ever had Ireland's traditional potato-based firewater, poteen (pronounced po-cheen), will tell you, it's far from smooth and doesn't go down too easy. You had the option of on the rocks or served with hot or cold water.  I went for the rocks.

It wasn't until two or three sips into it I realized the nose seemed somewhat familiar. You know how some wine reviews, particularly Rieslings, get all crazy and say there's a hint of petrol blahblahblah ... well, shochu tastes like turpentine smells.