I really, really, REALLY wish I understood Japanese!
It would have made this evening so much more enjoyable. I went to a Japanese restaurant with my department (6 coworkers and myself) and we drank and ate all night. Oh wait, THEY talked, I just stared blankly and kept eating. Okay, this is not entirely true: my supervisor was the main source of conversation, as he had just come back from a business trip to Beijing, so he would pause and translate what he just said to me, every now and then. And my advisor, whom I *know* speaks pretty good English, would ask me questions in Japanese! That’s okay, they were usually simple enough for me to get the idea. Of course, I would answer in English. ^_^
The food was really good. There were a lot of small dishes, and the menu had Korean and Chinese sections! I love Korean food, so when asked what I wanted, I ordered a kimchi dish. And it was delicious! The meal started off with everyone getting a complementary dish that consisted of a raw egg in some sort of clear liquid. I had my doubts, but I watched everyone else mix up the egg and liquid with their chopsticks and slurp it up, so I did the same. Surprisingly, it was quite good! For drinks, everyone (except my advisor, who was the designated driver) started off with a round of beer. I must have been drinking my beer a little slowly, so they started ordering sake, which they know I like. I got to try very nice sake that I’ve never had before! Kubota Sake from Niigata. It was SO smooth! Very good. Other dishes included some sushi and sashimi, tako (octopus) parts in a spicy sauce, edamame (green soybeans), skewered meat and vegetables that were deep fried (“like yakitori” was the best name I got) to dip in miso sauce (bean paste), korokke (croquettes), and lots of other stuff I can’t remember. Oh, and the coolest thing, I got to eat deep fried *fugu*! Simpsons reference: “Don’t worry, map to hospital on back of menu!” I got to eat blow fish! heheh. It was strange, and there were many bones: at first, it seemed like it tasted like chicken but had the texture of fish. Fugu-licious.
The bill, for 7 people, ended up being 22,870 yen. Everyone paid 3000 each. Not bad. Not really sure what happened to remaining… got an email the next day saying the manager took care of it… or something. O.o