individual taste

We went out for dinner tonight at the favorite Korean Yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant. Kyohan ordered yukke which, for those of us who don’t know the words for specific cuts of meat or ways of preparation, means “raw beef in a sweet sauce.” While raw fish is something quite normal in Japanese cuisine, raw beef is a little more rare. If I were to rank the availability of raw foods, first would be fish, second would be horse, and third would be beef.

At any rate, I gingerly tweezered a bite of the red meat, making sure I included an onion or two, and dipped it in the sauce before bringing it to my mouth. My expectations were low - perhaps slimy and unappetizing? But it was quite the opposite; it was quite tasty! Although my grandmother would definitely disapprove, I went back for seconds and thirds. I might even consider ordering it again sometime.

We finished off the evening with a short walk to Hirano Shrine, where I have to say, the sakura were much better than the other places I had been. It might have been due to the fact that today the sakura were in absolute full bloom, or that the trees were planted close together so their branches overlapped. Whatever the reason, they were beautiful. Unfortunately, I forgot to change my camera battery, so I was unable to take more than five pictures.