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Your Goat Has Lovely Teeth


So I got a phone call from Our Friends Who Live Down The Street. A friend of theirs was visiting from Japan and was cooking up some food and they asked us to join them.

HOT DAMN!!!

So I ran downstairs to the flower shop and gathered up a fresh bouquet of dahlias for The Friend Down The Street and some lavendar scented lotion with matching sachet for The Japanese Visitor.

People don't do that enough, anymore - buy hostess gifts. It seems to be a lost art like letter writing or sending thank-you notes. The last time I brought a hostess gift the lady looked at me like I had a screw loose (Man that happens to me a lot...) and as much as I wanted to take the gift bag and hit her over the head with it, I simply explained that in my world, it was customary to bring a small token of appreciation for the host and hostess when they invite you over for an evening. (Unfortunately, she didn't take my little social lesson to heart when she came over to my house for dinner a month later, bitch.)

As I was wrapping up the trinkets (which were a huge hit, by the way), I had The Husband run through a few Japanese phrases with me. He had to learn Japanese for his work and he speaks just enough to get by. I didn't want a major lesson, I just wanted to be able to say something nice before I drank my fill of Sake and started to slur my words.

As we arrived, we could smell the aromas of the food outside the house. I started to drool like a fool and prayed she wouldn't think I was a foaming-at-the-mouth rabid dog upon meeting me.

And well - The Japanese Visitor was a darling little bundle of cuteness.

"Herrow to you!"

And I responded with my best attempt at "Gooneecheewaaa"

She was thrilled and rattled off another phrase that made no sense to me so I simply thrust my gift bag in her hand and smiled while I nodded my head.

(It's funny how a gift can be a universal language.)

I did that a lot, actually - nod my head. I speak some basic Spanish and Italian but Japanese is an entire new world for me.

So we were seated at the table and she explained in her best "Engrish" as she put it, that dinner would be simple because she did not have time to get all the ingredients she wanted.

The first thing I noticed were little deep fried "packets" that she had made by wrapping won-ton wrappers around cheese. I had to refrain from excitedly shouting, "DEEP FRIED CHEESE!!!!" I knew this treat was a good sign and that The Darling Japanese Visitor was going make it on my list of people I love. They were so simple but so good. I couldn't help but make a pig of myself and eat them by the handful. I tried to do it while no one was watching but I got busted when I dropped 3 of them in my attempt to shove an entire handfull in my mouth. (To be fair, we all did that. I wasn't the only ogre in the room)

When we were seated at the table, we started with Kare Risu - Japanese curry rice. The sauce was a velvety amber/brown color and there were chunks of potato and carrot and chicken and beef in the most amazing curry-flavored sauce. This was ladled over sticky rice and was absolutely to die for. The perfect layering of flavors and heat without being overbearing.

In between that and the next course she made a salad of rice noodles and cucumbers in rice wine vinegar and sugar. SO good! I can't remember the proper name for it - Kuri something - but I remember it was absolutely delicious and refreshing.

The next thing she brought out was Okonomiyake (Japanese pancake) with cabbage and packets of anori for sprinkling on top. They were so good - very light and yet so dense and filling. She also made yakisoba noodles if anyone wanted those along with some lovely fresh vegetables.

Now - the only downside to all of this amazing food was my ongoing inability to use chopsticks. I watched as everyone around the table gracefully ate that curry dish with rice and I sat there trying to keep a chunk of potato level on the sticks. I did have a fork to use but I so wanted it to work this time. The Husband finally patted my knee after the third piece of carrot landed on my lap and put the fork in my hand. The Darling Japanese Visitor laughed at what she called my "so much cuteness" and was impressed that I would work so hard at something I was so very clearly bad at.

We all ate ourselves silly. Simple good food, amazing company, and plentiful drink all add up to a wonderful night, to me.

On our way out the door we said out good-byes and I tried one more attempt at speaking Japanese. Whatever I said made The Darling Japanese Visitor laugh so hard that she held herself when she laughed.

The Husband said my words made no sense.

I have a sinking feeling I told her that her goat had lovely teeth.

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Posted by Foodwhore at August 11, 2004 02:16 PM