oh yeah!

I've lived in Tokyo for nearly 10 years and I am still thrilled at eating out at a good sushi-ya. There is one in my neighborhood, reasonably priced at 130Y a plate, that's two pieces of say, uni.

The first Nihonggo words I remembered pretty fast were mostly of food, like my favorite sushi. There's otoro, chu-toro, bachi-toro, negi-toro, toro-sarumon,yaki-sarumon, uni, ikura, kanpachi, hamachi, unagi, anago, kani-miso... there's also nomimono (pang-tulak) like nihonshou (sake) and my 2 regular faves are Kubota and Hakkai-san. There's also shochu, which is said to be the Japanese vodka but I really don't care, sarap inumin, yun lang. I am always ready to try out a good mugi shochu.

At the sushi-ya counter, the sushi-chef acknowledges you... IRRASHAIMASE! Then you order your first plate of sushi. Since this place isn't one of those shops where they do not have a menu and the sushi master will decide your fate and you wallet's, I usually holla... SUMIMASEN, eeeeto, YAKI-SARUMON, kudasai!


Then we had uni and ikura...

Tapos my partner ordered tsubugai (shellfish) and I had chu-toro. There are times where the sushi-master will recommend something, and that day we had "aji"(hasa-hasa) yata ito sa atin. Customers usually exchange some light banter with the sushi-chef, especially if there's really something good like, super-duper sweet-tasting, roll-your-eyes to heaven, uni!

Nihonshou served in a masu...

After stuffing ourselves to the gills... we say "o-aiso" (check please), then "gochi-so sama deshita".