Itadakimasu (Translation: Let's Eat)

I'm on a foreign pizza kick it seems. I recently saw this - okonomiyaki - affectionately referred to as Japanese pizza or Japanese pancakes on Anthony Bourdain: Tokyo. Essentially it's a concotion of shredded vegetables, cabbage, bacon, egg, and a worcestershire flavored sauce to top it off, (appropriately called okonomiyaki sauce). According to Anthony, this is a popular street food you must try in Japan!

If I haven't blogged about this already, Japan is absolutely a must-see on on my travel to-do list. I have yet to go, but am dying to because I took Japanese for 8 years in school. Fab blogger Miss Jane and I even sat next to each other in HS Japanese class, which included a daily event of listening to Okada Sensei sing some interesting Japanese songs.

I'm very curious to see if I could still get by in Japan armed with my (now) rusty conversation skills. In an effort to jumpstart my saving habits for a trip to Japan, I'm going to try out this dish. I'll report back with details!

image+recipe/closetcooking

11 comments

marlenedesigner said...

It looks soooooooo good!

Anonymous said...

hi michelle...you don't really need to know japanese in tokyo (more motivation to visit!). in fact, one of my japanese friends in tokyo told me that the japanese do learn english in high school. most can read, but refuse to speak. you'll get by with basic phrases and lots of sign language/drawing on paper:p

Nicole Marie said...

i have never ever heard of that before!

carolina @ patagonia gifts said...

this plate looks soooo delicious! wow!

Lizzy said...

My mouth is watering right now! That looks sooooo delicious :)

Anonymous said...

I ate at a restaurant in Amsterdam that specialized just in these Japanese pizzas! They were pretty good, though probably not close to the ones you'd get in Japan. I saw that episode of No Reservations last night, too. Love that show!

Sara Christine said...

Yay Okada Sensei! I forgot you didn't come on the class trip to Japan. I think I remember eating something similar to this, and not liking it...but nothing beats the RAW ham sandwich I accidentally ordered off a menu I couldn't read. I'm all for raw fish, but I'll take a pass on raw pork. :)

georgia b. said...

is sounds and looks delish! i'm intrigued and would try this for sure! next time i go to a japanese restaurant, i am going to ask about this.

Vivian said...

i cannot believe you studied Japanese for eight years! you MUST visit Japan someday, it's the most beautiful place in the world. i'm obsessed with Japan :)

i think Japanese people would be flattered to hear you use your Japanese skills, they'd love it! they do speak English, but like another poster said, they're too shy to use it.

as for the pizza, i use to eat something similar in korea. not my favorite, but it's um, interesting.

lily green said...

ooh, I looooooove okonomiyaki! definitely one of the foods I miss most from Japan. You can do all kinds of toppings; my favorite was kimchee with thinly sliced pork. mmmm, hungry now.

Brown Button Trading said...

um, YUM! looks awesome.