sharp_as_knives: (Default)
sharp_as_knives ([personal profile] sharp_as_knives) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2015-05-18 12:34 am
Entry tags:

International Cuisine | Monday, first period

"Good morning," Hannibal greeted the class when they arrived at Portalocity. "We'll be heading off for dinner today - the vagaries of international times." Not that he couldn't have gotten a portal to a different time, but there seemed no point at present.

"Today we're going to Tokyo, Japan. Seafood is much more prominent in Japanese cuisine than in the French we had last week, as are rice and noodles; the sauces tend to be lighter. We'll be dining at Mikawa Zezankyo, a restaurant that serves tempura - seafood and vegetables, deep fried. Specifically, this one serves food in the style called Edomae tempura - tempura in the style of the Edo period, approximately one hundred fifty years ago. The chef uses traditional ingredients and techniques that would not have been out of place then."

Their portal opened and he ushered them all through to a small, mostly residential street, where they stood outside an unassuming door. "Chef Tetsuya Saotome prepares all the food himself and will be standing in front of you, so I trust you will all use your best behavior," he told them. "I will demonstrate the use of chopsticks to those of you who've never used them, and I trust your classmates who know how will also help. Also, when we enter, you'll need to remove your shoes and leave them by the door; it's tradition and proper etiquette. If you have any questions, please ask me, as the chef and his assistants do not speak English."

Sign in!

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2015-05-18 04:35 am (UTC)(link)
Ready to eat fried food!

Listen to the lecture!

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2015-05-18 04:35 am (UTC)(link)
Wonder what you're getting yourself into!
Edited 2015-05-18 04:36 (UTC)

Enter, sit, learn how to use chopsticks!

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2015-05-18 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
Notice that the restaurant seats nine and the class and Hannibal make eight. Pity the poor local or tourist that has to sit with you!

Eat!

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2015-05-18 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
Ask more questions! Talk amongst yourselves!

For info on what the meal entails, see here (http://www.foodforthoughtmiami.com/2014/04/frying-wizard-mikawa-zezankyo-tokyo.html) and here (http://www.tinyurbankitchen.com/mikawa-zezankyo-tempura/).

Talk to Hannibal!

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2015-05-18 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
He's here, and hoping the class doesn't break Tokyo!

OOC!

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2015-05-18 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
Google street view seems to skip this place, dang it. Also now I want tempura.

Also also yes, Hannibal is also fluent in Japanese.
bestatmystery: (hearts)

Re: Sign in!

[personal profile] bestatmystery 2015-05-18 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
Lottie Grote
bestatmystery: (mouth rub)

Re: Listen to the lecture!

[personal profile] bestatmystery 2015-05-18 05:28 am (UTC)(link)
Everything fried, huh? Sounded like prime fat banshee territory.

Though perhaps if it was for a grade the fried calories would not count!
bestatmystery: (Yeah!)

Re: Enter, sit, learn how to use chopsticks!

[personal profile] bestatmystery 2015-05-18 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
The restaurant was so teeny! It was just like sitting in someone's elaborately decorated kitchen! Lottie did her best not to outright vibrate in her seat and played "count the fedoras" while she fiddled with her chopsticks.
bestatmystery: (kissy face!)

Re: Eat!

[personal profile] bestatmystery 2015-05-18 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
Was it impolite in Japan to make slightly obscene happy eating noises? Because Lottie was absolutely falling in love with tempura. Especially the shrimp heads. And the eel.

She at least managed to keep the elaborate fantasy of being an ogre chomping down on poor innocent fish victims to herself while she was eating the shrimp heads. So there was that.

Re: Sign in!

[identity profile] rhymeswithtable.livejournal.com 2015-05-18 10:34 am (UTC)(link)
Mabel Pines

Re: Listen to the lecture!

[identity profile] rhymeswithtable.livejournal.com 2015-05-18 10:39 am (UTC)(link)
Mabel at least knew enough about Japanese culture from badly translated Saturday morning cartoons to know how to hold a pair of chopsticks, for which she was immensely grateful. She was bouncing in place a little at the rest of it, clearly excited to go inside.

She loved deep fried things!

She loved most things, to be fair.

Re: Enter, sit, learn how to use chopsticks!

[identity profile] rhymeswithtable.livejournal.com 2015-05-18 10:42 am (UTC)(link)
Mabel gave her toes an excited wiggle once she had kicked off her shoes, and then immediately reached for her chopsticks and started working on her technique.

Huh. It really did look easier in the cartoons.
Edited 2015-05-18 10:43 (UTC)

Re: Eat!

[identity profile] rhymeswithtable.livejournal.com 2015-05-18 11:01 am (UTC)(link)
Mabel had never seen so many things with tentacles on them sitting on a plate in front of her to be eaten in her whole entire life. It took some doing to resist the urge to take the appetizer octopus and make it dance, but she managed!

Yes, she was very proud.

As for the actual eating things part, it was possible that she was putting things into her mouth just a step behind Hannibal, since he knew what he was doing, here. They were supposed to eat the shrimp with legs and all? And the head!!

This was very much a delicious learning experience for Mabel.
not_a_moonie: ([pos] so very happy)

Re: Sign in!

[personal profile] not_a_moonie 2015-05-18 01:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Alana
not_a_moonie: ([neu] profile)

Re: Eat!

[personal profile] not_a_moonie 2015-05-18 01:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Alana had been a little sad at first to be in Japan and not eating sushi, but that disappointment ebbed away almost entirely with her first bite of shrimp tempura.

By the time she was most of the way through a plate of vegetables, she had completely forgotten she'd ever wanted sushi at all, and was making rapturous little noises at all the different flavors in front of her.
wildandbrave: (Stubborn Looking Over Shoulder)

Re: Sign in!

[personal profile] wildandbrave 2015-05-18 03:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Cosette Fauchelevent
wildandbrave: (Thinking (In My Life))

Re: Listen to the lecture!

[personal profile] wildandbrave 2015-05-18 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Everything fried? That didn't worry Cosette much, but she'd grown up in a time long before there was a general awareness of what cholesterol even was.

So really, she was curious, but not in the least deterred.
wildandbrave: (Thoughtful - Biting Lip)

Re: Enter, sit, learn how to use chopsticks!

[personal profile] wildandbrave 2015-05-18 03:13 pm (UTC)(link)
The chopsticks were going to take her some work, Cosette could tell, but after a little bit of practice she thought she could at least move them without dropping one.

Whether she'd be able to keep that up when there was actual food between the chopsticks was going to be another story.
wildandbrave: (Interested)

Re: Eat!

[personal profile] wildandbrave 2015-05-18 03:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Cosette briefly considered passing on the shrimp heads, just because she felt a little bit bad about it, but in the end decided she'd much rather not be rude, and it wasn't as if she was squeamish about the idea.

They turned out to be really good, and she was trying some of everything with a wide-eyed expression of delight.
justwantedfriends: (Default)

Re: Sign in!

[personal profile] justwantedfriends 2015-05-18 07:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Kira Yukimura
justwantedfriends: ([yay] hi i'm kira hi)

Re: Listen to the lecture!

[personal profile] justwantedfriends 2015-05-18 07:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeeeees, deep-fried things and a culture Kira was already familiar with. This was exactly the class she needed after a weird weekend.
justwantedfriends: ([yay] eeeee in profile!)

Re: Enter, sit, learn how to use chopsticks!

[personal profile] justwantedfriends 2015-05-18 07:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Kira was very adept with chopsticks, and she let out a happy sigh as she sat down, taking in the ambiance.
justwantedfriends: (Default)

Re: Eat!

[personal profile] justwantedfriends 2015-05-18 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh goodness, everything was so good and yeah, some of it looked a little weird but it tasted so good and Kira was just going to be over here enjoying every bite.

Re: Enter, sit, learn how to use chopsticks!

[identity profile] never-dull.livejournal.com 2015-05-18 09:13 pm (UTC)(link)
"You seem excited," Hannibal observed. "Do you know how to use chopsticks?"

Page 1 of 3