Myths About Sushi, and Other Japanese Foods

So I'm a bit of a "foodie", in case you couldn't tell. Coming to Japan, I admit that initially I was a bit worried, since raw fish hadn't really been on the menu in Canada. Plus, I'd heard horror stories about ALTs being given foods at parties that normally you couldn't pay them to eat, but who had to choke it down anyway or risk offending the host.
When I arrived, I kind of had to dive in, and I knew it. I swallowed my pride along with my gag reflex, but lo and behold I was (mostly) pleasantly surprised. There are, of course, some items that I discreetly push to the side of my plate or scrape into a flowerpot, but not that many. In fact, the traditional Japanese diet is much healthier than most in North America, which certainly helps explain why they live longer here, and why there are only like three fat people in my whole city.
As for sushi, let me just say that if you have never eaten raw fish, you are indeed missing something good. There's a heap of reasons that people here eat it like North Americans eat pizza. Firstly, don't worry about bacteria, because the stuff you eat is always really fresh. Most places have fish tanks, and often they dispatch your dinner about a minute before you eat it. Sometimes, as in the case of my friend in the picture, the fish is still twitching when it comes. I do admit though, it's weird to eat a meal while it's staring back at you. Secondly, hygiene standards here are really high, better than anything you'll find in North America. I've worked in kitchens before, trust me on this one. There have been many times that Taco Bell has made me run for the toilet, but not once with the food here. Thirdly, no cooking means less waiting! It's the ultimate fast food. Fourth, sushi is rediculously good for you. Rice, meat, a few veggies - high protein, nutrient dense, and little fat. It certainly won't go to your ass as fast as McDonald's will. Finally, and most importantly, you must realize that by cooking fish you change the flavour and texture completely, not always for the better. When combined with a piece of warm, sticky Japanese rice, dipped in soy sauce and dabbed with a bit of wasabi (Japanese horseradish), a chunk of raw tuna melts in your mouth and has a rich flavour like nothing else. I also recommend octopus, bream, shrimp, crab, salmon, sea urchin, sea eel, mackerel, and of course, blowfish. Each has a unique taste and texture, and because portions are small, you can try them all through the course of a single meal.
Moving on from sushi, I should mention also that the Japanese have a great fondness for noodles, which coincidentally so do I! Usually very healthy, they come in a lot of varieties. My favourite is Udon, which are thick white wheat noodles, great to slurp and typically served in a fish-based broth. I even invented my own variation. Also popular are Soba, thin buckwheat noodles sometimes served cold, and which are sometimes eaten on special occasions like New Years to represent a long life. A dish borrowed from China, immensely popular but horribly fattening is Ramen, thin noodles served in a hot pork broth, often seasoned with sesame, black bean paste, chili or chopped onion. The pork broth is tasty, but basically it's like liquid bacon...great hangover food though!
Some other popular foods borrowed from China are Gyooza, fried pork and vegetable dumplings, and Shuumai, steamed meatball dumplings. Another fixture in any city, borrowed from Korea, is the Yaki-niku restaurant, which literally means grilled meat. This is like a big indoor barbeque, with a grill at each table. Sometimes gas, sometimes hot coals, and the smoke is pumped outside to lure in passersby. You can buy strips of beef, pork, chicken, squid, scallops, shrimp or veggies, all of which frequently come in special marinades. This is great for a night out with friends.
Some other popular and more traditional Japanese foods include Tempura, or deep-fried, lightly battered fish and veggies, Yakitori, or grilled chicken on sticks (anything tastes good on a stick, right?), Tako-yaki, or fried octopus dumplings, and Okonomi-yaki, a kind of pizza cooked with batter, meat and tons of veggies on a hotplate. My adopted Japanese family made this for me last week, and it was so good I'm definitely thinking of buying my own hotplate.
Also surprisingly popular, in a land where food is traditionally low-octane, is Indian-style curry and rice. Some places serve it so hot it will singe your nose-hairs and bring tears to your eyes. However, I should note that Thai curry is hotter - you could use that to strip furniture.
I could go on - the Japanese love to eat almost as much as they love to drink - but I'm starving now. Next time, my topic will be "Japlish", or "Fractured English", which is always good for a laugh. Here's a sample:

From an Osaka pediatrician's office: "Specialist for the Decease of Children."