Sharing Meals
Marin Greener (she/her)
Editorial Team Member
Japan was filled with many new flavors and meals I had never experienced before. However, I expected to try a different cuisine on my school trip to this foreign country. When I traveled there, three foods stuck out to me the most. Upon arriving, I tried a pork onigiri from a 7-Eleven for dinner, and it was very fresh, despite being sold at a convenience store. On a later date, I had katsudon, a savory pork cutlet rice bowl with egg, in a street shopping center. Lastly, one of my favorite meals I ate was tendon, which refers to a tempura bowl in Japan. These three meals were not only a great experience for me, but they are also important to Japanese culture and share a lot about the country.
Onigiri is a rice ball, steamed into a small triangular shape and then wrapped in seaweed with seasonings such as salt and sesame seeds. Although mine just had pork inside, other ingredients can be added such as a Japanese pickled plum, umeboshi, or salted salmon, shake. When I tried onigiri, I could taste the seaweed and rice that combined for a salty and savory flavor. I especially enjoyed the texture of the rice because it was soft and the perfect amount of chewy. In terms of Japanese culture, home-cooked onigiri can represent family love and tradition as people have memories of making it with loved ones. Overall, the meal represents Japan’s cultural value of family and tradition when shared with others, along with simplicity.
Katsudon is another simple, yet valuable and significant meal. Its main ingredients are rice which makes the base of the bowl, topped with breaded and fried pork cutlet, and egg. When I tried katsudon, it smelled like pork and I enjoyed the meat’s crunchiness paired with an egg. It’s believed that this dish was created in the early twentieth century for students and workers who needed a quick and affordable meal. Students would eat “katsu” because it means “to win” for good luck on exams. Katsudon’s authentic flavors and symbol of comfort and tradition ultimately help the meal reflect the value Kyoto, and Tokyo, place upon refinement culturally.
Tendon, an abbreviation for tenmura-don, is the third meal I tried, an abbreviation for tenmura-don and consists of a rice bowl topped with tempura. I enjoyed the flavorful breaded and fried seafood and vegetables because of their savory crunch paired with soft rice. Shrimp tempura is extremely popular in Japan, and the main ingredients of tendon are rice, deep-fried shrimp or squid, and a vegetable mix. Japan’s island location makes fishing for tendon’s shrimp important while growing vegetables. The food service and retail economy also rely on this meal because tempura is a very popular food that draws in customers for revenue. Many restaurants sell the meal, cementing its place as a classic and traditional dish.
I greatly enjoyed my time trying new foods in Japan. Not only did I experience delicious flavors that were different from my typical palate, I learned a lot about Japan’s culture through the dishes I tried. All three of these dishes remind me of my trip and what knowledge I have gained from my travels.
