沖縄 Okinawan Food is Delicious.

Okinawan food is really delicious. Here are some pictures of all the food I ate on the island. Some of it is fish, as you can see, and those pictures are my friend’s food. I don’t eat fish, but some of you do, and these fish were so beautiful and beautifully presented that I thought you’d appreciate seeing my friend’s food as well as my food. Umibudou 海ぶどうis a kind of seaweed with a light, slightly salty flavor. Umibudou is sometimes called Sea Grapes or Green Caviar in English. It’s served with a dipping sauce on the side which is sometimes dashi and sometimes miso dressing or a vinegar sauce. It’s really healthy and so addictive.Jimamidoufu 島ミ豆腐 (地豆豆腐) is a soft tofu that has a creamy texture like mochi or really good pudding. It was so good. I made myself eat too much on the last day because you can only get it in Okinawa and I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t start craving it right away. I could happily eat Jimamidoufu every day.Tofuyou豆腐ようis the best thing ever. It’s red, fermented tofu that tastes a little bit like Roquefort cheese but much, much less fattening. I could eat Tofuyou every day. You’re supposed to eat it a little at a time, using a small utensil that looks like a thick toothpick. You’re supposed to eat it while drinking Awamori because that’s what it is fermented in.This picture above is of the tastiest breakfast I have ever eaten in my life.
Sata Andagi さたあんだぎ is basically a doughnut ball. That’s it. I tried one, but it’s too bad there is nowhere in Okinawa where you can get a fresh, hot one. They would be delicious if they were warm and fresh. If you find a place, leave a comment so that people can find out about it. I couldn’t find fresh ones while I was there. The best doughnut in the world remains the Tanzanian “mandazi” which is soft, warm, fresh and flavored with cardamom. Sorry to Okinawa's Sata Andagi and sorry to Canada's Tim Horton’s. You don’t even come close. Mandazi beats you at everything. Goya Chanpuru ごやチャンプルー is an Okinawa style stir-fry made with goya, a green vegetable that looks like a huge, bumpy pickle as long as your arm. It is sometimes called Bitter Melon in English. It’s really bitter, but I like it. Goya Champuru has tofu, sprouts, goya, pork and squid in it, but you can ask them to take out the squid and pork if you don’t want it. Goya Champuru is served with rice. I bought a little plastic keychain of a sliced goya. It’s cute and not as tacky is sounds when I re-read that last sentence.This is our home-made Goya Chanpuru. The best way to make the goya less bitter is to cut the slices thin and cook them until they lose some of their crispiness. We made it with onions in it. You’re not supposed to put onions in it, but I like onions. Here are some interesting fish heads. This one has real, animal-looking teeth.
There was also veggie pizza. It had a whole salad on it. It was strange but good. There was tons of basil in it.


The picture above is my friend's sashimi. The picture below is my nori konnyakku sashimi with miso dressing. It's made from seaweed and potato and it's originally from Kyoto though I tried it in Okinawa for the first time. I got it at Family Mart. Ha. I like foods with strong tastes, and my diet is vegetarian so sometimes it’s difficult to live in Japan. Japanese food has subtle flavors and it probably the most meat-heavy food culture in the world. (If you believe that fish is meat, and I do.) Okinawan Japanese food is totally different and it’s so much more to my liking. So I ate too much.Now I’m back in Japan eating my favorite things here. Pumpkin, chestnuts, genmai, spinach, kinkan, natto rice and konyakku for every meal. And yesterday, cookies!! My mother mailed me a box of Xmas Cookies!! I ate the ginger snaps and my roommates devoured the shortbread. Thank you for the cookies! What a great surprise. I love you.