Tuesday, January 17, 2006

The guessing game...

School lunch = kyushoku.
Now as a whole I am so grateful for kyushoku. Most days I am starving and I am happy for the food that magically appears infront of me at exactly 12.40.
Mmmm, today however was another story. Lunch arrived and the dish that caught my eye is pictured to the left. There happened to be, not a single English teacher in the room with whom I could have a private and quiet chat about the food. Rather than make a fuss and ask in Japanese I just scrutinised it and as a last resort, took a bite. I could see that it contained small pieces of mandarine but the rest was a mystery to my eyes. After tasting I can tell you it was pineapple and chunks of sweet potato. Held together with a puree of mash potato. Sounds nice? I was starving so I ate it but I wouldn't say it was nice!

As a side note - Lunch was carb overload today. Bread, potato and udon noodles. I hope the kids are going out for a run afterwards. Me? I didn't eat the bread.

10 comments:

. said...

I bloody hate spewshoku. What ever happened to a nice simple sando or a salad for lunch. Not the gruel that they serve. It is all very Dickensian. I never eat the rice or bread. So I am rightly buggered when it is noodles and bread/rice.
Also it is cheap so it is all the crap cuts of meat, weirdo fish, very light on the healthy vegies and heavy on the filler. Even after a week I am salivating over the thought of a basic salad or a turkish bread thing.
And let's not forget the horror of the curry.

Sarah said...

i am ashamed to say that i have gotten used to kyushoku. i eat everything and mildly enjoy it...

. said...

Sarah you masochist.
OUt out I say! It is vile evil gut destroying muck not suitable for ugly animals that don't make kawaii list.

Turning Japanese said...

I usually don't mind it either. Sometimes it is pretty good - if they stick to Japanese stuff. Today was a let down cause I was straving!

nowinihon said...

hey ... i'm jealous of your pictures! not this one in particular - but the other ones on your blog...

this is a super geeky question but what camera do you have??? I have to get a new one. my current one is so big i need a rucksack just to carry it - and it takes pretty ordinary pictures as well. I like the pictures my mobile phone takes more.

mko

Turning Japanese said...

Mko: The above pic was spontaneously taken on my phone when I was surprised but the pile of muck. The other photos are all taken with my digital camera. I actually use 3 cameras in Japan. I have an SLR for 'serious' photography but I love my little digital too. Here is a review of the digital http://www.itreviews.co.uk/hardware/h578.htm There are better ones out there by now. Mine is over a year old. If you want help shopping... I'd LOVE the job.

Turning Japanese said...

Crystal: I was at Mitsui that day - YUCK! Yamato lunches are 200% better than Mitsui's.

NOTE: Today was my third curry rice in 7 working days! A better choice for school lunch but I am sick of it!

Victoria said...

I for one LOVE kyuushoku. I love the fact that we get a hot bowl of soup and a nice bowl of rice and something else every day. It's a nice constant in my life I think....
But I must agree, they really need to get the carbs under control on bread days. Who would really pair a big piece of bread with noodles??? Good work on not eating the bread willpower :)

. said...

Victoria, I must be picky but I prefer to know what part of the cow/pig/chook/fish I am eating. Also when food has eyes that are not covered with an olive/cherry tomato etc I am not touching it.
:P

nowinihon said...

hi again ellen,

I'm thinking of getting a casio exilim 750. A freaky guy I was talking to in a bar had one and the pictures looked amazing. Its small and got 7 megapixels. My huge cannon's only got 5mp and it cost twice as much. (i guess that was a couple of years ago)

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/casioz750/

On the other hand I'm really tempted by this tiny video recorder I saw in the apple shop... its seriously tiny. you could fit it in the front pocket of your jeans.

www.engadget.com/2005/10/10/sanyos-xacti-c5-tapeless-digital-camcorder-reviewed/

I can't decide.. probably end up buying both. or neither.

ever heard of either?

mko

ps I love school lunch. but then i only get to eat it in one out of the ten schools I go to, so it has novelty factor for me.