Halloween Okinawa Food Party

Last night, Pinky and I attended the second meeting of the new Japanese food meetup group. This time, the theme of the dinner was "Okinawa Food", so we met up at an Okinawa Izakaya (Japanese bar/restaurant) in Phra Khanong, near the neighborhoods popular with Japanese expats here in Bangkok. The manager of the restaurant was Japanese, and Shoko, the leader of the group, had met with him to plan an amazing 10-course dinner for our dining club.

the interior of the Okinawa restaurant

Shoko had reserved the second floor of the restaurant for us. As Okinawa island music (lots of ukulele and singing!) played from the speakers, we settled in down on the tatami mats on the floor, ready to learn about Japan's very special tropical island in the South China Sea.

the Okinawa restaurant

Okinawa Prefecture is a chain of islands located south of the Japanese mainland. In fact, it's closer to Taiwan than it is to the main Japanese island, and the culture - as well as the food - in Okinawa is different from what you'll find in the rest of Japan. Before beginning our meal, Shoko gave us a little lecture about Okinawa culture and cuisine. Then, it was time to eat!

Even though it's a tropical island, surprisingly, Okinawa prefers beef, pork, and chicken to seafood. The first dish we started with was a stir-fry made of bitter gourd, pork, and egg. Bitter gourd is a weird type of Asian vegetable. It's eaten in Thailand, too. It really is bitter! It's a strange taste, but it's supposed to be good for you.

bitter gourd and egg stir-fry

While noodles are popular throughout Japan, Okinawa is unique in preferring noodles made from wheat flour. The noodles have the taste and consistency of pasta. This dish was served with super soft marinated pork ribs.

one of my favorites - stewed pork with wheat flour noodles

In the picture below, you can see a few of the great dishes that we tried. Counterclockwise from the top left: salmon sashimi (raw fish with wasabi), seaweed tempura (fried seaweed - of my favorite dishes from the night), grape seaweed (a type of seaweed that has the texture of caviar), jimami tofu (tofu made with potato starch rather than soy), edamame beans (Okinawa green beans are roasted to give them a special flavor), stir-fried bitter gourd (bitter!), and soft marinated pork ribs (my other favorite)!

And these were only a few of our dishes from the evening! Of course, they were all served with a cold glass of Japanese Asahi beer!

Clockwise from the top left: salmon sashimi, seafood tempura, sea grape seaweed, jimami tofu, roasted edamame beans, stir-fried bitter gourd, and stewed pork... just a few of the amazing dishes we learned about!

A final dish was taco rice.

This dish has a really special history.

After the Second World War, the US Armed Forces built an important military base on Okinawa, and maintained control over the island as a territory until the 1970s. During this time, American culture played a huge part on influencing Okinawa culture and cuisine. This dish is the offspring of Japanese food and American culture.

The American servicemen missed their Mexican food, but it was hard to come by in Japan. In response, the Japanese restaurants on the island created this dish. It's basically taco toppings (meat, lettuce, tomato, salsa, etc...) served over a big spoonful of rice rather than in a taco shell.

It was kind of weird, but I liked it! I might have to make this dish myself!

taco rice - a specialty of Okinawa brought over by the American servicemen stationed on the island

We had a great time, and we met a bunch of really nice people. Now, I want to visit Okinawa! I might try to look for a cheap ticket for one of my visa trips next year. It seems like a really interesting place to visit, and it's just a few hours by air from Bangkok.

we had a lot of fun with our new friends

Oh, and since it was Halloween, a few of us wore costumes. I couldn't find much to wear, but I did order a jack-o-lantern shirt online.

Happy All Saint's!