Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago.
I’m doing my best to be a more adventurous eater in 2019. If you’ve read my blog for a while, you know that I really struggle with Asian food (especially Japanese, unless it is teppanyaki).
The meal below actually dates back several years, but it represents what I want to become more comfortable at eating. As I develop business relationships in East Asia, I find myself at many dinners in which food is served that I would never otherwise order. The polite thing is to smile and eat it…but I’d like to do more than that…I’d like to enjoy it.
Perhaps that is too ambitious a goal, but I’m ashamed to admit that although I have been to more than 130 countries and to nearly every country in Asia, I’m just bad, bad, bad at deviating from comfort food (which includes most dishes from the other five inhabited continents).
And in order to better appreciate and acquire a taste for food, I need to know what it is I am eating. The dish below was served on an afternoon ANA flight from Tokyo Haneda to Seoul Gimpo. It was a short flight and there was no choice of meal.
Service began with a snack mix. A main course of beef with rice and a box of assorted delicacies followed`.
Again, I’m not proud at all that I could not identify half the contents in the box. Obviously, there is shrimp and fish, but the other stuff? Beans? What are these items called in Japanese? Is this a normal lunch or snack? Is this Bento? And the main course…does it have a proper name?
CONCLUSION
I’m not trying to be deliberately obtuse. I know there is this great thing called the Google. But this little meal shows me I still have a long way to go in terms of being a better world traveler and international businessman.
Matthew- I commend you for wanting to broaden your food palate. For the meal shown, the beans look like natto which is a sticky fermented soybean. This will be an acquired taste. The egg square is a version of the Japanese roiled egg called tomago. It is often sweetened with sugar or Mirin wine. If you can eat a Spanish torts, you can try this. I notice one fish wrapped around rice— it has skin on it so will be fishier in taste than skinless. Knowing this before you try will help prepare your taste buds and mind for what to expect. Pieces of pickled ginger can help refresh your palate which are also in the box.
Enjoy!
ANA names and describes each item in their menu and (also posted online each month). No natto in photo.
Hi Matthew,
First, what time of the year did you fly? Was it early in January? particular meal you received on ANA flight looks particularly atypical. I am Japanese, born and raised, and have to agree with you our cuisine can be off-putting, not necessarily the sushi, and tempura and ramen, the usual Japanese meals you see at a Japanese restaurant in US, but the stuff that shows up on breakfast buffet table in Hotel Otani, when you stay at an authentic Ryokan, or in some high-end restaurant as part of a course. There are some very otherwise confusing meals we eat. But I commend you for wanting to enjoy them nonetheless.
I actually what the stuff is that sit next to the bowl of rice. I might be wrong, but it actually looks Chinese. In Japanese, it is what we refer to as happo-sai itame, which is a mixture of several vegetables that are stir fryed together. The box on the right is easier. You have the shrimp with his head still attached, it’s common to see this in a high-end bento box, which is what I think this is. Then there is sushi, that is a oshizushi, which is not the normal sushi. Most sushi are prepared from fresh ingredient, but in this case the fish is preserved in high salt and vinegar. I would say that one is an acquired taste but common for train travel bento in Japan. Then there by is the scrambled egg which Japanese adds sugar and dashi to it, and can taste off to westerners. There there is cooked white fish (probably “tai”), and some red fillet sushi (probably tuna) in the back.
The three remaining contents closer to you look like some sort of chicken salad, which is not Japanese but rather a Japanese imitation, then at the corner are some sort of cucumber pickles, and the last bean thing is not a natto, but it is some sort of cooked bean.
I am kind of surprised they served this in a business class in ANA. They don’t look very appetizing even for me. Flavors are probably just ok, probably acquired taste. It might be fair to say that these meals are not prepared to be “enjoyed” in a typical Western way. They are there to experience manu different kinds of flavor in one sitting. Some you like, some you might not, but that’s part of the whole experience.
Was May.
You are ridiculous
The dish next to the rice bowl on closer examination looks like thinly sliced beef or pork teriyaki on a bed of what looks like bean sprouts and bamboo shoots.
It’s commendable that you are trying to break the beef/burger addiction. The planet will thank you and the blog will be more interesting to those with different tastes, even if it involves some alternative animal protein
It’s commendable. Not sure why but I guess there is a line to kiss your ass so i joined it.
Can you tell us more about your other business ventures? I’m intrigued you have mentioned they generate miles and that you’re meeting lots of new potential business partners in Asia and Europe, and also about your high school friend that’s you’re close with.
On the right side, it’s not natto. It’s just beans with some kind of sauce/flavoring. The lower right hand corner would be an egg thing. Think of it like a small piece of a delicate omelette, probably more strongly seasoned than you’re used to, and possibly with different flavors (probably more sweet, and with soy sauce). It might be baked or done in a special pan/griddle. You can see the raw fish (sashimi) slices are different colors/varieties–you can taste they will have different flavors/fattiness etc. You can eat these by themselves, or with soy sauce, or a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi that you stir up yourself to your taste beforehand. The silvery fish wrapped around rice is a style/type of sushi. The silvery fish is probably mackerel (saba) and has a stronger flavor than the other two sashimi varieties I see. Some people like this type of flavor and some don’t. I like it. The sushi rice it’s wrapped around would be rice to which flavors such as vinegar, sugar, and some kind of alcohol has been added, so it’s not a plain rice. The brown thing above the egg is probably a turnip that’s been marinated and cooked in a soy/sugar and other things sauce. The green thing next to the shrimp is either a plastic garnish or a thick seaweed (konbu) that’s been processed/soaked/cooked/marinated/cut and then folded/crafted into that knotted thing to be decorative, but it can also be eaten. The two lower left hand corner items on the right side are hard for me to make out. I was thinking the lower left hand one was a different kind of seaweed (hijiki) and carrots all seasoned up together, but now I think it’s probably a pickle dish (more strongly flavored than the ones in the glass). The one that looks whitish beige I’m thinking might be enoki mushrooms combined with a soybean product that is residue from the tofu making process, but I’m not sure. All of these things would be seasoned. You should think of them as different salads to try different flavors and textures. You can eat them in combination with the rice, or you can alternate and use rice to clear your palate.
The right side is more “Japanese” while the dish on the left side next to the rice looks more like a Korean style Japanese (Korean food influence on Japan due to immigration, former imperial/colonial history, current trends & popular culture etc). Have you had bi bim bap? You must’ve since you’re from LA. It’s like that, but probably a less celebratorily intense flavor profile, and not presented in a typical Korean style or portion. Underneath the beef is some marinated soy bean sprouts. This probably has a different flavor profile than the items on the right side–more sesame oil based, possibly with a hint of chili. There are other marinated vegetables under there I can’t see. The Korean method would be to serve all that on top the rice and mix everything together with some chili sauce (gochujang) but this seems to encourage eating bites of them separately in conjunction with the rice.
Upper left hand in glass looks like very mild style pickled chinese cabbage leaves or something like that. It would be crunchy with just very mild vinegar/salt/sugar. Meant to be eaten with rice.
Anyway, there’s been Japanese immigration to socal for at least 120 years or so. Lots of different waves and influences. Some were involved in a lot of agriculture in cali, including growing rice. They haven’t had as many numbers as other immigrant groups, but their food influence is still there. It should be relatively findable in your area. Maybe explore more with some foodie types. Children tend to like new foods, so maybe explore with the kid. You should also explore the long history of exchange between Germany and Japan that predates immigration of Japanese to socal. There have been a lot of cultural products that have come out of that. You might also get a kick of some historical Japanese takes on European foods. These are not new foods, but came out of interactions with Europe including Germany over a century ago. There are special restaurants for this kind of stuff that you can seek out when you’re in Japan. Google 洋食 (western foods). Kids tend to love these flavors. lmk if you have any more questions. Go for it.
Why not give Asian food some respect. Since you are a blogger and influencer. Set good example. Truly a great fan of you and enjoy reading your travelling blog on various airlines.
I’ve lived in Asia for 20 years and eaten everything imaginable. Pretty much hated all of it. I don’t even bother eating now unless it’s Western or some reasonable facsimile of it. Although for some reason, I really like natto.
Really? … hated A5 wagyu or even A4?
It’s pretty self-explanatory that s/he meant Asian inspired/ style food, not a steak.
Good for you! Wishing you the best in becoming a more adventurous eater! I hope it can be a fun adventure for you! When I travel the world, my favorite thing is to eat the local cuisine. I have to admit that I don’t like even I try, but I am keen to try.
Matthew, I think it’s great that you’re trying to expand your palate. Many Japanese dishes (actually, Asian dishes in general) are an acquired taste… so they do take some getting used to.
With that said, it’s important to take small steps. With sushi/sashimi for example, you’re much more likely at first to enjoy a mainstream cut like tuna or salmon than something more unusual like an aji (jack mackerel) served to you still twitching.
ANA’s international J/F menu in my experience is pretty extreme on the “acquired taste” spectrum. I’m a first generation Japanese-American and I’ve been served food by ANA that even I struggle to enjoy… (monk fish liver, whole fried pond smelt, pickled herring roe… just to name a few.)
With that said, I think JAL does a much better job of serving a more mainstream Japanese meal in their premium cabins. Not to say that in flight meals are where you should begin trying all your new Japanese foods… but I would recommend you first try JAL’s Japanese menu before taking on ANA’s Japanese menu.
Bless you, young man, for trying …
Good for you for trying. I do think the whole “you must eat like a local or you’re not a traveler” bit is overdone, but one of my favorite to-dos when traveling is to identify a famous local dish and then try to find a good version. It’s a lot of fun, and something I always look forward to, whether it’s a short or long trip.
As others have mentioned, though, take baby steps. Start with something “mainstream” and work up from there. Or don’t, if that’s a bridge too far. I’ve found over the years you can still enjoy the unique flavors of wherever you are without going overly weird.
For sure healthier than any crap on a us domestic flight.
This is so funny. Some Japanese food yeah you won’t be able to identify but you can’t tell when you’re eating meat? Mushrooms? Beans? Fish? Pickled vegetable bits? It’s not that mysterious.
I’m a Japanese American, born in Japan to Japanese parents. I think some of the content of the original post and the comments that followed it is rather offensive.
I’m sensing a pernicious version of double standard with blatantly obvious (to me) sense of “white person entitlement” when trying Japanese food on ANA becomes an accomplishment, or worse, some sort of a gesture of generosity to “Asia.” Nobody is helping or hurting ANA, the country of Japan, or “The People of Asia” whether you eat their food or not, or whether you lived in “Asia” and could not find anything good to eat other than natto. Plenty of ordinary people all over the world are perfectly capable of eating and enjoying regional food, either from “their region” or from elsewhere. Also, fetishzing “Asian” anything is just ludicrous. Can you imagine someone writing a similar blurb about broadening his/her culinary horizons on Alitalia, British Airways, or Lufthansa? People from every continent, from every country, from every city, from every village, and from every family have always eaten food. It’s really food. Yes, there is a great regional variety of food on this globe, and that’s actually a good thing. Some of these comments generalizing food into very broad categories like “Asian” and “Western” are pure nonsense. On that note, it’s really closed-minded and rather “US centric” to broadly categorize certain ethnic cuisines as “exotic food” or “acquired taste” per se. When something is an “acquired taste,” what it really means is that the person eating/not eating it has not had enough life experience to feel confident to enjoy it. It’s not the food, it’s the person.