Day Ten: Food Challenges

Eating some foods with chopsticks is like trying to eat a unicorn; it simply can’t be done.

Now when you come across one of these foods, chances are one of two things is going on: Either you’re eating it wrong or just lack proper cognitive motor skills.

Sometimes you get really unlucky and run into both problems in one meal.

When they set down the tray in front of me and I saw the lightly poached egg swimming in water, I knew I was going to have a problem. I probably should have just left it, but I really wanted to get the battle over with in order to enjoy the rest of my meal, so I picked up the chopsticks, arranged them carefully, and stared at the egg. It stared back. Not literally of course, because believe me, if that thing had had eyes, I would never have attempted to cut it in half with my chopsticks. I say “attempted” because mostly what happened was the egg ran away, and I wound up chasing an inanimate object around a tiny white bowl. When I finally caught up and stabbed it, its guts spilled everywhere. It was really lightly poached. Refusing to admit defeat, I tried to pick up a piece of egg white and almost succeeded. By the end of five minutes, I’d managed to get three small slippery sections of egg to my mouth, although that number drops to two if you don’t count the piece that decided it liked my knee better.

The egg now looked more like eggs do when you beat them for baking. I decided that eating it evidently wasn't going to happen, and I moved on to the beans Then the second trial started.

The beans were weird; they had this sticky sauce holding them together that stretched out in strings when you picked up a cluster. I believe this was near the heart of my following problems. I dug my chopstick in, closed them partway, and lifted them out again. Far more beans than I’d wanted filed along in strings. This really bothered me for some reason. I shook the chopsticks a little bit hoping to dislodge them. When that didn't work, I threw a mini spastic fit that flung beans across the table at Otosan. I don’t know where they all went, but he didn't even look up. Because of this, I’m assuming that none actually hit him. Of course, it’s possible he stood up afterwards, looked down at himself and thought, “Are those beans? Where did they come from? I didn't eat beans…”

But to keep life simpler I’m going to assume that this didn't happen either.

It also turned out that the egg was actually meant to me murdered and drank.

After the breakfast where my food issues went by unnoticed despite the fuss I was making, we went for a visit to Tokyo tower. I brought Tomo, and he got his picture taken in front of the window. He is taking his job as a mascot quite literally, and I plan to take pictures of him in front of all the places I visit. When I get around to it, I’ll try to post them here.

Anyway, I really loved Tokyo tower. It was so high, and I love being high. Not that high. Okay seriously, who the heck thought it was a good idea to use the word “high” for drug usage? Now when I try to explain my loves of heights on the spot (because it has literally only just occurred to me to just say “I love heights”) I wind up sounding extraordinarily confused. “Hi, I’m Serina! I love being high! Er, well, not high as in drugs- I never use drugs- I just like being up high. Like buildings. Or climbing trees. I like being building-trees-high. Wait, that doesn't make sense… I like standing on tall buildings and pretending I can fly! No… That doesn't sound right either… Never mind. What are your hobbies?”

The view from the tower was amazing, and they even had section of the floor in glass (or whatever transparent substance they use) so you could look straight down! I stood on it because I am brave and like to pretend I can fly.

Next we went to the Canadian embassy. They had a library on one of the lower floors that we spent a lot of time at. I got really into this one book I found, and now I’m going to need to buy or borrow it at some point. Tomo got his picture taken in front of an Anne of Green Gables statue, and he seemed pretty happy about it. Then again, he looks happy pretty much all the time, so it could just be a personality trait.

Once we’d checked in to our new hotel following another long drive that I’d drooled on myself during, we went to the grocery store. In the lower part of the store, they had an arcade, and there was one of those claw games for a giant stuffed kitty. Of course, I had to have this, and I think I spent roughly seven hundred yen before running out of change and admitting defeat for the second time that day. I am standing by my claim that the game was rigged, because I refuse to believe that my terrible motor skills also relate to rescuing puffy kitties from glass tanks.

Okay, apparently my blogs will only be shorter if I don’t use over two hundred words describing my eating experiences.