'The Proof of the Fooding is in the Returning'

I love “Eat” or EB (Eat, Bulaga!). I also love to eat EBI (tempura). Hep, it’s not only me but also Eileen and our kids. We are all Japanese shrimpomaniacs. Yes, we are all HIB positive (Hipong Iniluto sa Batter). Ngek!

By the way, I have a Tagalog term for ebi tempura — Hipong Hapon. Ngek!

And here’s another ngek for you. In short, I call it “Hip-Hap”... Hipong Hapon.

The temperatura of our tempura temptation is so intense that once, when we went to Tokyo around the late ’90s , we all had that Japanese shrimp dish for nearly a week. Ngek!

But wait, here’s worse — in one of those dinners, we even ordered extra for “take hotel” (wala kasi kaming bahay dun eh). It’s up to you if you want to ngek it here.

And with apologies to Wheel Of Fortune, may I “by” another “way”? Okay then... by the way, it is not true that it is called tempura (or to some, tenpura) because shrimps have 10 legs. Hmmm.

But I believe that my long romance with the ebi tempura has turned me into a real and dependable shrimpecialist and authority. The best proof is my style and fondness for TITS (Trying/Testing Immediately The Source). Well...

Yes, as much as possible, I make it a point to have a taste of the subject from its place of origin. For instance, I took the train to Kobe, Japan from Osaka some years back to try and stuff myself with slabs of Kobe beef where it was named after. Ganon ako. Ganon ako kayabang? Dehins, ganon lang talaga ako.

Binaboy na siopao, only in Japan

Eto pa, I think it was in 1992 or 1993 when me and my travel and food buddy and mentor, Danee Samonte, a.k.a. Steve O’Neal, drove from Paris to Perigord (southwest of France). This place is noted for its cuisine, more particularly its products related to ducks and geese. It is also historically famous when it comes to tartufo (truffles). Korekek, we were there to have a taste of the real foie gras and to purchase some of those black and white truffles to sprinkle and mix in our food the rest of the trip. Siguro nga may kayabangan din kami. Well, ganon talaga eh.

But the truth is — up to now nga, kahit tunaw na yung kinain kong may tartufo eh hindi ko pa rin ma–differentiate talaga kung meron man o wala. But my friend Danee can “yummify” and express his delight if his food is laced with these very expensive soil food. In short, madalas sumasakay na lang ako.

At eto pa, we took a train from New York to Philadelphia just to have a bite of their famous Philly Cheesesteak. Pwede namang kahit saan di ba? Kaya lang, iba nga yung Philly Cheesesteak sa Philly mismo.

At s’yempre, nandun na rin lang sa Pennsylvania, we stayed at the Hotel Hershey at pinurga ko ang mga bata ng Kisses chocolates kung saan ito original na ginagawa.

And of course, I had Peking duck in Beijing, I consumed large amounts of Korean barbecue in Seoul and feasted on the delicious Shanghai crabs at the Bund in Shanghai. And so forth and so on and sog-bu na ‘ko.

Nope, I did not go to Balut, Tondo to have some balut. Abuso na ‘yun.

Now, the question: Have I returned to some of these places? No, with the exception of one. Okay, let’s go back to the original topic of this ebi-torial which we left tempura- rily. The ebi-dence is strong and clear — we returned to Tokyo last Christmas day to experience once again the best ebi tempura as far as my family is concerned. It is found at the Roppongi Hills. Why the best? Aside from its uniquely delicious taste, it is served like the usual Peking duck dish — two ways. The second way is where they serve you the very crispy and crunchy heads of the ebis you consumed earlier. Actually , for me, mas masarap pa nga s’ya dun sa katawan eh.

So, the next time that you’re in the Land of the Rising Prices, este Rising Sun pala, find time to visit this special place called Tempura Mikawa. Just be sure you make a reservation.

I know it sounds “ngekish,” but for me “the proof of the fooding is in the returning.”

But wait, there’s more! Actually, there’s a lot, lot more that I discovered in this recent Tokyo trip. But for now, I’ll just mention two very cute ones. First, white strawberries are now available in some supermarkets in Tokyo. Hai! White talaga! Ano akala n’yo, tao lang ang ginu-Glutathione? Dito sa Japan, pati fruits pinapaputi. Anak ng prutas!

These albino strawberries are only grown by three families in Chiba. They are called Hatsukoinokaori, meaning “The Scent of First Love.”

The other one is their new version of pork meat bun (siopao). In the Takeshita area of Harajuku, they are shaped like a pig’s face. Maybe they designed it that way so that customers won’t be asking anymore about the filling. Matakot kayo kung mukha ng pusa ‘yon. Ngek!