Truly 幸せ!!
18th January 2008, Friday
When you are in the midst of a group of suit-wearing Japanese government officials and businessmen who have very little command of English and you wonder what right you have to be at this occasion, the only bst option you can adopt, digging yourself with the food galore....
Last evening, I attended this "14th Kagoshima & Singapore Conference" with the "Kagoshima Food Fair and Business Meeting" held at the Japanese Association.
The stipulated dinner timing was 6.30pm which is a little early, even by my standards.
I though by taking Bus 74, I should be able to reach Adam Road from Bouna Vista in the matter of half an hour in good traffic condition.
But there was a mad jam at Maju Camp for those attending RT I supposed and then the series of educational institutions which stalled the bus at almost every stop.
I finally got to the building I had passed by for years (with my frequent visits to Serene Center in my comic collecting days as well as the fact that my buddy TW was living along Bukit Timah Road in the past0, but never had the chance to really go in and have a look.
Karen, like myself, a non-member of the Kagoshima Club which is fronted by Vincent and Miyano and was responsible for the reception and ushering assistance, was also held up in the traffic as she made her way down from the East.
Together we sneakily sashayed our way into the ballroom which at that point had the governor of the Kagoshima City giving a speech and kick start the dinner party.
I was a little under-dress as somehow my absent-minded friend didn't highlight to me the part about jeans are not allowed...
I did spotted a few familiar faces in the form of Weixian, Loke and Jackson who were steward members of the club and comfortably mingling among the Japanese guest.
Speaking of mingling, I was invited because I had a certain degree of fluency in spoken Japanese (by local standards) but only did spoken to a certain Nagamoto-san who is the chairperson of the Kagoshima fishery association and sponsored the array of sashimi on display.
Karen, who is very reserved about speaking Japanese despite now in her advanced level, had more opportunities to converse with some of the Japanese on show though had problem comprehending the other party..Perhaps their distinctive Kagoshima dialect (ben) is quite baffling by our standards...
But the main focus of the night has to be the food been paraded...
Brought in exclusive for this event, on show was some foodstuff which cannot be found locally (like the beef) or would cost a bomb to savor that authentic taste.
Headlining the show has to be the Wagyu beef for the Shabu Shabu...
It is quite easy to differentiate the Wagyu from the ordinary ones with the color and texture...
Before I hit the Shabu Shabu, many people were already harping over it especially Jackson who made his base around that corner.
I had the pleasure to savor just one piece of the Wagyu and it was well worth my trip...
The meat just melt in your mouth and you wonder if it is beef at all!
As mentioned, there was a selection fo sashimi available with tuna (otoro), squid, amberjack, yellowtail and herring but once again it is the otoro that gives me the thrill... Wanna have that in Sakae Sushi...wait long long also don't have... I supposed in Singapore context, you can only consume that in high-class Japanese joints and even so it might cost you up to hundreds of dollars for a few pieces....
The Kagoshima people also prided their fruits which is renowned for their sweetness since they were cultivated on the rich lava soil of the famous volcano,Sakura-jima.
While the bright red strawberries were a letdown in terms of saccharine value, the melons didn't disappoint.
Cut in cubes on the slices, the melons were constantly been snapped up by the patrons and I was fortunate to get myself two slices and when the sweet juices glided down my tastebuds, it sent me to the climax of my gastronomical orgasm!
Also on display was the famous Kinkan, a mini Mandarin orange which we took a handful back when the party came to a close.
Other notable cuisines were Keihan, merely chicken rice submerged in Japanese tea soup, at strange way to consume this local delicacy.
There was tempura, caramel sweet potato, tonkatsu stew, eel (unagi) and Imo Reimen, a new product of a cold noodle made from sweet potato.
They had been serving the diluted Shochu the entire night since Kagoshima is a hotbed for this alcoholic beverage.
We didn't even touch on the other buffet table which had Japanese style siew-mai, oden, takoyaki and some local food like sweet-and-sour chicken which of course was neglected in front of this line-up....
At the end of the affair, I had to be very grateful with Vincent for the invitation and immersed myself in that "shiawase (blissful)" feeling as I took the bus home...
When you are in the midst of a group of suit-wearing Japanese government officials and businessmen who have very little command of English and you wonder what right you have to be at this occasion, the only bst option you can adopt, digging yourself with the food galore....
Last evening, I attended this "14th Kagoshima & Singapore Conference" with the "Kagoshima Food Fair and Business Meeting" held at the Japanese Association.
The stipulated dinner timing was 6.30pm which is a little early, even by my standards.
I though by taking Bus 74, I should be able to reach Adam Road from Bouna Vista in the matter of half an hour in good traffic condition.
But there was a mad jam at Maju Camp for those attending RT I supposed and then the series of educational institutions which stalled the bus at almost every stop.
I finally got to the building I had passed by for years (with my frequent visits to Serene Center in my comic collecting days as well as the fact that my buddy TW was living along Bukit Timah Road in the past0, but never had the chance to really go in and have a look.
Karen, like myself, a non-member of the Kagoshima Club which is fronted by Vincent and Miyano and was responsible for the reception and ushering assistance, was also held up in the traffic as she made her way down from the East.
Together we sneakily sashayed our way into the ballroom which at that point had the governor of the Kagoshima City giving a speech and kick start the dinner party.
I was a little under-dress as somehow my absent-minded friend didn't highlight to me the part about jeans are not allowed...
I did spotted a few familiar faces in the form of Weixian, Loke and Jackson who were steward members of the club and comfortably mingling among the Japanese guest.
Speaking of mingling, I was invited because I had a certain degree of fluency in spoken Japanese (by local standards) but only did spoken to a certain Nagamoto-san who is the chairperson of the Kagoshima fishery association and sponsored the array of sashimi on display.
Karen, who is very reserved about speaking Japanese despite now in her advanced level, had more opportunities to converse with some of the Japanese on show though had problem comprehending the other party..Perhaps their distinctive Kagoshima dialect (ben) is quite baffling by our standards...
But the main focus of the night has to be the food been paraded...
Brought in exclusive for this event, on show was some foodstuff which cannot be found locally (like the beef) or would cost a bomb to savor that authentic taste.
Headlining the show has to be the Wagyu beef for the Shabu Shabu...
It is quite easy to differentiate the Wagyu from the ordinary ones with the color and texture...
Before I hit the Shabu Shabu, many people were already harping over it especially Jackson who made his base around that corner.
I had the pleasure to savor just one piece of the Wagyu and it was well worth my trip...
The meat just melt in your mouth and you wonder if it is beef at all!
As mentioned, there was a selection fo sashimi available with tuna (otoro), squid, amberjack, yellowtail and herring but once again it is the otoro that gives me the thrill... Wanna have that in Sakae Sushi...wait long long also don't have... I supposed in Singapore context, you can only consume that in high-class Japanese joints and even so it might cost you up to hundreds of dollars for a few pieces....
The Kagoshima people also prided their fruits which is renowned for their sweetness since they were cultivated on the rich lava soil of the famous volcano,Sakura-jima.
While the bright red strawberries were a letdown in terms of saccharine value, the melons didn't disappoint.
Cut in cubes on the slices, the melons were constantly been snapped up by the patrons and I was fortunate to get myself two slices and when the sweet juices glided down my tastebuds, it sent me to the climax of my gastronomical orgasm!
Also on display was the famous Kinkan, a mini Mandarin orange which we took a handful back when the party came to a close.
Other notable cuisines were Keihan, merely chicken rice submerged in Japanese tea soup, at strange way to consume this local delicacy.
There was tempura, caramel sweet potato, tonkatsu stew, eel (unagi) and Imo Reimen, a new product of a cold noodle made from sweet potato.
They had been serving the diluted Shochu the entire night since Kagoshima is a hotbed for this alcoholic beverage.
We didn't even touch on the other buffet table which had Japanese style siew-mai, oden, takoyaki and some local food like sweet-and-sour chicken which of course was neglected in front of this line-up....
At the end of the affair, I had to be very grateful with Vincent for the invitation and immersed myself in that "shiawase (blissful)" feeling as I took the bus home...
Japanese word of the day: 優美(Delicacy) Think I had hundred dollars worth of it in my digestive system last evening.
posted by Kei at
1:50 PM
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