Osaka Tabe-Nomihodai

Ben and my most fun evening in Osaka actually took place in our hotel. The restaurant on the first floor offered a tabe-nomihodai (all you can eat, all you can drink), you pay for the meal, and then for the next 90 minutes you can eat and drink as much as you want. Ben and I walked past this sign about 6 times before Ben could no longer stand the challenge to his manhood, and was determined to eat like the king he is.  This tabe-nomihodai was unlike any that Ben and I had ever seen, the quality of the food was outstanding, it felt more like a 7 course meal then an all you can eat affair. The drinks were also very good (read strong), and Ben and I ended up having and uproariously fantastic evening.  Here is what they brought us in order.

Edemame- Soy beans in the pod, we ate them readily because we knew we would need the lubricant… in a day or so. This was accompanied by a glass of whiskey for Ben, and a Peach Chew-Hi for me.

Sausage platter- a plate of many meats with a reduced balsamic vinegar as a dipping sauce

Seared sunfish- a small plate of seared sunfish, with course black pepper and Yuzuu (I could be wrong on the type of fish, the meat was very grey, but delicious) This was accompanied by a whiskey for Ben and another chew-hi for me.

Fried chicken- Breaded deep fried chicken, seasoned in a western style, It was absolutely delicious!

Deep fried spaghetti- Deep fried uncooked spaghetti, I’m not sure if this is a thing or not, but it was really good, it was also very fun to eat. At this point in the meal Ben and I were full, and a bit intoxicated, keep in mind, this is at about the 45 minute mark. Deep fried spaghetti can easily look like walrus tusks, or cat whiskers, and since Ben and I had our own private dining area, we did not refrain from such immature acts. This dish was accompanied by some wine and more whiskey, which was a bit unnecessary.

Next came Salmon- Salmon cooked in tinfoil with onions and lemons, This was Ben’s favorite dish, and he spent most of his time explaining to me how he was going to make this for me someday, and how happy it would make him. I had been reduced to giggles at this point, and for some reason my husband’s desire to make me a delicious meal was the most hilarious thing in the world.

Spaghetti- Cold spaghetti with legumes, and interesting dish, that in the end was left mostly untouched.

All you can eat is always a terrible idea for Ben and I, it always results in both of us at the end of the meal trying to bribe the other person to eat the last bits of food. We also find everything hilarious, but cannot laugh too hard without our stomachs protesting. I’m not sure if everyone else’s brains shut down after consuming a lot of food, but Ben and I become complete idiots, I’m not sure anyone else would find us amusing, but we tend to find each other the most hilarious things on the planet after a massive meal.

We were glad we had done the tabe-nomihodai in our hotel, trains would have been very unpleasant for everyone involved. We had truly taken advantage of the immense amount of food and alcohol offered to us. We laughed ourselves into tears every time our back ends sang the song of gorging, and our back ends hooted every time we began to sing our songs of intoxication. We spent a surprisingly enjoyable evening of intoxication and flatulence, in a room far too small. We watched Japanese game shows, and made stupid bets with each other. We enjoyed one of those nights that are only perfect if done with the person you love.