Food...

Throughout my travels in this world, and in my home city of New York, I have had some amazing meals. Simple baguettes in Paris, killer taco`s in LA, spicy vegetable patties in the Himalayas, back to the basic Papaya King hot dog, I have eaten some great food in my few years on this earth. Lately, I have been lucky enough to dive headlong into amazing Thai and Indonesian cuisine, that while spicy and uncomplex, has been amazing all the same.

However, all the meals in my life have been overshadowed in the 5 days that I have been in Japan.

The fact of the matter is that Japanese are perfectionist. They take anything and everything, and improve it. Take for instance, Ramen. Anybody who has attend college in the last 10 years can tell you stories of subsisting on Ramen noodles. It is a simple Chinese dish that is basically noodles in some sort of broth. Nothing Crazy.

However the Japanese took that and made it into the most amazing fast food imaginable. On almost every block in Tokyo there is a Ramen Shop, where for less then $7 you can get a bowl of amazing ramen topped with pork and vegetables in a broth that could be considered devine. The pork is always cooked to perfection, falling apart in your mouth. Everything is fresh and delicious. It is unbelievably good.

I almost cant talk about the Sushi. I can say now that you have not really tried Sushi till you have come to Japan. I was walking in Ueno, which is in the north-east of Tokyo, when I came across a small sushi place next to a fish market. It was just a hole in the wall that jutted out onto the street with the assistance of a few tarps. There were stools and a few Formica tables. Large coolers of cold tea sat in the corners. As the rain fell outside I was brought a bowl of rice with Tuna and Toro on top. A small dish of soy sauce with a little wasabi.

I can say that it was one of the pinnacles of dining.

The Tuna was so tender I didn't even need to chew. You could cut it with your tongue. The rice, perfectly cooked. It mixed perfectly with the cold tea and the rain.

Tokyo is truly a food lovers paradise.