Great Expectations

 

With two little children still in Elementary school, I don't get many chances to get out and travel around Japan, but earlier this year, my printmaking work took me to the Kansai, and I made the trip full of high expectations ... for some glorious meals!

I first visited the Kansai about 15 years ago, as part of a three month trip around the country. I was on a budget, staying in Youth Hostels and mostly eating in cheap restaurants. But what great food I found here! It seemed as though even the simplest food, in even the most basic places, was prepared with care, and served with pride. Everything was delicious! I 'dined out' on those memories for many years afterward ...

What of this recent trip then? Well, I am sorry to have to report that I didn't really enjoy the food all that much. It wasn't bad, but it seemed to be kind of 'nothing special' ... a bit bland. Perhaps I was just unlucky with my choice of restaurants, although I don't think this was the reason. I chose them completely at random, just like I did 15 years ago. Has Osaka cooking gone 'downhill' during this interval? I can't believe that! Centuries of tradition don't change that easily ...

I suppose the real reason is that when I went for the first time, I had no pre-conceptions. I simply accepted what I found. This time around though, I expected great things ... and when I didn't find them, I felt disappointed. It was actually my own fault, and I'll have to remember next time I go, to relax and take things just as they come ...

(But, now that I come to think of it, there might be another reason. Fifteen years ago, I was travelling with a young lady ... This time I was alone. Do you think this might have made a difference in the way I appreciated things?)