While I was in Yokohama, I stepped into a fairly sizable (for Japan anyway) supermarket and saw a whole display of tempura (breaded and deep-fried food) and yakitori (grilled chicken parts skewers). If I hadn't felt so sick from eating too much MSG-laced ramen, I would have eaten up a storm of skewered foods.
I have never seen so much tempura or so much variety of tempura in one place in all my life. It's like a country fair of deep-fried things except available every day at the supermarket... well, this particular supermarket anyway. I can't say a tempura display was common at the supermarkets that I went to while in Japan. I think it would only make sense in a heavily-trafficked area.
There was a lady that would bring out freshly fried tempura every once in a while. They had tempura fish, a lot of various veggies, shrimp, and even tempura sausage!
Chicken cutlets or katsu. I need to go back to Japan and find this supermarket so I can stuff my face.
Sausages and pork. I think that's a corn dog like skewer on the upper left.
They also had a table of croquettes, which are deep-fried mashed potato patties with various fillings.
*Sigh* I think my biggest regret in Japan was not be able to try the tempura/yakitori table at this supermarket.
Have you been to Tenya for their tempura-dons? it's tremendously tasty for its price!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.tenya.co.jp/index.htm
Sadly, no. =( It looks really good though. I did go to a pretty cheap udon place in Kyoto where you can add all the tempura you want though. It was really good!
ReplyDeleteYou could have bought some and eat them later!
ReplyDeleteIt would have been cold and maybe soggy from sitting too long! Tempura must be eaten (relatively) fresh out of the fryer!
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