A Few Random Thoughts About Food

For the longest time, I bemoaned the fact that St. Louis didn’t have any ramen restaurants. I loved eating different types of ramen when I lived in Japan.

But then, in the span of 18 months, 4 different ramen restaurants sprang up within 15 minutes of my house. I’m spoiled by all the options.

I ate at the fourth, Vista Ramen, for the first time yesterday, and I had a great time. I always know I’m enjoying a meal if we talk about food during the meal, and several mini-topics/questions came up that I thought I’d share with you:

  1. Why is chuhai not more common in the US? Chuhai is kind of like an alcoholic fruit soda. It’s super refreshing. I used to sit on the banks of the Kamogawa sipping on chuhai with friends, and I’ve never seen it in the US…until Tuesday.
  2. Why didn’t evolution provide humans with two stomachs–one for foods we want our body to digest and one for foods we want to taste but otherwise pass right through?
  3. Do you ever measure profit or savings in food? I instinctively do this all the time. Like, if I’m going to save $20 on an oil change, I equate that to 20 Slurpees. Not that Slurpees cost exactly $1 or that I’ll drink that many Slurpees in my lifetime, but that’s still my go-to comparison.

15 thoughts on “A Few Random Thoughts About Food”

  1. I’m now trying to find out where to find chuhai in Williamsburg. This sounds delicious. We’ve got some great ramen places in NYC. Have you been to momofuku? It’s one of my favorites and if you haven’t been before, you need to try it next time you’re here. Glad you got some places to go at home!

    Reply
    • I’ve heard great things about Momofuku, but I’ve never had it! I’ve heard that one of my favorite places in Kyoto, Ippudou, is also in New York–very jealous of that. 🙂

      Reply
  2. 1. I need to try this chuhai.
    2. My go to comparison is usually either a loaf of bread or a large pizza (depending on what the size of the monetary amount is).

    Reply
  3. #3 is a problem for me because I often think the opposite of how your mind works on this topic. I find myself saying, “I’m willing to spend $30 going to a nice dinner & drinks, but I’m hesitant to spend $30 this shirt, which is on sale. I’ll wear this shirt many times. I should get the shirt!”

    Reply
  4. 1. No idea.
    2. That would be so much more appealing than my current habit of spitting wedding cake back on my plate after chewing it for a while.
    3. My go to comparison is games. (I saved enough to buy a good filler game, or a month of tabletopia, etc.)

    Reply
  5. 1. Never heard of it but will have to stop by one of the Asian Markets to see if they have it now.
    2. As a species I don’t think we’ve been fat long enough to actually evolve a system of avoiding digesting certain things. Up until recently we’ve needed everything we can get in our mouths.
    3. I measure it in terms of TVs and used cars. If it’s not at that level I usually don’t worry about it too much but when an unexpected repair, vacation or something similar comes up I measure the loss in terms of new TVs or cheap used cars. Need to have the roof repaired? The wife wants to go on vacation? Oh there goes a brand new 80″ TV or an early 2000’s daily driver.

    Reply
  6. I really want to try that chuhai… it sounds delightful! Also, compared to the other new ramen places, how does Vista Ramen stack up?

    Reply
    • Their ramen has a soy-sauce base, which is good, though I prefer miso base. Their okonomiyaki was excellent, though, and they have several other things on the menu I really want to try. Also, I need to go back for more chuhai. 🙂

      Reply

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