Japan: Macy Lor (A Favorite Culinary Experience in Tokyo)

Program: AIP Internship in Tokyo, Summer

Before coming to Japan, I had never tried Unagi before. Unagi is a grilled eel seafood dish. It is glazed in a sweet-soy sauce base and can be served with rice in a bowl or on a skewer. Unagi is also known to be a type of izakaya food as well. It was one of those foods that I heard about being known for in Japan but never had the opportunity to try it in the U.S. I was afraid I wouldn’t enjoy the texture or that the taste wouldn’t be to my liking. After trying Unagi for the first time, it became one of my favorite culinary experiences I had during my time in Japan, and it changed my expectations.

I remember the first time I tried Unagi was when I went to eat out with two of my friends and another friend from UW Madison who was also working in Japan for the summer. We all wanted to catch up with each other, and luckily, my friend who came to work in Japan knew many good restaurants, especially sushi. He took us to a sushi restaurant which had many options for us to choose from. Since my friend knew the restaurant well, he ordered Unagi and many different types of sushi for us to choose from. When the Unagi came out, it looked delicious with its grilled look and glazed sauce. My friend urged me to try Unagi and luckily, I did because it completely changed my life. I was surprised by how tender and soft the meat was. Instead of being chewy like I expected it to be, it melted in my mouth softly.

The Unagi had a rich, buttery texture that was different from other seafood I had eaten before, like tuna. The sweet and savory sauce added the right amount of flavor without it overpowering the Unagi. The combination of the grilled flavor and slightly sweet sauce made the Unagi memorable for me. Since then, it has become one of my favorite foods in Japan. After that first experience of trying Unagi for the first time, I would always find myself ordering the same thing at a restaurant if they had it. Even though I wanted to try many different Japanese cuisines, Unagi was the one dish I would keep coming back to. Every restaurant prepared and cooked Unagi differently, but it made me more open-minded and appreciative of each version because the taste was still rich and comforting to me.

When I visited Kyoto and stopped by the Nishiki Market, it became one of my favorite memories because I had the chance to try Unagi there. The market was filled with vendors with all kinds of Japanese street food such as fresh seafood, grilled meat, skewers, and matcha. Walking through Nishiki Market was a memorable experience because there were so many different foods I had never seen or tried before. Out of everything, I eventually decided to try Unagi from one of the vendors that stood out to me. It was freshly grilled, tender, and glazed with a delicious sauce. I remember taking my first bite and wishing I had ordered more. Trying eel for the first time reminded me how important it is to be open to trying new things while studying abroad. It taught me to have an open mind and be appreciative of different types of cultural cuisine. If I had not decided to try it, I would have missed out on of my highlights of my study abroad experience.