Italy... by way of Tokyo? You don't say.

And on that note, lets keep the food bolus moving!

Food culture in Japan is like no other place. Chef, cooks, and food servers here take great pride in their work to make sure food is not only flavorful & delicious and well portioned, hello waistline but also beautifully prepared or plated. Whether you are buying food from an outdoor food cart at a matsuri (festival), stopping into a standing ramen shop, or purchasing a quick bite at the nearest conbini (convenience store) you can be sure that your food will be good and look 'good enough to eat', pardon the pun. (Sorry, not sorry.)

     So, you may ask yourself what does that have to do with my mention of Italy in the title? Well, i took those pictures of some delicious Italian food on Christmas Evening while dining at my firends' home, the Kikuchi family. Mr. Kikuchi had arranged for Chef Ochiai (of La Bettola di Ochiai fame) to prepare an amazing dinner for us. Now everyone who really knows me knows how much I love Italian food. In the words of Shakira, my hips don't lie. Especially when it comes to carbs like pasta. I can say with all honesty that yet again what I ate in the company of the Kikuchi family was the best Italian food I have ever enjoyed. Ever. And I have eaten a lot. Because we were able to have the dinner in the lovely Kikuchi home I got to help plate things for us so they were probably more quaint looking than the food would be in the restaurant due to my untrained hand's un-platewortiness. But none the less it was another culinary trip to heaven. Who would have though I would taste the excellent perfection of Italian food in Japan?