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the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Tokyo, 2005.07.22

I've started my day with the supposedly 'acquired taste' of natto, which is made of fermented soy beans. I feel confident in saying that I doubt I'll eat anything more raunchy throughout the day.

Last night Jon and I met with a friend of his at the 'dog' (a statue of a dog that returned to the trian station here in Shubuya every evening for years after the passing of its human) at "Panic Crossing". Panic crossing is a large five-way intersection that wraps around one corner of the station. It's one of those systems where the cars have a turn then the pedestrians have a turn. It's large enough that you have to hustle a bit to cross the whole thing, a feat made more interesting by the many other pedestrians bent on crossing at a sharp angle to your direction.

Anyway, we crossed (in a panic I suppose), and went for Sukiyaki. This is one of those art-form types of food. You arrange a bunch of meats and veggies in a pan full of searing watery soy sauce and/or a boiling pot of water. Then you take whatever you've plucked out and dip it into a bowl into which you've just emptied/stirred a raw egg. It was a bit challenging to eat, but quite good.

rand()m quote

Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago.

—Bernard Berenson