Here's a small introduction post to Japanese cuisine, and I'll start with Takoyaki. Takoyaki is a deep fried ball of batter with octopus and different vegetables in it. They taste quite good with takoyaki sauce and fish flakes (if you can stomache octopus that is). I first discovered these delicious little treats at a festival where they seem to be very popular. I had them again last night at a karaoke bar, but they weren't to be your normal takoyaki...

We went to the karaoke bar - me and seven of my co-workers - after an enkai to celebrate a busy month of preparing and practicing for the kid's school fesitival. We went to an all-you-can-eat restaurant earlier in the evening but we still ordered snacks once we got there. Singing works up an appetite! On the menu at the karaoke bar it showed 'Lucien Takoyaki' with a little skull-and-crossbones picture beside it. These Lucien balls (maybe they meant Lucifer?) came in a tray of six balls and two of them - instead of being octopus - were cleverly substituted with a mysterious substance. Since there were eight of us they decided to get two of these trays so out of the twelve takoyaki, four of them were evil balls of death.

At first I didn't know this was a 'food game'. After the server came and brought the trays for us my co-worker offered one to me. Not thinking much of it and thanking her for the offer of food, I took one thinking they were normal takoyaki. I wasn't allowed eat to it just yet though because I had to wait until everyone chose one. I thought this kind of strange but just went along with it anyways. I waited until everyone got one and then there was a countdown: San-Ni-Ichi.. Go! and we all munched down on our takoyaki. Mine tasted as good as ever and I enjoyed it along with everyone else who seemed to too. Then.. one of my co-workers, an older lady, started to gag, choke, and spit hers out! I thought, "Man, she must reallllyy not like takoyaki." After going to a corner to politely spit it into a napkin, everyone else all laughed and joked about it. I thought they were playing a cruel joke! Why did they give her one in the first place if they knew she didn't like them? And also.. why did she eat it in the first place? I would never understand these people.

There were still four more takoyaki balls left so one of my co-workers suggested we janken (rock-paper-scissors) for them. We did an 8-way janken (which actually works in Japan, its nuts) and on the first hand I had chosen scissors along with four others. The other three had chosen paper. I thought, "Sweet, I won! So I get one of them.." but no, no... it was the losers who would get the remaining takoyaki balls. The three of them hesitantly chose one of the remaining takoyaki and after another countdown from 3, ate them at same time. Almost simultaneously, all three of them started gagging and making faces just like the other lady. What the hell was going on?! I figured then that something was up. I asked the co-worker next to me who was still gagging on his takoyaki what was inside them. Through his obvious discomfort he told me, "Wasabi!" Ughhh, siick. Now it all made sense. He showed me on the menu afterwards about this 'food game' and the Lucien takoyaki. Throw a camera in front of us and it would've been exactly like a Japanese game show.

There was still one remaining takoyaki ball left and my co-workers, through the power of induction, said it was safe to eat and offered it to me. If there had been any wasabi in it there would've been a green mess in front of me. Just imagine a tube of wasabi.. and then imagine that tube of wasabi suddenly in your mouth. Uggh. Sorry, Japanese politeness, but I think spewing food in this case is warranted.

I wonder what the next food game I come across will be?