japanese food!

it started about 10 years ago when i first had sushi. it was in new york and the sushi was stuffed with avocado, cucumber and caramelised walnuts.

since then, i have been addicted to japanese food. it got even worse after my trip to japan in 2006 - when i realised that japanese food doesn't mean just sushi, but a lot more. although sometimes it was not easy to explain the idea of being vegetarian (when you're not a buddhist monk), i really enjoyed all different kinds of food.

even the fast food you get at 7eleven is better that some sushi you get outside of japan.

i especially enjoyed the shojin ryori, the cuisine of the monks of buddhist temples. we stayed at one of the temples on mt. koya for a couple of days and had the lovliest tofu, pickles and vegetables. the monks don't eat fish, nor meat, nor garlic or onions.

i also like to go to japanese restaurants. this one was taken in amsterdam: www.japansrestaurantan.nl. i can recommend it, so if you are in amsterdam and feel like japanese food, you should stop by (sorry for the crappy picture, was taken with my mobile, can't wait to get a new proper camera).

ps. actually, while writing this i'm having a big plate of vegetarian tempura sushi. awesome.