Just Another Dinner Party

The night before I left for Taiwan, I was invited to a dinner party-like gathering with five 1^st grade teachers at the largest JHS. I was extremely happy to be invited as I don’t get to forge many relationships with teachers due to the ever constant rotating schedule of mine. So this invitation was a treat and even though I had to get up at 5am the next day, I wouldn’t say no to this invitation. I was picked up by the science teacher and we made our way to her home, where her father (yes, unmarried people live with their parents. Actually married people still live with their parents too) took us to the restaurant. For those of you who don’t know, Japan has a VERY strict drinking and driving law. The legal limit for driving is 0.00. Meaning not even a SIP of alcohol or you could be arrested for a DUI. That being said, it is common to have a designated driver, usually a female or have a taxi waiting for you at the end of the night. People take this very seriously and I’m guessing it leads to a lower alcohol related car accidents.

After arriving at the restaurant we met up with the other teachers. What followed was a true feast and nothing short of “interesting” on the eyes and stomach. Here are some of the food highlights.

This is a nabe (pronounced na-bay) dish. It is just a soup with fish, chicken, and veggies in it. It was delicious and definitely my favorite.

This is some kind of fish (I have no idea what it was). I’ve learned that the Japanese eat just about everything. We opened up the face and inside was surprisingly good fish meat. Inside the cheek was excellent! I wasn’t brave enough to eat the eye, but another teacher was!

This is another fish (I have no idea what it was). This little guy brought us more fish cheek and other goodies. Let’s just say if I ever go fishing, I’ll make the most out of the fish.

Last but not least is the dessert portion. In prearranged meals there is always dessert. This was no different and a lovely scoop of vanilla ice cream was well deserved after all of that fish.