Snacks, Part 1

I’m kind of a sucker for local snacks. I know I’m a sucker because I was told there’s an expression in Japanese like “1,000 local delicacies, and none of them good”, and yet I always peruse the souvenir snack selection. On this trip, I was relatively seduced by a few things.

At left is a shiso-maki, or I think that’s what they called it (and it’s an appropriate name, no?). Take a shiso leaf, spread on some miso mixed with various secret spices, roll tightly, skewer, fry. Not bad, a little oily, a little sweet, not very shiso…Hmmm, that sounds worse than it was.