A Word Before Leaving

Dear Friends,

By the time you read these words, I will be gone. Despite my irrational fear of China, I’m headed to the People’s Republic for a short sojourn in the dusty northern capital. If you do not hear from me again, it is because my fears have come true, and they’ve decided to keep me. Best not to think of that now, so I’m going to fill my head with delicious daydreams of Peking duck, dim sum, Muslim lamb skewers, Yunnanese cheese, and other exotic goodies to divert myself on the plane. I’ll leave you, as you await the tales of my culinary explorations and linguistic gaffes abroad, with a few thoughts that touch on matters both culinary and linguistic.

After the spooky stylings of the Sunscreen Short Film Festival Sunday night, my friends and I were feeling pretty peckish. Undaunted by blood, gore, and ghouls; a testament to the human will to eat; our band of big appetites strode out into the night in search of dinner. Lady Luck led us to Isogen, a hole-in-the-wall izakaya at the end of a side street near the Sancha Patio exit of Sangenjaya station. In addition to yakko chilled tofu, fried oysters and calamari, a Japanese-style omelette, and chicken sashimi, we ordered the geki kara nabe. Geki, as in shigeki (stimulation) and gekiteki (dramatic), when juxtaposed with kara (spicy), means “fiery hot.” The one-pot dish made a dramatic entrance indeed: piled high with pork, chicken, oysters, and a mound of vegetables that slowly deliquesced into a red-sienna hued broth, it presided indisputably over the table.




It was hot. So hot, in fact, that I became worried for Ota-san’s safety. But as the saying goes, no pain, no gain. It was a truly tasty as well as stimulating experience. Geki. Kara. ‘Nuff said.

And to drink? I hope you’re sitting down for this. I rocked the futsuu-shu, and I’m happy to report that I found it perfectly potable and pleasant, if a bit nondescript. That just goes to show that 1) there is a time and a place for everything, and 2) I am no sake snob.

Good food, friendly service, and even friendlier prices (we each paid just under 2000 yen) make Isogen a great spot for a fun evening out with friends. I’ll definitely seek it out again when I return…if I return.