favorite things: delicious, slimy sea creatures come full circle edition

April 2006
I happened to catch the episode of No Reservations where Anthony Bourdain visits Osaka. Perhaps you recall me mentioning it. I'm actually a pretty big fan of the show in general, but the Osaka episode is still one of my favorites. So, this show was my first introduction to takoyaki. Takoyaki are basically little dumplings full of octopus and green onion and other goodness, smothered in bonito flakes and a sweet brown sauce and sometimes Japanese mayonnaise (not the same thing as that jar of Hellmans in your fridge). When I saw them, I knew that I had to have them. Unfortunately for me, the takoyaki craze has apparently not yet swept this nation, as I spent the next two years fruitlessly searching for them. Even my beloved Kitcho in Tallahassee didn't make them.

September(?) 2007
Adam and I broke down one day and ordered a special takoyaki pan online. It's basically a little cast-iron griddle with round wells for batter. Adam and I did a little recipe research and created what we thought might be a passable batter. We dutifully cooked and cleaned and chopped dozens of little octopi. Rob happened to be at our house that day, and I believe the process may have scarred him for life. So we made our own little takoyaki. They were ... ok. I knew there was more to them, something we were missing.

May 2008
Adam and I are in New York City. Kuidaore is the name of the game. Enter Menchenko-Tei. It was already on our list of food stops because it was (1) cheap, (2) well reviewed on Midtown Lunch, and (3) highly recommended by Adam's coworker in their Midtown office. When we walked in, it was really late at night. Honestly, I was surprised they were even open. I was devestatingly tired, and still full from our last meal. (We may have eaten dinner four times that night. Maybe. Who can resist Grey's Papaya, a random vegan restaurant in the East Village, an awesome gyro cart, and ramen when they all happen to be presented to you within the span of a few hours? Not us, apparently. Although we split meals each time, so it was like four half meals. But still. It was all about kuidaore.) And lo and behold, but they make takoyaki. I may have squealed out loud. And they were good. Not exactly what I had expected. Much softer and lighter than the ones I had made, but good. I do regret that I was so extremely full already when they arrived, because I don't think I enjoyed them at their full potential. But I wasn't going to be deterred.


June 2008
The search continues for takoyaki in Florida with no success.

November 2008
Adam and I make our regular trip to Ha Tien, a little Vietnamese grocery store nearby. We may go there too often, because the owner recognizes us every time and seems to know our preferences, and he always has suggestions for new stuff for us to try based on what we usually buy. He's awesome. Anyway, I'm at the back of the store, looking through the door of the freezer case at gyoza and shumai, trying to remember if I have any left at home. And then, I see this:


It's freaking frozen takoyaki, just sitting there waiting for me. This is new. These weren't here before. Oh, bless you, Vietnamese store man! I grabbed two bags and practically sprinted toward the cash register. We went straight home and broke out the takoyaki pan to give them that crispy, golden-brown outside. I'd been looking for these things for two and a half years, and now I'd found them. And they were good. Now, I know they were pre-made and flown halfway across the world and pumped full of preservatives and a million other things that should have made me dislike them. But they were so good. I generally prefer to make something homemade rather then buy it ready-made, and now that I know what they're supposed to be like, I will probably make them from scratch again. But for the moment, I am fully reveling in the knowledge that in my freezer is a bag with a little antropomorphized octopus on the front, waiting just for me.

Now, watch this video. It is awesome. Seriously. Adam says this is his new favorite series. I am inclined to concur.