I have been working at a Asian fusion restaurant in Higashi Shinsaibashi,Osaka since April 1990, and I was overwhelmed by the taste I encountered for the first time in my life. I was amazed at the greatness of Chinese food, the spiciness, sourness and sweetness of Thai food, and above all, the sophistication of Thai court food. And the seasonings of Malay, Indonesia, and Singapore are very fresh, and sometimes “What? Is this delicious?”, but I ate these dishes locally later, I realized that it was a dish based on the climate and culture.
At first, I was taught the work of preparing vegetables. I couldn’t do it well … I remembered when I was in high school while struggling while thinking that I couldn’t do anything if I was trying harder in cooking training when I was in high school.
The final cooking practice in high school was a free task that doubles as an exam, and a group of 5 or 6 people make what they like. There was one BBQ restaurant in our group, and I bought meat from the restaurant and took it to cooking training, and the teacher got angry.
I managed to prepare vegetables while sticking a lot of bandage on my fingers, and next I was taught how to make fresh spring rolls Goikun, a Vietnamese dish. It would become more interesting when you can make something slowly. I managed to work as an amateur without getting fired, and on my days off, I was taken care of by having me eat at the chef’s house and taking me to a restaurant.
I was delighted to hear that there was an employee trip to Thailand in June, which also served as a study, but the reality was not so sweet and I had only worked for three months, they left me alone. But 4 days off! The restaurant was closed on Mondays, so I could play with my friends on weekend for the first time in a while. Also, at the chef’s discretion, He gave me some budget, so I’m excited to be allowed to go to the restaurant I wanted to go to eat! With a friend, I went to eat a very expensive French food in a suit.
Later, I had a big hit by the chef, “Why French?” At that time, there was no high-class Southeast Asian restaurant in Osaka (excluding Chinese food), so I explained to the chef that I went to one of the best French restaurants in Osaka to eat delicious food that I had never eaten before. , He was hitting my head and laughing.
Then, the day after I ate French, I went to Tokyo and had a friend in Tokyo book a luxury Vietnamese restaurant in a hotel in Tokyo in advance and went to lunch, but I couldn’t judge whether it was delicious or not because I hadn’t eaten real Vietnamese food. ..
If it was delicious based on the deliciousness of Japanese people, it was delicious, but I wonder what it would be like if the locals ate it. I started confused that I couldn’t judge for myself, and I entered an area where I couldn’t answer. I am familiar with Japanese food because I was born and raised in Japan. However, even in Japan, if the seasoning changes due to the difference in climate depending on the region, I will make a judgment based on my likes and dislikes. “What’s right …” And that night I went to a long-established Indonesian restaurant in Tokyo that deals with the fusion restaurant where I work. It was delicious.
My heart was calm and satisfied by instinctively judging whether it was delicious or not without thinking about complicated things. The trip to Southeast Asian cuisine Tokyo edition, which is perfect in June when it got hot, would be end the day after and I decided to go back to Osaka and look for a Southeast Asian restaurant made by a local person and eat around.
And the staff of the restaurant came back safely and received souvenirs, and the restaurant opened the next day. Little by little, I was starting to wonder if I was getting closer to being a member of the staff. One and a half months after holidays in August, I was looking forward to washing the dishes. Then, as the days went by, I was taught how to use frying pans and woks, and I managed to make a general menu.
Two years and six months after I started working, at the end of October 1992, a company that operated restaurant was also operating an Italian restaurant in Singapore, the manager asked me if I wanted to work there. I remember clear like yesterday that I responded promptly.
To be honest, I was planning to quit the restaurant and go to Vietnam as a backpacker after 3 years. Vietnamese food was greatly influenced by French food culture, and I was interested in fascinating food that fused Western and Eastern food culture. Well, I had a dream of living abroad anyway, there wasn’t Kansai International Airport yet, I left Itami Airport on March 16, 1993, I never dreamed that I would continue to live abroad until now. I was 24-year-old young man and I was licking the world. Without knowing the challenges ahead, I will board the plane without any doubt. Goodbye, Japan! To be continue…
