Takoyaki? Not quite.

Last Saturday, I enjoyed my first takoyaki party! Mind you, this is not my first time eating takoyaki (fried bread balls with octopus inside), but it was my first time participating in their creation. I went to the center of the universe (Tenri) and, after basking in the warm glow of Oyasama, went to Rogue's apartment. Since we had some time to kill, she took me to a store that supposedly sold clothes in larger sizes. I didn't buy anything, but it is good to know there may be a place in this country that I can buy clothes from.

My Japanese friend joined us kind of late, but we all went to the grocery store to pick up supplies. We got snacks, alcohol, soda, and materials for the actual takoyaki.

Rogue bought a takoyaki maker earlier that week. She did all the real cooking. I took all the verbal abuse and helped out in any way I could. Mostly I just drank Melon Cream Soda and ran around doing odd jobs.

Rogue knew that I didn't actually like takoyaki, so she made a custom batch just for me.

My Takoyaki:
-The takoyaki Batter
-Mini hotdogs
-Cheese
-Ginger

They were yummy! My only problem was the diced, pickled ginger. It's good, but it overpowers EVERYTHING else. It's like it takes the other ingredients, kicks them in the nuts, and shouts "I'M THE ONLY FLAVOR! THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!!!" Yes, Ginger is the highlander of the takoyaki world.

My Japanese friend made some Katsudon which is a bowl of rice topped with a deep-fried pork cutlet, egg, and condiments. ^_^

We concluded the night eating chocolate cake, cream puffs, and drinking Calpis chu-hai. I love Calpis Water, so the alcoholic version is amazing. As we munched our way through the night, we watched "War of the Worlds" in Japanese. Because I couldn't understand anything, I just watched and made jokes.

Side note: I finally bought a tanuki statue for my apartment! Meet the newest addition to my family:



Future Plans for February:
-Ramen Challenge
-Hokkaido Snow Festival
-Ookayama Naked Man Festival