Nachos & Wild Boar

I wonder if this is how it always works. Right when things start to get going, you end up leaving. I'm finally hanging out more with my teachers... right as I leave! Why couldn't this have happened sooner?! Also this year's first year JETs are pretty awesome (as are the friends I've made in my year); why am I leaving when they're just coming? Yar.

note: not drawn to scale (probably)

Monday night though, one of the teachers came over to my place for a little culinary cultural exchange. She brought me inoshishi, or wild boar, which is something of a local specialty? Or if not a local specialty, it's really common around this area because there are hoards (herds?) of wild boar that live in the mountains. I'm told by some of the other ALTs who drive in this area that seeing them (dead) on the road is a fairly common enough sight. I've yet to actually see one in real life (though it's probably for the better, since I've heard they're fairly dangerous - see picture hahaha). 

still probably not to scale, but who knows.

Really though, I've heard their tusks can do some pretty serious damage. That's actually one of the things they hunt up in the mountains, so whenever I hear gunshots, I generally assume that they're trying to shoot a wild boar (rather than a monkey or something.) I've also heard that they're kind of pests out in the countryside (which is where I am). They get into gardens and crops, rice fields, and other places humans don't want them (mostly everywhere - poor boars). If you need an example of how dangerous they can be, I suggest watching Princess Mononoke. Those boars can do some serious damage. Plus it's the boars who decide to retaliate, and the boars who are demon-posessed and yeaaaaah. Yeah. 

Lookit how freaking cute the baby ones are!
Oh. Em. Gee.

So they get hunted, and in Niimi, my Tuesday/Friday city, they're something of a local specialty (also apparently among the locals here too? For my teacher anyways.) I had wild boar ramen from an instant box package, but never like... fresh? When I told this to my teacher, she decided to take it upon herself to show me; we decided that she would come over and cook some wild boar for me, since apparently she has some from somewhere and it was pretty cheap, whereas going to a restaurant would probably be on the pricey side. It also meant that I got to try a more home cooked version of the wild boar, since apparently my teacher eats it frequently enough with her parents for her mother to not like the taste of it! 

I have no idea where my teacher ever got it though! I've never seen this in the grocery store (maybe I'm not looking hard enough). Or the butcher's. Maybe from a farmer who had to kill one? I'm not really sure. But she came with some pre-seasoned (and with onions) so we cooked some of that up so I could have *fresh* inoshishi. 

It actually wasn't bad. I can't describe the flavor beyond "well, it doesn't taste like beef or pork... but it tastes like... meat." It was kinda chewy though. She said that some people think it's smelly? I could get used to eating that though. It really wasn't bad, and worked pretty well over rice.

In exchange, I made "American"-ish food for her. I made nachos! They're kinda Mexican-American, yeah? Or Tex Mex. Personally, they were kinda crappy nachos since I had to use the cheesy kind of Doritos (I'm a tortilla chip purist hahaha) and the meh kind of Japanese cheese that goes from deliciously gooey cheese to solid plastic cheese in about one minute away from a heat source, microwaved it instead of baking it in the oven (oven gives it that amazing color, but I only have a tiny toaster oven and I never make "only a little bit" of nachos) and Japanese sour cream (which I suppose is better than NO sour cream) that's also kind of... solid. I did make guacamole for her (she said I was the first person she knew whom actually bought avocados at the grocery store) and added some left over jalapenos and hot sauce I needed to get rid of. The guacamole, honestly, on its own is pretty good, and apparently enough to convince people that I'm good at cooking (ahahaha. Though to be fair to myself, a Mexican-American chick gave it the green light, which, somehow validates it as being pretty damn tasty).

Score another win for (home made) nachos in Japan. 

We also talked about the state of marriage currently in Japan, and about how single ladies will often try to emphasize the fact that Oh Man, Do They Love Cooking when trying to net a man. She actually told me that while she does enjoy cooking, she generally avoids mentioning it so that it doesn't look like she's trying to find a man! I found this fascinating. Also, apparently, guys here look for that in a girl; how well she can cook, and whether or not she likes to. The uh, gossip around one of my schools is that one of the teachers does precisely that to try and appeal to men. She also said that they often look at the kind of bentos single ladies bring to school or company or whatever, since a homemade bento (versus a storebought one) indicates one's skill in the culinary domain. Cute bentos = likes cooking. Oh Japan. Personally, I think cute bentos = loads of time on your hands. 

My teacher explained though, that this was part of konkatsu, which means Stuff You Do When You're Looking For a Man/Marriage Partner. So you do things like make your lunchbox every day - yourself - to show the world that Yes You Do Love Cooking because Wow Doesn't That Make Me Look Like Perfect Wife Material. My teacher also claims that she can tell when a girl makes a bento, and when her mother makes the bento. Japanese women also will go to dating events/speed dating setups, or will go to parties in hopes that they will meet Mr. Stable Job And Marriage Prospect. They try to act cuter around guys (since apparently, guys dig that kind of thing here or something). There are dating websites.

Interestingly as well, they also have dating services that will help match people up, a lot like those websites, except with a lot more help. She said you submit your profile and they help match you with someone else. Then, they help you arrange for the first date, and chaperone the two of you for about half an hour before leaving you on your own. Apparently some people she knows met like that? 

Given the context of what women do in Japanese society (don't ask, I'm not sure) and the kinds of roles they fill and the opportunities they have to meet people, I guess this kind of service makes some sense. 

Something else she told me that was pretty interesting, is that here in the countryside at least, men who work at schools are way more attractive (though I'm not sure how much of that was projecting...) because they have stable jobs and can take a little more vacation than your average salary men. On the flip side though... women who are teachers are considered to be too clever and smart, leaving many female teachers as single ladies.

On a different, more food related note, I also managed to make chili in my rice cooker, since I lack a proper slow cooker. Who would have thought! I mean, I've made stuff like meat before in my rice cooker, and I made a stew with it before, but oh man, the chili actually turned out pretty good, and didn't require too many extra things that I didn't have. Actually, I had a bunch of chili powder I had brought with me back from the US, along with some uhhhh I forget the name, something- arbol de molido that basically was like holycow spicy. Really freakin' tasty though. So tasty that I can't believe I didn't make it sooner. Once you get the prepwork out of the way as well, it's a pretty easy recipe.

The only downside is that you can't use your rice cooker while you're cooking the chili, making things like prepping rice for chili and rice, something of a problem. I almost considered buying two, hahaha. #asianworldproblems