Sticking it to THE OTOKO

According to Google Translate, otoko is Japanese for "man." And in this case, I'm sticking it to the owners of a new Japanese restaurant here in town. Because I'm cool like that.

Last night, Skip had a function at work. Keola was playing at a friend's house, so I decided to take Mika and Noe to the new Bento spot. We all like sushi, and I wouldn't have to cook.

I am still wondering why we stayed.

We got there at 6:04. The place is super small, with only 12 tables. It's kind of a dive, so don't be thinking it's a high-class spot with twelve EXCLUSIVE tables. It's teeny and not high-class. We waited about 10 minutes for a table, and then we waited until SEVEN FIFTEEN for our food! That is so totally unacceptable. The worst part was, FIVE OTHER TABLES got served before us, and they all came in AFTER WE DID.

*I hope all these capital letters adequately express my irritation.

Anyway. I made a stink, as I'm prone to do when I feel so justified, and ended up with squat. I insisted on a discounted bill, and the poor lady couldn't figure out how to do a discount on the register. So she gave me a $7 credit for our next visit. As if. Mika was mortified and kept asking me to stop asking for a discount. I told him if he had twenty bucks of his own hard-earned cash that he was willing to fork out for cold food and an hour's wait, then so be it. (yes, I realize twenty bucks is super cheap for a Japanese meal. But still...)

So today, I made bulgogi for my family. While I do realize this is a Korean dish and not a Japanese dish, it was still one of the items on their menu. I don't need the stupid Bento. I can do it myself. And so can you. Here's how:

Buy a beef roast. (Sorry, Trinity) Ask your butcher to slice it thinly for you. Take your thinly sliced beef, and slice it into strips. (Think fajita-style). This is easiest to do if the meat is partly frozen.

Next, combine one onion and 2 kiwis in a blender or food processor or chopster or whatever you use when you're too lazy to mince. Throw in 2-3 cloves of garlic. Puree.

Add about 3 Tbs of cooking wine (I prefer red); 3 Tbs of rice vinegar (although any kind of vinegar will work. I use pomegranate and it's super tasty as well); 3 Tbs of sesame oil and about 1/2 c of soy sauce. That's your marinade.

Soak the thinly sliced beef strips in it for a few hours. The kiwi sounds weird, yes, but it tenderizes the meat in a delightful way. Stir fry it in your wok. Or on a griddle. Or in a pan. Whatever you have. Sprinkle some sesame seeds over it. Serve it with sticky rice. Wrap each serving up in a lettuce leaf and eat it like a Japanese burrito. I would post some pictures, but I didn't take any. I realize that makes this post a teeny bit lame, but it makes my life a teeny bit easier. So I'm willing to trade off. Although I CAN swipe a pic off Google images. Here's what it looks like. Although mine didn't have whatever that red stuff is on top. My whole family loves it. And it takes hardly any time. And you don't have to get into it with an irritated Japanese head waitress and her angry sushi-chef boss. And your kid won't be embarrassed. And you save twenty bucks.