{"id":383,"date":"2018-01-23T02:38:15","date_gmt":"2018-01-23T08:38:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/esj-2018\/?p=383"},"modified":"2018-01-23T07:35:54","modified_gmt":"2018-01-23T13:35:54","slug":"good-food-more-than-just-flavor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pages.stolaf.edu\/esj-2018\/2018\/01\/23\/good-food-more-than-just-flavor\/","title":{"rendered":"Good Food: More than just flavor"},"content":{"rendered":"

Busy city, check.\u00a0 Wonderful food, check.\u00a0 Way too many people, check.\u00a0 Tokyo is a place where some people thrive in the chaotic mess of the big city with lights and late nights.\u00a0 I am not one of those people. I am a sit back and relax with good food type of person.\u00a0 After these last two days in Tokyo, I needed a break of busy ramen shops and electric signs.\u00a0 This is why I went to Kamakura for my free days, a coastal city about an hour south of Tokyo.\u00a0 I stepped off the train and could hear the ocean.<\/p>\n

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Salmon roe with salmon from a Tokyo restaurant<\/p><\/div>\n

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Ramen from a ticket-style ramen shop in Tokyo<\/p><\/div>\n

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We were all awe struck when we saw the Pacific Ocean, some of us for the first time.\u00a0 Seemingly un-ending we just stared at its twinkling blue surface, cresting with white caps in the ocean air.\u00a0 The boardwalk spanned as far as we would want to walk in either direction, so we just picked one and<\/p>\n

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A full meal of fresh fish and salad on a coastal restaurant in Kamakura<\/p><\/div>\n

headed out to find food.\u00a0 About twenty minutes later we stopped at an outside restaurant with a beach view.\u00a0 Perfect.\u00a0 The food was amazing, and the atmosphere was laid back<\/p>\n

and contemplative.\u00a0 The food was just as good or better than the food we had in Tokyo, but the view was far better.\u00a0 This brings to question whether the flavor of the food has the most impact on whether it is “good food”. \u00a0Good food consists of more than the food, but also the atmosphere and nearby environment.<\/p>\n

The next day we were craving food that was a little more \u201cAmerican\u201d so we stopped at a costal burger joint and feasted.\u00a0 Even though it was food we were used to eating, there was still a special sense to it, which I think came from the owners of the shop, two young men that looked to be perfectly happy with serving burgers.\u00a0 Good food is served with love.<\/p>\n

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An avocado burger served in a ocean-side burger joint in Kamakura<\/p><\/div>\n

For my last night, I found myself in the basement of our hostel with a bowl of pre-packaged instant ramen, just open the bowl and add water and the flavor packet.\u00a0 There was nothing fantastic or healthy about it, but I was surrounded by friends so it still was a special meal with good food. \u00a0I think this brings around to the question if the flavor has the most impact on being good, and I have come to the conclusion that it is not; that the atmosphere around the food, whether it be on a beach, fancy restaurant, or hostel basement, that makes food “good food”.<\/p>\n

Good food expands so much further than flavors and nutrition.\u00a0 It expands into the atmosphere, aesthetic, care behind its preparation, and those around you when you enjoy good food.\u00a0 I love good food!<\/p>\n

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