In Japan, eating unagi (eel) dishes at an unagi restaurant during the hot season is considered a status symbol.
Domestic unagi is a luxury food item.
At unagi restaurants, it’s considered iki (refined and stylish) to wait for your unagi while enjoying beer and appetizers.
Since unagi takes time to grill, people take their time, savoring their drinks and light snacks. It’s not just about eating the food, but also about enjoying the atmosphere and the passing time. This reflects a more sophisticated way of enjoying Japanese cuisine.
The concept of iki emphasizes appreciating the moment without rushing. It’s about having the poise to patiently wait for something delicious, finding joy in the process itself. This relaxed attitude, where you take your time to enjoy good food and company, is a key element of Japanese culinary elegance.
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When you have kids, eating out tends to mean going to chain restaurants or family-style places.
Now that my youngest is 10 years old, I finally feel like I don’t have to keep a constant eye on them while we’re eating out.
It’s nice that the range of places we can go has expanded as the kids have grown.
Unagi restaurants have a bit of a grown-up vibe, don’t they?
Since unagi takes time to prepare, you often see adults leisurely waiting for their meal with a beer and some appetizers.
I wonder if someday I’ll be able to enjoy a relaxing drink while waiting for my unagi to be grilled, just like that?
Now that we have more options for where to eat, I’m wondering... what do I even want to eat?
For the longest time, when we ate out as a family, it was usually a rotation of conveyor belt sushi, yakiniku (BBQ), a casual Italian place like Saizeriya, ramen, or gyudon (beef bowls). Oh, and buffets too.
But honestly, I can’t think of anything I really want to eat right now, haha.
To be honest, I’m pretty satisfied with that rotation for now!
I suppose with age, buffets will become less appealing, and family restaurants feel comfortable because I’m with my family. If it were just me or me and my husband, we probably wouldn’t go.
Once my kids get older, they’ll likely spend more time with friends than family. So maybe we only have about five more years of regular family meals left?
Thinking about it like that, those lively meals at family restaurants are starting to feel like precious moments.
I’ll save those slow, relaxing meals at the unagi restaurant for a bit later in life.
🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
家族で鰻屋さんに来ました。
子供がいると、外食はチェーン店やファミレスになりがちです。
下の子が小5になって、最近やっと、外食中つきっきりで見てなくても大丈夫と思えるようになりました（心配性）。
子供が大きくなって、お店選びの幅が広がるのは嬉しいです。
うなぎ屋さんって、ちょっと大人っぽい感じありますもんね。
鰻料理ってできるまでに時間がかかるから、大人同士だと、鰻が来るまでビールとおつまみで待つ、みたいなお客さんが多かったです。
はて、私もいつかはこんな風に、鰻が焼き上がるのを待ちながら、ゆったりとお酒を楽しむようになれるんだろうか？
お店選びの幅が広がったとして、
私は何を食べたいんだろう？
今までは家族で外食と言ったらだいたい、
回転寿司、焼き肉、サイゼリヤ、ラーメン、牛丼
のローテーションだったような。。あ、あと食べ放題。
うーん、食べたいもの、思いつかない（笑。
正直、今はこれで満足ですw
まあ、年齢とともに食べ放題は無理になってくるだろうし、
ファミレスも、家族と一緒だから大手を振って来れる気もします。ひとりとか旦那と二人だったらいかなそう。
子供たちも、成長したら家族より友達中心の生活になると思うので、家族そろって食事をできるのも、あと5年くらいかな？
そう思うと、ファミレスでワイワイ食べるのも貴重な時間に思えてきました。
ひっさしぶりのうな重、おいしかったです！
うなぎ屋さんでゆったり過ごす時間は、もうちょっと先の楽しみとしてとっておきます😉