In the Saddle

Keep in mind, this is about 5 minutes in to us sitting down…

Adam came over and told us he’s got a project in the works. He said:

One thing I can tell you about my new project: it’s going to make me rich and famous and WILL most likely save the world. As they say the fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one thing.

…

oooookay.

Okay, so here’s the deal with shabu.

For those of you who don’t know, Shabu Shabu is like Japanese fondue. It means “swish swish” to mimic how you cook the food in the water. So you’re given a pot of dashi water (that was the last picture I posted….on top of a hot plate), a plate of veggies like cabbage, bok choy, carrots, scallions, mushrooms as well as tofu, noodles and raw meat. It comes with dipping sauces, salad and rice. So you dip the food into water to cook it, dip it into the sauce and enjoy.

I know it doesn’t sound like much, but it is amazing. Seriously amazing. Granted, it’s not for everyone (Jonny hates it with a passion), but I recommend trying it at least once. It’s deliciously filling without making you feel like you ate crap. The only thing that’s kind of bad about what you’re eating is that it’s fairly salty (which, of course, I love), but other than that…meat, veggies, rice. Can’t beat it.

I used to go weekly with my sister in NY (for those in NY, go to Shabu Tatsu on 10th st. b/n 1st and 2nd…the absolute best), so when I moved here, I was desperate to find a restaurant that served it. Six years later, there are more of ‘em around here, but then there were only two. I dragged T and got her hooked on it as well. We have been going to this one restaurant ever since.

So….there’s Yuko, who manages/owns (we think?) the restaurant (we love her!) and a waiter, Adam. First thing you notice about Adam is his Japanese-inflected accent. Which wouldn’t be weird, except that he’s white. And American. Chicago born and bred. He just likes talking in a faux Japanese accent. Now, this sounds insulting and rude, and it is, but I tell you…he doesn’t mean it to be rude. I think he thinks it’s a sign of respect. This should give you a little tidbit into the brain we’re dealing with here.

Yelp reviews have been written about this guy, who, at the beginning, annoyed the ever-living shit out of me. And I think I’ve mentioned here before, I’m generally a nice person, but I sometimes have little patience for people and can be kiiiiinda bitchy. T, on the other hand, is too nice to, well, not be nice and would engage in conversation. Adam grew to like us and would become a third diner at our table, interrupting sometimes serious conversations of ours to tell us some joke or weird thing he thought of. Quirky and weird and sometimes kind of fun…always well-meaning…he became to us a part of our experience. Suffice it to say, he grew on us. He must have grown on Yuko at some point, too, because we found out around three years ago or so that they are actually married and had been for about 10 years. These days, each time we go for shabu, it seems we get deeper and deeper into the mind of Adam, which is an………interesting….place.

And now, I’ll share some of these gems of information with you…I know. I know. You’re welcome.