Okinawan Food

Yesterday my student took me out for my birthday! She took me to "umisora" which means "sea sky" in Japanese.

It is an Okinawan restaurant. I have to admit that I was a bit nervous because all I knew about Okinawan food was that it can include goya (bitter gourd) which I hate because it is sooooo bitter.  But I was pleasantly surprised! 

My student made sure that she didn't order any goya.  In fact what she ordered was amazing!  Sorry but the pictures are pretty dark because the restaurant was really dark!

First we had this tofu dish-it was amazing!

Then we ordered "butakakuni" which is a delicious pork dish.

We also had this salad with noodles, veggies and seaweed.

We also had "onigiri" (rice balls) stuffed with "umeboshi" (pickled plums). These were very big and delicious. They came with "takuan" (pickled daikon) which were some of the best I've eaten.

Then my student asked me if I had ever tried "umibudo" which means "sea grapes". They are a kind of seaweed that looks like grapes. They were served cold with lemon slices. My student squeezed lemon juice on them. They were interesting-firm to the touch and when the little "grapes" burst in my mouth I could feel the slightly slimy seaweed feeling to them. It was cool and tasty!

 I'm so glad I got to try some new food and chat with my student!