Got this dish in our school lunch today. Took a bite to discover a flavor and texture I had never tasted before. I consulted our menu to see what it was, and discovered I was eating “kujira-niku”—whale meat.
I’d heard stories from my “sempai” (seniors) of the occasional whale meat school lunch, but was told that they’ve been phasing it out and it was really rare these days. I don’t really know if I should count myself as lucky or unlucky that I got this chance to eat it, but either way, I ate it.
For the curious: it’s not great. You can see the meat is really dark—almost black. It’s similar to beef, but with much less flavor. And it’s VERY tough. It took me quite a while to get through this small amount. The bottom line: once is more than enough times to try whale meat.
Kyushoku: Vegetable and Beef Curry, Wieners, and Salad
Possibly the most stressful part of my day is waiting to see what our lunch will be. This is one of those days where I let out a quick “ohthankgod!” and relax.
Continuing with the theme of “sea creatures that we fry and eat whole,” yesterday we had fried shrimp for lunch—with eyes and legs and all. But we also got a sweet potato crepe to go with it! (in the plastic package in the middle)
About Me
My name is Lawrence Denes.After spending 5 years studying Japanese language, culture, literature, and history in St. Louis and Kyoto, I now live in Japan, in a town that most Japanese people have never even heard of, lost amid the rice fields and vending machines.
Please feel free to ask me anything, or send me an email.
