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2009年04月23日
Things Japanese: A "Really Good" Bowl of Udon
The menu at the Makio Kanko Center
Osaka is famous for many things but maybe mostly for its good food. And so of course if you want a good bowl of "udon" (wheat noodles) Osaka would be the place to come. It is true that I eat "udon" on a weekly basis at home and also I am sure I eat it at a noodle shop somewhere at least once a week. So, it would seem that if someone asked me directions to a place where they served really good noodles I should be able to answer right off. Wrong!
There are many many chain stores in the Osaka area that specialize in udon. Every shopping center and every mall would have several "udon" shops. And of course all the major highways have "udon " shops waiting for customers. When I climb Mt. Kongo I have a choice of two places to eat "udon". And yet, if I were to be asked where to go for really good "udon" I used to not have an answer. Now I do.
The best udon that I have ever eaten is served at the Makio Kanko Center located at the base of Mt. Makio. It is a very small shop-cement floor with old comfortable chairs and tables. Most of the customers are pilgrims who are visiting the 33 Sacred Temples of Saikoku of which Seifuku Ji located at Mt. Makio is No. 4. Otherwise the customers are hikers or rock climbers.
What makes the "udon" here so good? I suspect that it is made from an old family recipe. The udon is made by a mother and daughter team while the father sells souvenirs outside. This family of three is very friendly and kind to all who come in. So, I suspect a lot of kindness and love goes into the "udon" that cannot be copied at a chain store. Even if a customer does not feel like ordering anything he or she is invited in for a cup of tea and encouraged to sit and rest. Overall this makes for a very nice eating experience. Good "udon" in a good atmosphere.
I don't know if anyone comes just for the "udon" but for me the best "udon" in Osaka is to be found in this out of the way place.
投稿者 bethany : 2009年04月23日 05:59
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