Sharpened Their Authenticity

The week before I was out with friends in Shanghai.  I never have Shanghainese food in Shanghai anymore.  These days it’s all about the best of whatever else the world has.  This pizza place is amazing, my friends insisted.  Indeed, it was pretty damn good New York pizza.  Later they I was preparing to peel off they insisted I join them for one more drink.  This place has outstanding tacos.  Is that right, here in Shanghai?  I overcame my automatic rejection and once again, they weren’t kidding.  The bar was tight, brick, tall ceilings, the owner had some remarkable salsa hip hop on and when we ordered the tacos I didn’t think much about it until two and a half minutes later they arrived.  Oh I see.  These are real.  We quickly ordered four more.

Tonight, in Tokyo my friends said “how about Mexican?”  Certainly it wouldn’t have been what I’d have picked.  But these are old friends, I’m their guest, they let slip that they’ve had “Japanese” every night this week.  So after a very “truly” Japanese highball at their place in Nakameguro, we walked over to the nearby taqueria.

I can’t recall the name we got a little room off to the side where no one was smoking and we ordered chicken mole and empanadas and a Tecate to go with the pitcher of margaritas and once again, almost I characteristically I should say, the food was outstanding.  Even better they had this early seventies Rocksteady mix on the air that just suited me.  They’d nailed it with this place, and I was happy they did.

The canal of Nakameguro makes for a fine walk at any hour of the night.  There are lots of places open late for an outsider like me to consider.  The talk of the town is all the new development underneath the train station, where things presumably get loud enough to overcome the sound of trains overhead.  And the canal doesn’t smell bad, as I suppose it once did.  How’s that place?  Oh it’s good for drinks.  And that one?  Terrible.  It’s Beijing duck with cotton candy.  Really?  That’s ridiculous.  It is ridiculous.  So some facsimiles fail and some succeed and some innovate at their peril.  But in the midst of these East Asian megopoli these days, most tastes have settled in and sharped their authenticity in amidst the ferocity of online competition.  Some other night I’ll have my sushi.

Tuesday 4/25/17