Before Kobe: A Lesson in Umami

I’m sitting on a milk crate off to the side of a crowded alley in Kyoto, Japan,

Using two stacked milk crates and a firm plastic board as a table.

Occasionally someone walking by the crowded narrow streets bumps my table and splashes my beer

Something that tends to annoy me greatly, but in this moment I’m unphased 

I just ordered Kobe Beef Skewers

This weekend I’m heading to to Kobe 

A thick, melt in your mouth A5 Kobe Steak,

Paired with a glass of rich japanese whiskey,

Enjoyed in silence

A long await bucket list item

But I wanted a reference point,

I wanted to set the bar low

So when I stumbled down this alley in Kyoto

Seeing just a guy in a grill

Approaching passersby, trying to convince them to have a seat

I thought, why not? 

I rarely order steak while out and about because I typically am underwhelmed and simply wish I just cooked it myself. 

That’s exactly what I thought when I saw a few pieces of very ordinary looking steak poked through what looked like a extra large toothpick amounting to the biggest food bill I’ve paid since I ‘ve been in Japan, 1500 yen or $11USD

I took a hopeless sip of beer before I pulled the first piece off by my teeth

And then I froze.

I’ve been struggling to find the words ever since.

Buttery.

Rich.

Savory in a way that felt completely new.

The kind of flavor that makes your eyes close,

your brain go quiet,and

everything else around you disappears.

すみません (Sumimasen) I said to the passing owner

How do you season the steak? I asked so incredibly intrigued, ready to listen to every detail that was about to roll off his tongue

“Salt and pepper”

“This is Umami” he continued

Umami, the fifth taste.In Japanese cuisine, it stands alongside sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. Often described as "savory," but it's more than that.

It has depth.

It holds curiosity.

It’s an ode to the best things in life.

And to be honest, it was a taste I never truly have been acquainted withnot until this random skewer in a Kyoto alley.

This weekend I’ll go to Kobe, Japan to have a full steak, maybe two.