Wasabi Inari Sushi

Brand: Unsure

Cost: 150 yen

Found At: Lawsons

Inari Sushi is one of those Japanese foods that I know picky eaters would like, but that I can never convince them to try. I’ve tried all sorts of lines, “It’s just sweet tofu!” and “There’s 100% no fish and no seaweed in this” and even “it’s deep-fried.” But to no avail. There’s always a follow-up question, and that is where my well-laid trap is discovered:

“What is it?” They ask, knowing full well that they’ve caught me out. Because ‘slimy, deep-fried tofu pockets soaked in sweet sauce and vinegar’ is not the sort of thing that someone with a sensitive palate will go for. Which is a shame because I know in my heart that the mild, sweet tofu with the slightly vinegary white rice is just about the most inoffensive food Japan has to offer. There’s nothing uncooked or unfamiliar – it’s just a few old kitchen standbys cooked in a slightly different way. But so far, I’ve had no takers, and the fussy eaters and I have had to stick to the ramen shops and fried meat stalls of the city while they complain that “there’s no healthy food, here.” But I am not discouraged – I am the eternal optimist, undeterred by my frequent failures. I know that one day I will succeed. One day someone will take that risk and discover the joys of the tofu pocket. It will change their world and broaden their food horizons. It will change a LIFE. It just hasn’t happened yet.

More for me, I suppose.