Back from Kyoto.
Just made it back from Kyoto where I had a wonderful time, to say the least.
Yesterday evening, I had dinner at the Wakuden, an ancient traditional restaurant, where I was treated to an unbelievable kaiseki while listening to shamisen and the sweet voice of a Maiko. Among the interesting dishes that were served, alongside the oshizushi (pressed sushi) and the charcoal grilled unagi (eel), there also was turtle jelly and whale. Yes, whale. For my defense it never crossed my mind that it could happen before it was too late. Otherwise, I would have avoided the place as eating endangered species wasn’t ranking high on my “fun things to do in Kyoto” list. But halfway down the course, with the plate in front of me, it was way too late to pull out my WWF card and make a stand for biodiversity.
So I ate it.
For the record, it wasn’t the best dish I had that night - by far - but at least you can now officially call me “Olivier-The-Whale-Eater”!
