(Da-rah – Freshly cut udon dough above)
There are 2 things I must do today – 1) get up early to have my first udon breakfast in the home of udon makers. 2) And attend my udon making class at Sanuki Udon School
And I’m so glad I did both and more… =)
Even as suburb as this place may be, i realize there are many interesting things to do, see, taste and experience. Like taking a ride on the old JR train running on the century old tracks that brings a sense of nostalgia as you travel from one old town to another with the accompanying sound of traditional copper bells ringing as we approach and depart from every station. Time slows down and it’s a feeling I really appreciate.
I walked from the hotel to main shopping area; katahara machi to the marunouchi shopping street and pass mitsukoshi departmental store is where i find my first udon breakfast. I ordered their specialty Onsen Tamago udon, which is one of my best udon experiences ever. The noodles are chewy with a slight stickiness and the half boiled onsen tamago cracked into my udon by the obasan and handed to me with instructions uttered to me in Japanese about the toppings that go with my bowl of udon.
There are also over 40 varieties of tempura placed on shelves for self-selection, onigiri and some home cooked dishes in limited portions, all available to go with a udon meal.
After that we headed off to the shops and merchants around the shopping street. Surprise of the day – i thought this would be the last place I would find branded names like Bogetta, Gucci, LV, Coach and Gap but I was so wrong. Even as suburb as the town may be there is always room for some serious splurging.
Spent some time at Kinokuniya bought a book and CD and headed for my udon class full of anticipation. A short 15 minutes drive later on the other side of the hill we arrived at the udon school. I ended among the hills and soon I realized I’m really from everything. Got myself registered at the reception and headed to the factory building where the classroom is.
The classroom is on the 2nd level of the udon factory..it is huge. Can acommodate up to 30 students at any time. Today it’s a special private class. We were introduced to the sensei and we got started…first the flour, the salt water, then the mixing and kneading…almost a good 15-20 mins of solid hard work, we would have used our feet to knead too if we wanted to but it would required more skills to keep it in shape with our feet.
I kneaded and folded repeating the steps again…kneading and folding with instructions from my sensei and when it’s done I was already perspiring in the cool of a beautiful spring day. Next up cutting, we need to cut into thin strips of abt 3mm thickness, spread the noodles out, shake off excess flour and we are ready to cook.
The udon is so good it was almost unbelieveable. The texture, the taste, it was unlike anything I ever had in my life. It was like I never had udon before. This is a totally new taste to me. Amazing and yet the steps are surprising simple.
After my udon breakfast and udon lunch, I know I’m not having udon for dinner. So as I headed back, I’m so happy I have these experiences that I’ll keep for life. =)
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