Great Expectations

At the LA Tofu Festival last August, I was introduced to the traditional Japanese food item known as okonomiyaki. Alternatively called "Japanese pizza" or "Japanese pancake," it is a pan-fried batter cake filled with various vegetables, meats, seafood, and other ingredients. I heartily enjoyed my portion of the palm-sized disc of savory goodness, and since then, I've been looking for a local restaurant with this item on the menu. Its rarity made my search just a bit obsessive, which in turn ratcheted up my expectations for the moment when I could experience this dish again. That moment came tonight, when I went to a Japanese tapas restaurant called Izakaya Haru Ulala in Little Tokyo.

Although okonomiyaki did not appear on the menu, I knew from my research that the restaurant served this item. I asked the waitress for it, and she smiled, yes, indeed they do have this dish. After sampling tofu, sushi rolls, sake-steamed clams, grilled yellowtail, grilled squid, and chawanmushi (a childhood favorite that is also rare in American Japanese restaurants), the pièce de résistance arrived. But, after so much anticipation, can any food really live up to such heightened expectations? Unfortunately for me, the answer is no. While good, the okonomiyaki seemed over-sauced and consequently too salty. I know I was being unfair, but I still felt a bit disappointed. I suppose it is simply human nature; the more our desires and efforts are frustrated, the more we obsess about it, until our skewed perceptions aggrandize the object into something that no reality can live up to. It is amazing how powerful expectations can be and how they can build exponentially. More often than not, great expectations lead to disappointment. Yet, that disappointment is what corrects our vision and brings us back down to earth.

My long-awaited okonomiyaki. I probably would've liked it better without so much sauce. It was amusing (and a bit eerie) to see the dried toppings undulating from the heat of the dish. The swirling movements made the harmless "pancake" look alive!


The chawanmushi, however, did not disappoint. This simple dish is a staple in most Japanese restaurants in Taiwan, but it isn't very common in America. It is a steamed egg custard that typically includes meat, seafood, and vegetables. I love how it's served in a cute ceramic cup with a lid.