Bob in Iowa
Lurker
- 25 Nov 2004
- 208
- 5
- 28
Some of my fondest food memories from living in Japan in the 70's relate to acquiring and eating street food.
When my wife and I first took up residence together, we lived in a 6 mat room on the second floor of a small apartment building near the Fussa train station in western Tokyo prefecture. On cold winter evenings, we would often hear the bell of the sweet potato man, pulling his cart down the street below, singing "yaaaakiimo YAKIIMO!"
Simultaneously, we would look at each other. Her beautiful dark eyes would sparkle as she grinned devilishly, immediately prompting a quick "jan ken pon", which I almost always lost, whereupon I would scramble to put on some clothes and run down to the street to catch up to the sweet potato ojisan.
He was a friendly old guy who would smile at me as I stood shivering in the street, warming my hands over his cart as I waited my turn to receive two hot baked sweet potatoes, each wrapped in newspaper.
It seems as though I remember that the colder the night, the better they tasted. We would eat every morsel, even the crispy skin.
Although I have always liked sweet potatoes, those were the best I have ever had.
-Bob
When my wife and I first took up residence together, we lived in a 6 mat room on the second floor of a small apartment building near the Fussa train station in western Tokyo prefecture. On cold winter evenings, we would often hear the bell of the sweet potato man, pulling his cart down the street below, singing "yaaaakiimo YAKIIMO!"
Simultaneously, we would look at each other. Her beautiful dark eyes would sparkle as she grinned devilishly, immediately prompting a quick "jan ken pon", which I almost always lost, whereupon I would scramble to put on some clothes and run down to the street to catch up to the sweet potato ojisan.
He was a friendly old guy who would smile at me as I stood shivering in the street, warming my hands over his cart as I waited my turn to receive two hot baked sweet potatoes, each wrapped in newspaper.
It seems as though I remember that the colder the night, the better they tasted. We would eat every morsel, even the crispy skin.
Although I have always liked sweet potatoes, those were the best I have ever had.
-Bob