May 6: Taste tests

I get to cross another thing off the list of 100 foods everyone should try in their lifetime. I’m up to a whopping 35/100 now because I ate Kobe beef when I dined at Papa Haydn the other night.

But wait, there’s more! I also ate Brussels sprouts. To quote my beloved Heimlich, “I know, I cannot believe it also!”

My memory of previous attempts to eat Brussels sprouts bring to mind a distinct flavor of body odor, so I was not looking forward to eating them again. However, when I ordered the Kobe beef I forgot to ask if they could substitute the Brussels sprouts for a vegetable that doesn’t taste like gym stink, and there they were when my steak showed up.

(I cut up a piece of steak before I thought to take a picture of my plate, so this is not as pretty as when it was first set in front of me. Oh well. Those are Purple Peruvian and Russian Banana fingerling potatoes under the beef. The sprouts were smallish, like the size of walnuts.)

First, the beef: it was more tender than the finest filet mignon I’ve ever had. It was more flavorful, too, and the texture was less dense. Perfection, absolute perfection. It must be all the beer and sake massages they give those cows in Japan. I don’t see Kobe beef on a lot of menus, but I’ll definitely order it again when I get the chance.

And the sprouts, well, the sprouts were surprisingly edible. In fact, I liked them more than the potatoes, which were a little bit dry. I didn’t LOVE the sprouts, but I think I could eat them again without thinking of that one guy who always came to business law class after playing racquetball and not showering.