Distractions, reflections

Since I have strong preferences in food — some choices due to allergies, others from ethnic background — Satomi asked me for guidance on restaurant selection. I find Japanese food to not have the vegetarian content that Chinese food offers, so she had some time to think about that.

After a day of meetings at the university, we took the train out to Jiyugaoka station.

Maps were consulted to figure out directions.

Up the side street, many of the storefronts in this district were closed. I noticed the bicyclist choosing the safety of sidewalk, while pedestrians casually strolled the streets.

The sidewalks were sometimes non-existent, so we had to be on alert for oncoming cars.

Around the curve, the directions led us uphill.

We found our destination, Aen, with a modest front door.

Shiomi and Satomi had a lengthy consultation with the server about a good selection of alternative dishes. The menu is complete vegetarian, but I complicate matters by trying to avoid dairy products.

When there’s a large selection of restaurant to choose from, I’ll tend towards the more obscure. Vegetarian Korean food is pretty obscure in most cities, but in New York City, there’s Hangawi in Koreatown. Marianne was game for the adventure, and took in an afternoon train from New Jersey. We chose the set meal. The soup came with skewers in it.

The appetizers included a dumpling, a stuffed apple, and lotus root.

Korean pancakes came with an assortment of shaved vegetables and pickles, with a dipping sauce on the side.

Main dishes included mushroom, rice and kimchi (of course).