Japanese Food

So, I remember a reoccurring joke about Japan, there are 3 food groups: Rice, Fish, and everything else. Part of the reason for this joke, is that meat was illegal in Japan for many years (fish was ok). These days however, being a vegetarian causes confusion and international students that are vegetarian are in serious danger of starving here. Meat is quite a popular food, and you do not have to be a fish lover to enjoy it all. So, I will mention a few foods that I like since I got here. I did write an entry on shabu shabu a while back. So some foods:

Katsukare - Japanese rice curry with a fried pork cutlet. Yeah, they are sold in the cafeteria at lunch time, I tend to get a craving for this once in a while..

Udon - Beef over rice, a somewhat modified version called "Cheese udon" with Cheese is available.

Hamburger Steak - This may be American food but its quite popular here with "Hamburger steak" places. Its pretty much a bunless hamburger with spices and some side dishes.

Takoyaki- fried octopuses, I tried this once and can't say that I have a taste for it. However, I Tried it at a convenience store and supposedly it wasn't very good quality.

Nikuman - Also sold at most convenience stores. Flour dough filled with pork, can be filled with other things

Onigiri - rice ball with a fish filling. Common for "lunch on the go"

Taiyaki - a popular sweet, fish shaped. Usually filled with red bean paste but can contain other fillings