“Monja”
The stuff doesn’t look good.
It looks the opposite of good. It looks like something you never want to put in your mouth. But for some reason it’s damn popular in Japan.
It’s a mixture of flour, water, green onions and assorted seafood that just never seem to mix. It’s thrown onto a hot skillet where it bubbles and percolates under the drunken eye of the table’s resident chef.
At some point, (not sure how anyone can tell) its done. Eventually, diners around the table start ripping apart little piles of this watery, bubbling goo and shoving it into their mouths. They separate and smash little bite sized bits with tiny metal spatulas. Before long, the mess is gone and the chef brings out the next dish. Usually the closely related but visually more appealing ‘okonomiyaki.’
The monja has thankfully been devoured, but it’s never more than a sharp holler at the wait staff from coming back.
I’ll pass.
