20041205

eating my way through aki matsuri

autumn festival fish head
queeck, someone give me a drink! sashimi cutting demo

last night, we celebrated aki matsuri, or autumn festival, at ypao beach park in tumon. i go every year, despite the rains and crowds. it's not just because of the food. okay, it's probably 75% because of the food. besides the usual festivities, there are booths that line the grounds filled with toys, games, and dozens of food concessions. you buy tickets at a ticket booth, and then you trade the tickets for whatever you please--yakitori, okonomiyaki, edamame, takoyaki...an almost endless array. even bratwurst. i guess it goes well with cheap asahi beer and even cheaper sake.

autumn festival yakisobaautumn  festival tempura
autumn festival okonomiyakiautumn festival brats

i'd like to tell you i didn't indulge but of course you know i did.

autumn festival takoyakiautumn festival bbq squid
autumn festival shumaiautumn festival almond jelly

i think we must've tried everything there: octopus balls grilled and dipped in sauce, grilled squid rings, fried squid rings, whole barbecued squid, futomaki, inari sushi, coffee jelly, almond jelly, mochi, barbecued ribs, yakitori, shumai, fried crab claws, mangoes, mandarin oranges, radish, shave ice--gaaaaaaaaah.

can't say i had a favourite. although kudos to the mandarin orange guy who gave me five extra bags for my leftover tickets, and the okonomiyaki guys for the made-to-order order!

autumn festival okonomiyaki guys

update: more photos on guambat!

6 comments:

Hmmmmmm... Yum..!! i would have gone on a makan frenzy..!!

Sounds like my kind of place. Squid, squid, and more squid!

Hi Santos,

Looks like you had lots of fun at this event! I haven't had okonomiyaki for a while. I think I'm a bit overdue. There is actually a shop that opened recently that may be a bit less expensive than the one in Waikiki. I'll try to get there soon...

Japanese festivals are just the business. I'm off to sulk in jealousy. Maybe I can finally make some takoyaki in the snail pan I bought.

hi mrs. tweety!

i did! i did go on a makan frenzy! ;-)

jmom--it was truly squidacilious this year. sooooo very good, too. smoky, slightly chewy but not overcooked--i don't know how all the vendors did it. they must have gone through several hundred pounds apiece, and each place we tried had tender, tasty squid. mmmmmm.

reid--the okonomiyaki was especially good because it was hot off the grill and really hit the spot, as there was just a sudden cloudburst and i was sopping wet. hopefully the new place in honolulu will be good--it's about time! i'm looking forward to your possible post.

anthony--your blog is getting all freaky on me again, where did your archives disappear to?! anyway, i thought you christened snail pan already. no? you would have enjoyed the nomi no ichi (is that the right phrase for flea market?)--rice cooker and polaroid graveyard. if there wasn't the giant mudpit in front of it, i would have perused it thoroughly.

Aaargh. Odd things are happening on my computer all round. The archives still seem to be there but let me know if you can't access them. Thanks for the heads up

I'm not sure about nomi no ichi, the used to get called "free markets" which, when you think about it, makes alot more sense.