Japanese food . . . mmmmmm

When I was 14 years old, I spend one semester abroad in Japan. It was a clever idea my dad had when he noticed that I was getting very cozy with a boyfriend. Instead of banishing him from my life, he asked if I wanted to take a semester abroad, which I cheerfully accepted, not knowing his scheme. It was a great experience and of course the boyfriend thing was over when I came home. I loved Japan, and I loved the food. So much so that I gained 35 pounds in the 3 months I was there! Because their scales are in kgs. I had no idea how much weight I had actually gained. When I got off the plane, all my friends and family were there. They literally all burst out laughing when they saw me! So here are my before and afters . . . .

This is how I looked when I arrived in Japan . . .(notice how I am eating)

This is how I looked when I was saying my goodbyes . . .

Anyhow, you can see why they laughed, and you can see how much I love Japanese food! Tonight we went to my little family's favorite Japanese restaurant in Provo, UT. It have quite authentic Japanese cuisine. It is called Demae, and it is on center street and 100 s. When Porter and Alta were both still in Pampers, we would go there once a week. We would order the just a bowl of cut up tofu with teriyaki sauce and they would eat 2 or three bowls full each. After going in so often and order this off- menu delight, the owner of the restaurant finally put it on the menu! So we are proud to have influenced the menu. It's no, "Happy Sumo" When it comes to sushi, but it holds its own. Its very authentic Japanese food, and we love it there! Be warned they often only have one waiter, so it makes it pretty darn slow. Also be warned, if you go there you might run into us, and my kids have not quite got down the "restaurant voice" (let alone the "church voice") we are still working on it!

My kids all enjoying some miso soup . . .
What I ordered . . .

Recognize it?