Gobos Lunch Bunch 2011

Saturday, January 22, 2011

2011 Jan 22 - Manjo's Lunch

2011 Jan 22 - Lunch at Kaita's Japanese Restaurant
San Jose, CA

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Today is a very small Lunch Bunch contingent, just me. I am off to San Jose to have lunch with my motorcycling friend Manjo from Sudbury, MA. He is in San Jose to babysit his 4 1/2 month old newest grandson. And we are meeting up with my long time golfing friend's whose second home shares a gate with my home in Stockton. But their primary residence has been in San Jose for a real long time. We will be going to their favorite Japanese Restaurant in Japantown, San Jose - Kaita's.

I first stop at Manjo's son and daughter-in-law's home to drive him to Hal and Jean's, my golfing friend's home.
Manjo's son and grandson


We drive the 3 miles to Hal's and get into Hal's car to ride the 15 minutes into old San Jose.
Jackson Street in Japantown

Here we are entering the restaurant, but I have Jean turn around so I don't just get a picture of the back of her head.
Looks like we are leaving but we are just heading in


We get there well before Noon as the place is very small and there was quite a waiting list by the time we left.


The Daily Specials are posted on a white board in the window.


But it turns out that everyone decides to order things off the menu.
Here is Hal's Bento Plate - some sashimi, pork tonkatsu (breaded cutlet), a bit of California roll and a dab of potato salad. His bowl of rice is off to the side.

Bento used to the Bento Box lunch. The Japanese equivalent of the Lunch Pail or Lunch Bucket.
Workers would take their lunches eaten cold in neat containers that had various small amounts of food and rice balls.

But restaurants have expanded on this ancient theme and now serve a hot Bento with a variety of items in a divided plate.


Hal putting tonkatsu sauce on his meat.

I forgot to take a photo of the salad before we finished them. So I took this photo of the salad from a neighboring table.


Jean orders something not on the menu. It is a traditional donburi (rice bowl) with various veggies and sashimi.


I stick to a menu donburi. This is unagi - broiled eel.


Manjo has the Bento Plate but with grilled saba - mackerel.


Carrying on a nice luncheon conversation.


Another shot of lunching.


The neighboring table whose salad I used for the photo volunteers to take a picture of me eating my eel.


After lunch the Manju-ya is right next door. So we stop and buy some to take home.
Manju is a popular Japanese Confection usually with an exterior of pounded rice and a filling of a sweetened bean paste.


A photo of Hal's front yard garden.


Then it is time to take Manjo back to his son and daughter-in-law's home. I visit with them and have some tea and manju .
Grace, Annika (sp), Eli and Willem

Then it is time for me to hit the road back home.


~end
.

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