蒟蒻

こんにゃく
konnyaku
The purple jelly triangle thingie in oden.

We were watching Engine on the projected screen till late night yesterday and the chef in the drama was serving oden. Needless to say, it's the best chilly night to have oden and everyone was drooling. Lucky us, mom is in town and she immediate went out to buy 10lb of daikon along with other stuff in the morning and cooked up a big feast of oden for us. We had oden since we were kids and even my dad's Japanese co-workers and wives came to our house for oden. My mom used to do all the fancy stuff like the grounded meat wrapped in cabbage and tied with seaweed. Of course she does not make that anymore... but it's still the best oden on this continent we are in.

In Vancouver, there is this fancy oden-only place on Robson that's packed with people everynight. I think the last time I was there, which was a few years back, a plate of 5-item oden cost around CAN$6.50. You get 1 piece of daikon, half an egg, 1 piece of ちくわぶ, 1 piece of さつま揚げ ( if you are lucky or else a piece of tofu) and for sure 1 piece of 蒟蒻, which I hate. You can order à la carte.and it's CAN$2.50 for 2 pieces of one item. I think it's such a rip off because oden is so easy to make and the ingredients are so affordable!

Anyway, in the Engine drama, KimuTaku also does not like 蒟蒻, just like my dad and I and my mom (which I found out today). :-) Only my brother will eat it that's why my mom still puts it in.

Here is a picture of the oden that's close to what my mom made tonight but maybe think 5 times more densely packed:



We were too busy eating and I forgot to take the actual picture of it before we start. (残念)