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  • I am so excited today.

  • Martina has finally agreed to let me shoot a video on unagi.

  • Today, we're going to take you to one of my favorite eel places called Marushizu.

  • And we're gonna show you what eel is all about.

  • Come on! LET'S DO THIS!

  • [Chill Music]

  • Now, working with eel is not easy.

  • First of all, it has tons of tiny, tiny, tiny little bones.

  • And it's very, very delicate.

  • The way that they grill this is Kabayaki style.

  • What it means is--

  • They actually butterfly it.

  • They remove all the bones from it.

  • Then they skewer it.

  • Skewering here is the key.

  • And then they grill it without any sauce.

  • And then they steam it.

  • And then they burn it back again(?).

  • And then they add the sauce on top of that

  • Which kind of, like, caramelizes the sauce on top of it

  • With the grill

  • And if you wanna nerd out with me--

  • Ahahaha

  • Yaki means grilling.

  • But kaba, they think, means those cattails

  • From the ponds

  • Like, you know when there's a pond and there's

  • A cattail

  • And it looks like a skewed eel.

  • So you're grilling it like that. Get it?

  • There's some word knowledge for you.

  • Right at your face.

  • [Calm Music]

  • Mmmm. It's so soft.

  • And fluffy and the edges are perfectly crispy.

  • It has a little bit of a crunch.

  • But it's not overcooked in any way.

  • The sauce on top of it is, like, soy sauce

  • And mirin and sugar

  • And it just, like, crisps so nicely

  • And then the sauce goes on the rice

  • And then it seeps down into it, but, like, not all the way

  • Down to make it soggy.

  • Oh man, it's so good.

  • Aww yeah~

  • Mmmmm

  • MMMmmm

  • There's... the soft, tenderness on the inside.

  • With a nice little sticky char of sauce on top.

  • It's a very meaty-tasting fish.

  • It doesn't have a fishy taste to it.

  • If you think about chicken, that's the closest equivalent

  • That I can come up with--

  • And I know a lot of people don't wanna try eel

  • Like even the thought of it is like

  • "Eww~ It looks like a snake."

  • It's not.

  • It's delicious.

  • It's a super treat here in Japan.

  • You have to try this out.

  • [Music]

  • I feel like the best way to describe eel

  • In my heart is that it's like a chicken and a fish

  • Got together.

  • When someone says 'chicken of the sea,'

  • I don't think tuna. I think eel.

  • It's kinda like when you take a marshmallow

  • And you dip a marshmallow in chocolate

  • And it's, like, fluffy, but there's chocolate

  • On the outside, but the inside-- you still taste the marshmallow.

  • It's like a marshmallow fish.

  • So I've sprinkled on a sansho

  • It makes the edges of your tongue a little bit numb.

  • It's perfect for eel like this.

  • You know what makes me very happy?

  • Martina didn't really wanna shoot this video.

  • She's not passionate about eel.

  • She hasn't had REALLY good eel like this place here.

  • And now she has seen the light.

  • 'Cause this is good stuff.

  • Just look at how beautiful this is.

  • This is a sexy-looking piece of fish.

  • You can't help but just look in, like, awe.

  • Awwe

  • So, summer time is actually the season for eel.

  • Most of the year, like around July to August--

  • We're having it right at the end of June

  • But if you come to Japan

  • Make sure that you try this in the summertime

  • It's wonderful, and not a lot of people talk about

  • How great eel is.

  • It's f*%#ing great.

  • I mean-- I love eel

  • [Music: 'Hallelujah']

  • Speaking of word knowledge that Martina had

  • Um

  • In Kafka On the Shore-- I'm not sure how many of

  • You have read it---

  • That one old character that's kind of crazy

  • His favorite treat is eel, and I feel the same way.

  • Are you the crazy character on the shore?

  • No, it means that I talk to cats

  • Umm

  • And then I gotta flip a stone.

  • Um

  • I'm not gonna spoil the rest of the book for you

  • But I talk to cats

  • Mmm

  • Mmmm

  • Mmm

  • So, the style of eel eating now is kinda the most

  • Common one where you have rice with sauce

  • And the eel on top of it.

  • But when we were in Nagoya, we had it served

  • Totally differently

  • They actually do a completely different process.

  • They serve it four different ways.

  • Have it as a soup. They have it with, like, wasabi.

  • They have it on rice.

  • So, just because you've had eel once in Japan

  • Does not mean you've had eel all the different types of ways

  • And I can say that that Nagoya eel was the

  • First time I ever said, "Wow, eel is great."

  • Eel is great.

  • And then Simon said, "Well, I'm gonna take you

  • To my favorite spot in Tokyo."

  • Because he came here, without me, with his friend.

  • So, even though eel season is in the summertime

  • That doesn't mean that it necessarily comes cheap.

  • There's a lot of overfishing.

  • And from what I've heard-- not gonna name any names

  • But some other countries that aren't Japan

  • Have been infringing on Japan's waters

  • And taking some of their eel

  • I don't know. I heard that in a food rumor mill

  • It could be wrong. Not sure.

  • Two pieces here cost 3,600 yen.

  • My three piece-set cost 4,300 yen.

  • So, it is a lot of money to spend on lunch.

  • It was supposedly a lot cheaper a long time ago.

  • But it's really, really, really, like, ridiculously delicious.

  • Really, really good-looking.

  • [Sexy Music]

  • So, that's it for this week's

  • Food Adventure Program for Awesome People(FAPFAP)

  • I hope we've convinced you to try eel.

  • It looks scary. You might think it's a snake.

  • It's not a snake!

  • Make sure you come on out and try it

  • When you get the chance

  • And we're gonna let you guys know how to

  • Find this place in our blog post

  • But it is a bit complicated

  • Or should we keep it secret, Ducky?

  • Hmmmmmmmm

  • Nah, we'll share it with you guys

  • It's new Sekuge market.

  • Or "Sukeegee" as everyone wants me to say it.

  • Sukeegee

  • Sukeegee

I am so excited today.

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