[gaijin]

Forgot to add:

I have neeeeever —not even a single time— been served at any Japanese McDonalds (or any other big chain) by a person who did not appear Japanese.

[Liz]

When in Japan, eat Japanese. Tempura is my fave-----an exquisite dish. The best is Buddhist tempura b/c they are vegetarians, and have made tempura into an art form. Recipe to EAT LIKE A BUDDHIST MONK---tempura sans egg. Buddism's shojin ryori tenent. Done right, it tastes much better-- shouldn’t need sauce. Shojin ryori isn’t into sauces. You can tempura just anything fairly solid; best served right away.

VEGETABLE TEMPURA

CHOICE OF VEGS •Kabocha in thin slices •Carrots in thin slices •Fresh shitake caps •Broccoli buds •Sweet potatoes, thin-sliced •Herb sprigs

BATTER Mix cup cake flour, pinch b/soda, pinch salt, cup ice water. Don’t overmix–lumps are okay--should be thin and see-through on veg. Heat oil covering bottom of pan (or use deep fryer) 170-180 deg. Dip veg, lightly covering. You should be able to see through batter easily. If you want fancy, green veg look good partially battered, w/ some green showing. Fry both sides lightish brown, remove to p/towels. Pat oil off. SERVE.