I’ve never been to Japan before, but I had a 2-hour layover at Haneda Airport today. With so many options to choose from, it was hard to decide! I ended up trying a Tendon and Soba combo. It was pretty good, but I noticed it barely had any sweetness to it.
The Tendon, and especially the Soba, didn’t have the sweet flavor I’ve experienced before. Is this how it’s usually served in Japan, or could it be unique to this particular place?
by ReplyGrand38
13 Comments
Standard soba is not supposed to be sweet. Tendon sauce is usually slightly sweet.
Where have you eaten soba and tendon previously?
On a side note, the food at Haneda was such a nice surprise, my wife and I flew out of Haneda at the end of our honeymoon and I went overboard before we got on our plane.
the sauce on the tendon is usually pretty sweet for me, soba has no sweetness to it, I’m gonna guess you’re American and used to having loads of sugar in things, I’ve seen Americans come to Japan, complain everything has not taste, gradually adjust to less salt and sugar and be confused, go back to America, be appalled at the taste of things, but quickly get used to it again.
That looks DELISH!
The tendon sauce is usually on the sweet side, but if you’re comparing to the general American palette, I guess you can say it’s less sweet, compared to the sugar overload in the US!
Regular soba (zaru) is never sweet 👍
Yep, they use less sugar in japan.
Why in God’s name would Soba be sweet?! What is wrong with Americans?! They eat like children!
Soba wont be sweet, you mix the wasabi and green onion with the tsuyu.
Tendon is slightly sweet but can vary from restaurant, although almost always less sweet than Japanese restaurants in the west
This is why a lot of people who live / have lived in Japan long term don’t enjoy the Western interpretations of Japanese food. Odd flavours and ingredients and way too much sugar.
It’s not supposed to be sweet lmao… American?
This was my first meal In Japan too back during my first trip. Now it’s my tradition ever visit
On a serious note, there seems to be this idea among Asian immigrants to the west that westerners like things sweet, so they makes things sweet. This is true with Japanese, Chinese and Korean cuisine found in the west. As a result, they end up creating a cuisine that is sweeter than any western OR Asian cuisine, and giving westerners the false idea that Asian cuisines are relatively sweet. It is what it is.
Hopefully, an increase in authentic flavors as new restaurants open, with western diners looking for more authentic flavors, will assuage this problem over time. Now that you have experienced what these dishes are supposed to taste like, you can become part of the solution when you go back home.
Is the tempura supposed to be served with a dipping sauce? Had a few meals where tempura was served dry (like this) and when I asked about sauce the workers gave me a confused look 😂