Stuffed

Most of the time spent with the J-family revolves around food. J-Mum is constantly trying to shove food down our throats when we are at her apartment (she made me okonomiyaki for breakfast one morning - I could only make it halfway through), and J-Auntie orders enough for 20 people at a restaurant - even though there are only 5 of us and both Younger Brother and I are picky eaters.

Last Tuesday we had dinner at the "Gold Monkey" restaurant in Kichijoji, to celebrate the August trio of Birthdays - Younger Brother's, the Boy's and mine. Don't even think about walking into this place without a stack of ichi-mans in your pocket. J-Auntie had reserved a little room for us overlooking the garden and Inokashira park.

We had a course menu - and the food just kept coming. It was all fish and vegetable dishes - the most exotic one being the fish-wrapped aparagus pictured below:

Yes that is a little deep fried crab attacking the asparagus there - and to defy the Family's belief in me not eating odd things I ate it.

It tasted like crunchy crab batter.

The legs were a bit spiky on the tongue.

We went down to Kanagawa after dinner on Tuesday night - for a few days of fighting the constant food battle. Thursday night we ate at a rather nice cafe - and it wasn't as if this was a particularly amazing dish - but I like things that are set on fire when they arrive at your table.

After this massive dinner J-Mum and J-Auntie insisted on buying not one but two Birthday cakes to have for dessert when we got home. After heaping piles of cake onto plates for us, despite our protests that we just wanted a taste, the Boy turned to me and said "It's a miracle really that I'm so skinny!"

I know that for them stuffing us with food is all part of the care and nurturing process, but it really started to get on my nerves. I've never been a big eater and I lose my appetite when presented with a huge plate of food. I've talked to J-Mum about it but it seems that her instincts take over when it comes to dinner time.

Thinking about going on a fast this week to recover.