I served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Japan over 20 years ago. One of my favorite dishes was Katsudon donburi. When I returned back to the USA, there was one time in college where I found this dish on the menu at a fast food restaurant near campus. That was the last time I’ve had it until now. I have remembered it from time to time and when I’ve had a craving for it, I’ve hung on to the memory of how good it tasted.
Every week, my husband and I go out on a date night and we rotate choosing a place to eat. A couple weeks ago when we were talking about where to go, my husband mentioned a Japanese restaurant that he had gone to with coworkers. It was a bit of a drive from our place and on that day I wanted to stay closer to home so we opted to go elsewhere. Several weeks later, we decided to go to the Japanese restaurant.
I was amazed with how long it had been since we had been to a Japanese restaurant and fond memories came to mind, how the meat was prepared and brought to our table. When we arrived, the street sign said it was a Japanese Sushi and Bar. I was concerned they would have no meat. I am not a seafood nor a sushi eater, however, when we got inside, sat down, and looked over the menu, I was excited! I saw Katsudon donburi on the menu and it took me back to my mission and the memories of that delicious dish.
Although it was prepared slightly different, for the most part it was what I remembered and it tasted great. I was so happy to be able to enjoy this meal after almost 20 years. The nostalgia and reminiscing my time as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Japan was a reflective, peaceful, and happy moment. I am ecstatic to now know a place that I can go to enjoy this tasty dish.
And to top it off, I was given a large enough portion that I could not eat it all in one sitting and brought half of it home for leftovers to eat the next day. Yum!
When have you enjoyed, once again, a dish you have not had in a very long time?
tendermercym♥ments~jld