… what we have here is an edamame-flavored Cheeto cast in the shape of a soy bean pod. To add interest, the snack is flavored with wasabe, Japanese horseradish, and enough salt to aid beer consumption.

I’m used to tongue being boiled, then sliced up deli style and served with mustard. The Sendai regional dish is made by slicing the raw tongue in scant quarter-inch slabs and grilling it over charcoal. It tastes much like grilled beef steak, but with a different texture and with a beefier flavor from the fine marbling of fat. Try it, and soon you’ll be inviting friends over to throw some tongue on the barby.

Japanese desserts always look delicious, but the taste can be hit or miss. If you ever get what looks like a cheese Danish, but is actually made with macaroni and corn . . . well, it is a surprise. The desserts at the Platinum Buffet were a definite hit, both in appearance and taste. The raspberry gelatin over a raspberry mouse was my favorite.

A Japanese friend identified identified the beautiful purple fruit as akebe, or akebia in English. It is a vine fruit native to Japan and Korea, although it withstands cold and will grow in the U.S. When it ripens, the fruit bursts open to reveal pulp and seeds.