Ave atque vale Matsuri

Unfortunately, I discovered today that another of the Jan de Jong icons had passed away - the Matsuri restaurant.

It was a tradition after the instructors class on Friday nights to go out to dinner. For many years that involved walking down Hay Street to the Matsuri restaurant. A Japanese restaurant with prices that defied inflation and food that was very good.

They had one poor serving habit though. They'd serve the trays with the hot miso soup (great miso soup) closest to the customer. First Debbie Clarke, the first female Jan de Jong yudansha, wore the soup in her lap. I was next. Steaming miso soup, not loose jeans, groin - not a pleasant combination. It was an odd scene when entering the men's toilet seeing me in my underpants drying my groin and jeans under the hand dryer. However, not before I'd patted down my burning groin with cold water.

All instructors of JDJ were introduced to both Japanese and Indonesian cuisine. It was difficult to find an Indonesian restaurant in Perth within a reasonable distance of the school, but on the odd occasion, for a short period of time, we sometimes did. I made my speech at the Garuda Inda (or was it Indonesia) when I was awarded sandan. I of course ordered rendang.

Love my rendang. Even from dodgy foodhalls. When I was traveling with JDJ through Java, Indonesia, I ordered rendang in a restaurant in a village that we were traveling through. As we were leaving, JDJ pointed out that there were a lot of dogs around which was unusual for Java. He then pointed out that this region was known for eating dog, and that I'd had dog rendang the night before, which he had neglected to tell me at the time of ordering.

At the Matsuri, my favourite dish was katsu curry. It's a classic example of Japanese culture. The Japanese adopted deep frying and curry from the Portuguese and adapted it to their tastes. Adopt and adapt, a classic trait of the Japanese. They adopted the gun from the Europeans and then adapted it and in the process made it more effective and efficient than the Europeans (see Noel Perrin, Giving Up The Gun).

My favourite entree was octopus in lime vinegar with seaweed. That was usurped by the thin slivers or raw beef in lime vinegar with chunks of garlic. Both magnificent and with a common theme - vinegar. Put vinegar on most things and I'd eat it. They also used to serve as a side dish these most magnificent pickled vegetables. Pickling of course involves vinegar.

Ave atque vale Matsuri. I will miss you.