Hiro, a True Gourmand

There is never enough delicious food to enjoy with others. For Hiro apart from training in the gym, eating good food and with someone he likes was very important for his happiness. He loved to eat a lot and all kinds of food. Osaka, Tokyo and San Francisco where he spent most of his life really left their mark on Hiro in terms of developing senses and appreciation for all tools, techniques, ingredients and people involved in preparing and making food.

Many of you certainly recall Hiro's excitement when the lunch and dinner time came. Hiro would never skip a meal and kept a super regular eating schedule. There was no such thing as skipping breakfast because of getting up late to work or skipping a lunch due to a company meeting. Hiro would make sure that under all circumstances, he would eat on schedule. And, when time to eat came, it was his bliss. I always felt guilty when I was running 5 to 10 minutes late with dinner and in that case I better had extra servings ready so that Hiro would not get anxious.

Hiro would never eat alone unless it was completely unavoidable like situations at work when co-workers took advantage of a home office. For him, eating involved social time with friends or family. That was the time he was the most relaxed and most himself. Time when he could open up more and share his different self that he showed you at work or gym practice. At a meal he did not have to compete and beat himself up, he could just relax and be raw, funny, unserious, kind and generous.

He would never save money on good food and drinks. Literally, never. And, especially, when he noticed that a person sharing a meal with him really liked some particular food or drink. He would order extras for you to make sure that you were enjoying yourself as much or more than him. He got great satisfaction from seeing people sharing a meal with him loving the food. If he remembered that you liked a certain restaurant, dish or wine, he snapped pictures of them and probably texted them to you. You knew that he was thinking of you. When you got such a text, you could be certain, you just made it to his list of "true friends." That was Hiro's way to show he loved you.

When Hiro's face turned red, you knew, Hiro was at the peak of his satisfaction from enjoying a meal. Yes, we all know that red face came from eating a lot of spicy food like Thai chili peppers or drinking too much wine or beer. But, I never had a problem with it because I knew, he felt so relaxed and happy in this state. I know, I know....some people would say, "what a bad wife! She let the guy pass out, she does not care about him at all." However, it was completely the opposite.

Even when Hiro was first hospitalized for his cancer, all he was dreaming and thinking about to keep his mind positive were dishes he liked to eat. He would compiled a list of items that he must eat as soon as recovered. He wanted to go out and visit his favorite restaurants but then the pandemic hit and we tried to grant his food wishes as much as we could. Despite his sickness, he had a great appetite and it surprised all doctors and nurses who are used to cancer patients with nauseous states. Hiro had no nausea or upset stomach despite some harsh treatments. He never took any medication for digestive issues or upset stomach and we were convinced that it was his appetite and joy of eating that helped him to recover and go to cancer remission for many months.

Hiro's favorite restaurants for occasions: Stinking Rose, In Situ, Ebisu and Nico.

Hiro's favorite casual restaurants: San Jai Thai, Puerto Algegre, Pho Ha Tien, Hinodeya and Little Luca.

Hiro's favorite foods: prime rib, rib eye steak, oysters, sea urchin, lobster roll, scallops, hamachi sushi, katsu, roasted duck, spaghettin Napolitan, chicken soboro, stewed daikon with shiitake, Japanese curry with raw egg, freid shishito peppers with roasted garlic, sable fish with lemon-caper sauce, Steven's spicy Chinese hot pot, Num's spicy Thai food, Lucia's ginger pork, strawberry shortcake (Andersen bakery), matcha dessert, Japanese soufflé cheesecake, and tiramisu.

Hiro's favorite drinks: Islay scotch whiskey, especially Lagavulin, Petite Sirah aged in French oak, Pilsner Urquel, IPA, iced coffee with syrup and whipped cream and gyokuro green tea.

Hiro also had a deep respect for professional chefs and respect for perfecting meal prep techniques and tools. He loved Jiro, characters in "Oishinbo" and "Drops of Good" manga series and truly anyone who could professionally cut sashimi, meat, craft the sharpest knife or prepare the spiciest but flavorful broth or meat. He would watch chefs or cooks pulling noodles, peeling daikon or preparing rice for sake fermentation for hours and would get amazed and appreciative of their skills and love of their work. He was truly convinced that even making a perfect katsu cannot be done by an amateur. An amateur would not know how to slice the pork without squashing it and how to bread it so it is crisp on outside but juicy inside. He had a deep respect for Japanese green tea growers and sommeliers. He would spend hours tasting wine at Ruby's enjoying his all kinds of aromas and flavors of red wines. And, when a challenging or a special event arose, he would grab a glass of Lagavulin.