The night started off harmless enough - we went to an izakaya, a traditional Japanese tavern, in order to get some GREAT sashimi. But what does every good meal need, at least in Okinawa? Awamori!
Awamori is the traditional drink of Okinawa, and it is a product of rice (like sake), but sake is made by brewing while awamori is made by distillation. What's that mean? It is like comparing beer to whiskey, and it means I don't remember much after 10pm.
I do remember the great dinner. We started with slices of tongue and raw beef, and then progressed to oh so delicious slices of tuna, salmon, rainbow runner, marlin, and octopus. When it comes to food, I have honestly died and gone to heaven here in Okinawa.
Of course, the awamori washed it all down, so smooth. Then, twist my arm, we needed to go have a few more drinks.
"Hey, I know, lets go to the bar we went to last week - it is in stumbling distance of the hotel. Let's drink some more awamori, yeah, great idea!"
In moderation, awamori on the rocks with water and a squeeze of lemon is great, and it compliments sashmi. Two liters of awamori between three guys is liable to cause skirt chasing, bouts of singing, much stumbling, HIGH bar tabs, fuzzy memories, and skull splitting headaches that leave you whimpering the next morning.
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