When it comes to eating, my wife and I always strive for the
best. My other half is a gourmet cook who prides herself as someone very
skilled in culinary arts. I, on the other hand, consider myself well-travelled,
reaching as far as Asia and even Egypt. I started exploring the world since
high school when I was an exchange student, spending a year in Japan. Now, as a
merchandiser of a popular fashion brand, I also need to source materials and
get trends from all over the world. So, when it comes to eating foreign food, I
am quite well-versed. Be it casual dining or an elaborate romantic dinner, my
wife and I are no strangers to knowing what good food is and what constitutes a
great dining experience since we started dating in college.
The thing is, my wife is so good in cooking that my kids, 7
year old twins (a boy and a girl) , are not really that conscious (yet) of the
pleasures associated with eating out. Their lunches and dinners are lovingly
prepared by their mother, and they never seem to get tired of their mom's
cooking, as much as my wife doesn't seem to run out of ideas on what to serve
her kids. They're exposed to meat loaf and chicken as much as they know what's
in a good authentic taco or a hearty sushi. I'd rather hell freeze over first
before I get them craving for French fries and burgers. So, fast food is
definitely out of the question.
But I definitely don't want my kids feeling deprived and not
knowing how to act and what to do when eating in public. I know they need the
exposure so they would know how to behave in a restaurant, what and how to
order, and just the feel of being served and eating outside the house and
school. But since I don't want them eating junk in a fast food, I knew my wife
and I have work cut out for us.
Our dilemma with exposing our kids to eating out was solved
when she told me about the restaurant she and her mom ate in that week. It’s a
Japanese restaurant called Hana Zen in Union Square. She mentioned that they also have a store in
Pier 39. It was a light bulb moment for me – why not get our kids their first
experience in eating out where they could enjoy something different, Japanese
food while enjoying a beautiful dinner at the water front?
My initial doubts of Hana Zen in Pier 39 being more of a
romantic dining place rather than a family-friendly establishment were relaxed
when we finally got to eat there. Sure, there were a good number of couples
enjoying dinner by the bay with picturesque sights, but there were also some groups
of friends, obvious tourists, and other people enjoying the sights and the
great food. I was pleasantly surprised with what Hana Zen served. They aren’t
just some run-of-the-mill establishment that serves American versions of
Japanese food; they actually serve great tasting Japanese dishes using
authentic ingredients, cooked skilfully, and prepared with excellence in mind.
I am proud of my babies as they behaved very well in Hana
Zen, and they appeared very excited when they ate the rather strange food. With
that dilemma over, I can go back to Hana Zen for a different reason – it’ll be
our wedding anniversary next week!
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