Udon

　　You might think that I didn't need to eat Japanese food of udon even in Hawaii, but I was a man of curiosity. "What is udon like in Hawaii?" I visited the Waikiki branch of Japanese noted udon-chain, Marukame Udon. In case you're wondering, udon is Japanese traditional noodle. I live in Ehime prefecture in Japan, and the adjacent prefecture, Kagawa, is famous for its character of inhabitants who love udon. Kagawa prefecture is often called Udon prefecture. "Marukame" came from Marukame city in Kagawa prefecture. Every time I saw the restaurant, it was crowded, but it was not so when we visited. Its taste was just the same as that of restaurants in Japan, but the menu and notices on the wall were written in English and they were interesting for an English-learner. When we went out, the waiting line was being formed. We were lucky not to wait for even a minute.

ハワイに来てまでうどんはないだろうと思うが、ハワイのうどんはどんなだろうかという興味があり、ホノルルの丸亀製麺に寄ってみた。いつも混んでいるのだが、たまたま空いていた。うどんは日本料理のひとつで、僕が住んでいる愛媛県の隣、香川県はうどん好きな県民性で日本全国に名が知られ、うどん県というニックネームまで付いている。味は日本と同じだったが、表示されている英語が面白かった。なるほど英語ではこう表現するのかと。店を出たときには列ができはじめていた。たまたま空いていてラッキー。