If your only reference to Ninjas was when you saw "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," then you will need to be brought up to speed to fully appreciate our evening.
The black-robed, black-hooded Ninja is the martial arts version of the CIA and Spiderman. The origin of the Ninjas is hotly debated but some say they were "so-called rebels favoring Buddhism who fled into the mountains near Kyoto as early as the 7th. century A.D." They were organized into highly secretive groups that were structured around particular families, with their techniques passed down within that family. Ninjas relied on stealth tactics and some fairly gymnastic martial arts moves to fight larger groups of well-armed enemies. They also used some "magical" tricks to play with the enemy's mind as well as make a quick escape.
When we stepped through the door of the Ninja restaurant, we found ourselves in a small black room. A Ninja met us and made the appropriate Ninja mudra to welcome us. The mudras are called Kuji-in or 9 finger "cuts." These are special hand positions that the Ninjas use to focus their mind and activate their Ninja power. Our guide was really "activated." We then proceeded through a hidden door to reach what I call "Ninjaville." To get there, we followed our Ninja through a black passageway, down a series of steps, and at one point a draw-bridge dropped down to allow us to cross a "river." This was sort of like going through the fun house at the circus - not very convincing but fun nonetheless. Once we had crossed the bridge, we found ourselves in a small Ninja village. The individual "houses" were where the diners were seated - and of course, everything was dim, black and made of wood, bamboo, and stone. Our "house" had 2 small tables and a lily pond with water flowing through bamboo spigots.
The menu was elaborate - according to one source, there are over 100 dish choices. I didn't count.
I started off with a special apertif called "The Cleopatra." It was a tiny drink that had what looked to be real "gold" flakes on the top. It was supposed to contain a beautifing collagen ingredient from bird's nests. I feel SO Pretty!!!!
For the meal, I chose a "set," which has the many courses listed below. Greg chose safety in a steak ... and the show began...
All of the courses were teeny-tiny and served to be shared - with only about 2 bites in every course...
Course 1: Shuriken shaped crackers. The Shuriken was a flat
metal, star-shaped ninja weapon.
Shuriken were designed to hit the enemy then bounce off.
The enemy then assumed he was stabbed by an unseen opponent,
thus the Ninja reputation for invisibility. They make tasty crackers,
especially when combined with Course #2.
Course 2: A tiny little square white thing that had the consistency of Tofu but was
not....
Course 3: A little drum shaped pastry, called a "Ninja Jack-in-the-Box" that had
to be broken open with chosticks. It seemed to have some sort of salad
with fish eggs inside.
Course 4: A prickly, Conch-type shell. The Ninjas were known for their use of gun
powder and the Conch shell had a fuse coming out of it. Unfortunately
for the little critter inside, our Ninja lit the fuse. The
ensuing table fireworks cooked the shellfish and we promptly ate him.
Course 5: A tiny shot glass on a scale-type contraption. The shot glass was on one
end of the scale and a ball of ice was on the other end. The ball of ice
changed colors - from red to green and back again. I still don't know
exactly what was in the shot glass - I was told it was some
sort of liquid cabbage concoction.
Course 6: Soup. The Ninja brought a large, lidded bamboo steamer to the
table. She stuffed it with various greens and a slice of meat. Then she
dropped a VERY hot rock into the steamer.
The soup cooked in only a few minutes. Yum.
Course 7: A piece of ice candy to clear our palates - tasted like frozen grapefruit
popcicle.
Course 8: Tempura, the little fried vegetables that Japan is so well known for.
Course 9: Greg's steak came out at this point....Oh my goodness...I have NEVER
tasted such a tender piece of meat - all 4 bites of it.
Course 10: A little dish with some sort of veal casserole - another delicious
4 bites.
Course 11: Sushi rolls made with raw fish and shrimp
Course 12: Dessert - sort of a jello consistency with cream poured over it
and two TEENY TINY red berries on the top
Course 13: Tea
Course 14: Entertainment!!!! But first a little background on Ninja techniques:
The Ninja utilized a variety of weapons and tricks - especially those using gunpowder. Smoke bombs and firecrackers were widely used to aid in escape or create a diversion for an attack. They also used small "bombs" known as "eye closers." These were filled with sand and sometimes metal dust. This sand would be encased in hollowed eggs and thrown at someone, the shell would crack, and the assailant would be blinded.
A very creative form of trickery involved the use of Ashiaro which were wooden pads attached to the ninja's tabi (thick socks with a separate "toe" for the big toe). The ashiaro would be carved to look like an animal's paw, or a child's foot, allowing the Ninja to leave misleading trails for trackers.
Then there was the small ring worn on a Ninja's finger called a shobo. In hand-to- hand combat, the shobo, which had a small notch of wood on it, would be used to hit assailant's pressure points. It could even cause temporary paralysis - sort of a Ninja version of Dr. Spock's "Startreck Vulcan neck grab."
...Back to the entertainment course...We had our very own Ninja magician who did some really "cheesey" magic tricks and ended with a failed card trick. When he was not able to "guess" our chosen card, he suddenly pulled out his Ninja knife to commit "hari-kari," the ritual Japanese suicide. Luckily for all of us, it was a collapsing knife. That could have ruined a very wonderful dinner.
My interest in the Ninjas has definitely been piqued....I could use some of their disappearing techniques ...and all those firework distractors and the leaving of fake footprints could have helped while raising children. When I return to Austin, I envision teaching a Community College class entitled "Ninja Parenting & Stealth Tactics."
