Jogoya Japanese Buffet Restaurant

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Jogoya Japanese Buffet Restaurant in Taipei is architecturally interesting and a goldmine of photographic opportunities — if you have the eye for interesting moments and the speed to capture them. I’m not much of a food aficionado; there’s plenty of time to sit down for a quick meal when I’m satisfied with the pictures I have taken. Although I occasionally buy a handful of interesting key-chains that represent the city I visit in a meaningful way, there is simply no better souvenir to reminisce than photographs.

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Escaping steam adds drama to this composition and also much needed warmth on this cold, rainy evening. (Taipei, Chinese New Year 2010)

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Oysters have always been linked with love. Legend has it that when Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, sprang forth from the sea on an oyster shell and promptly gave birth to Eros, the word “aphrodisiac” was born. It is also believed that the dashing lover Casanova also used to start a meal eating 12 dozen oysters. Maybe back then oysters were a lot smaller than what they are today; I simply cannot imagine eating that many in one meal. In any case, raw oysters are not my thing but I have seen my share of them at restaurants and wholesale cold storage to know that the ones I saw at Jogoya Japanese Buffet Restaurant in Taipei were huge by contrast.

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Aphrodisiac overload? Maybe not but I do know is that these are the largest oysters I have ever come across.

For what oysters promise to deliver, myth or otherwise, they’re a valuable source of minerals, such as Zinc, calcium and copper, and are also rich in iodine and (surprise, surprise) low in cholesterol. If they’re not working for you, perhaps you’re not consuming enough to make a difference (hint: 12 dozens worked for Casanova).