Fuji: An Attempt at Eating Healthier
Along with just about everyone I know, I have made a decision to make better choices about what I eat. So where does that leave me when I want to dine out? It’s a minefield out there. With the suggestion of a macrobiotic chef I met, who coached her class on “how to make better bad choices,” I’ve decided to focus on Japanese restaurants. With so many to choose from in Portland alone, this should be a fun project. First stop in the heart of the Old Port - Fuji.
Fuji is one of the few to hold onto their Exchange Street location, while others are dropping like flies. The atmosphere inside was serene on an early Saturday evening at 5 pm in March. The sushi chefs were busy at work but in a quiet, practiced and deliberate 
way – creating all sorts of small, colorful, edible works of art. The hostess gracefully led us to our gently lit table by the window facing Milk Street.
Upon opening the menu, I was struck by how many healthy options there were. It is also nice for people with lactose intolerance because there is virtually no milk on the whole menu. For those who don’t dig sushi, Fuji has a wide selection of noodles, salads, seafood and meat entrees. They also have hibachi downstairs.
As I mentioned, I’m trying to eat better. But, that requires some patience. As a child, I ate chicken nuggets and french fries and when my parents took me to nice restaurants I would eat the dinner rolls. That was it. Over the years, I’ve made progress, but right now on the healthy eating spectrum, I’m someplace in the middle between a Big Mac and wheat grass juice.
That said, I thought we would start off with the fried food! Ha. Off the wagon already. The shrimp and vegetable tempura ($5.50), a lightly battered and deep fried medley of vegetables: broccoli, onion, sweet potato, zucchini and two large shrimp, hit the spot. The artistic presentation sent the message that they took time to prepare it and we should take time enjoying it. The vegetables were cooked just right – very bright, still crunchy and hands-down the best way to eat sweet potato. Nobody wants to deep fry stuff at home, might as well enjoy it in a restaurant. That’s my excuse. (Note to self: next time, no sharing.)
Soon after our appetizer was cleared, our entrees arrived. My husband, who could be a spokesperson for the Fuji Bento Box, decided to branch out and get the Sushi Regular ($15.50), which is tuna, whitefish, salmon, mackerel, yellowtail, eel and white tuna. It also came with a California roll and miso soup. Sushi is just so darned beautiful – like a rainbow on your plate. My husband, in sushi mode, didn’t talk much for a while. At the end, chopsticks down, he said, “that was very good.” I, on the other hand, got in a little over my head. I ordered the Yasai Udon ($11.95), noodles and vegetables in vegetable broth. My first surprise was the quantity. I was given a cauldron of soup. This must have been intended for a family. In the end, it was a hearty meal three times.
But, just as described: noodles. broth. vegetables. And some seaweed for good measure. There are lots of bright, white, thick noodles. I am just going to say it – all I could think about was worms. (For the record, this was the very first thing my 5-year-old said when I tried to get her to eat it.)
In spite of the fact that my nose told my brain that this soup smelled of the ocean, I dug in. I love soup for its warmth, its comfort, its color and its health potential. I ate most of the broccoli, carrots, mushrooms and onions and called it a day. My husband didn’t think it had an ocean-y smell and he thought my worm comparison was juvenile. Oh, those virtuous sushi eaters!
I’m not defeated, though. I ate my soup, feeling inspired and relaxed. I will try the teriyaki next time or the hibachi, both favorites of mine. Fuji was beginning to get crowded at 6pm when we left…we reluctantly ended our peaceful meal, headed back out into the cold (and someone may even have been looking around for a place to get some chocolate cake.)
