This is a topic that came up when I was out drinking with some Japanese friends. We talked about food, and it seemed that the general opinion was that kaiseki is one of those things that is incredibly hyped up by foreigners, but it's really not that popular.
As one of my friends put it: "Its the kind of stuff your granny eats"
I have noticed when going to Ryokans that the younger people prefer those places that serve a bigger variety of seasoned food like curry and katsudon.
In the foreign community though it gets a lot of praise, and it's almost considered a sin to critisize it, but it made me wonder if the presentation of the food itself is giving a false sense of a unique experience?
Sure, some ryokans serve specialties like fried salamanders, but the vast majority of kaiseki I have had has just been a very beautiful plate of bland food.
Let's be honest. Let us imagine you sit at home and your wife/husband served you raw vegetables, a plate of supermarket sashimi, some shredded radish, a bowl of rice, a pot of water with unsalted beef in it and an unseasoned fish, would you consider it a culinary adventure?
I am pretty sure the majority would reach for the nearest seasoning.
I truly appreciate the chefs that spend hours cutting everything into perfect shapes and arranging it on beautiful plates, but I really do not agree that it is some kind of holy cleansing or "authentic experience". A lot of countries eat vegetables and fish. Its just that Japan has managed to make this bland food look interesting.
by Additional_Bear8735