Fast Food of Kagawa

This happened in July. We rode around aimlessly for four hours, searching across the rustic countryside of Kagawa prefecture in western Japan, home of the legendary Sanuki Udon. My friend Koji and I had taken the exit off the highway and were winding across streams and hills and up into the wild borderlands of Tokushima, when we finally (after having missed the turn several times) came across THE udon place. We found it a bit incredulous that there were so many Udon shops in Kagawa, but here high school girls after school pop into their local Udon joint and order a quick freshly prepared Udon as if they were ordering fries from McDonald's. The Sanuki Udon, famous for the slippery dense al-dente texture, the white glistening surface of the thick noodles, is best served with the famous dashi (broth) from the same prefecture. One can also serve it with some grated raddish and a dash of broth-infused soy-sauce and some scallions. Koji and I were both crying with joy at the perfrection of the Udon here... two ruddy guys with big arms basically beating the shit out of the doughy pasta to give it its texture, and then rapidly boiling it in this big vat (which was constantly being heated by a massive wood fire underneath... the whole scene was Bosch-like and quite frightening). Along with the firm aroma of the bonito dashi and the cold mountain air, the individual noodles ran dan my throat in a lively casade of flavor and texture. But a four hour drive is a long time for what's basically fast food.