The hot summer air is thick, even after the sun has set. Every night, the streets of Hiroshima crawl with men and women released from a long day’s work, craving their favorite dish. The enticing scent of a grill fills the air, and  the flavor adventure is about to begin, if you can find a seat at one of the popular eateries here.

When you hear the word Hiroshima, chances are that food isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. In a town shadowed by its atomic legacy for the last 70 years, most foreigners do not know that Hiroshima has another claim to fame: okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki is best described by its translation. It literally means “whatever you want”(okonomi), “grilled (yaki).”

I’m currently spending the