You are learning sake and pairing: you will read the scene it happens in, learn 10 words and phrases, take apart the pattern behind them (pairing vocabulary + sake expressions), hear them in a conversation, rehearse them, and finish by saying one thing out loud to be graded.
Japanese sake is as complex as French wine — with its own vocabulary of rice types, brewing regions, serving temperatures, and flavor profiles. A few key phrases open the entire conversation.
Midway through the course, the assistant approaches with the sake menu — a handwritten card with six selections, all from small breweries the restaurant has relationships with.
「天ぷらに合うお酒はありますか。辛口が好きです。」 She thinks for a moment. 「こちらの純米はいかがでしょうか。新潟の蔵元で、冷でさっぱりとしたお味です。」 A junmai from Niigata, clean and dry when chilled.
「ぜひ。冷でいただきます。」
The sake arrives in a small glass. He takes the first sip before the next course. Clean. Very slightly mineral. A note of rice and something floral underneath. The next piece of tempura — a king prawn — follows immediately.
Together: the oil of the prawn, the crispness of the batter, and the cold clarity of the sake. 「よく合います！」 The assistant smiles. 「好みに合いましたか。」