Food culture 101: うなぎ (Unagi, aka Eel)

いらっしゃいませ！

Welcome to a special edition of Food Culture 101. The topic for today is 「うなぎ」("Unagi" aka eel)

In particular, I would like to introduce you to ひつまぶし(Hitsumabushi), a style of unagi typically associated with the Nagoya area.

What is Hitsumabushi?  

Exhibit A: A scrumptious bowl of Hitsumabushi

What's so special about Hitsumabushi?

Unlike your "typical" unagi, there is an etiquette to eating this dish in order to fully appreciate the taste of the unagi. What's more, it came as a pleasant surprise to discover that the eating order is actually a play on the word unagi! Let me explain. 

Wow. You're so clever, I want to hear what you have to say!

The word "Unagi" is made up of 3 phonetic alphabets, う="U"; な="Na"; andぎ="Gi".

In turn, each of these is an abbreviation of a key element in the eating process:

• "U" comes from "Oolong", a variety of tea;
• "Na" comes from "Nashi" which means "nothing"; and
• "Gi" comes from "Negi", a sort of like a Japanese spring onion.

And as it's all about harmonious co-existence, the order of eating goes from back to front (please note that one is meant to scoop a portion of the rice and unagi into a separate bowl prior to the method of consumption listed below):

• First, savour with negi, as the sharp tanginess of the negi is meant to arouse your taste buds - "Gi".

• With the saliva glands fully activated, enjoy the Unagi in its pure, unadultured form (though some also recommend adding some さんしょう... the stuff in the wooden gourd) - "Na"; and

• Finally, mix the (now cold) unagi with some hot tea to create a warm and soothing finale to the eating experience - "U".

Cool, right? 

The first time I heard it, I was like "まじ？！（REALLY?!)"

I know. I couldn't believe I could concoct such a daft story, post it on a blog and actually have people read it all the way through...

Time for another pretty picture and bold font to distract you... Look, is it a face? Is it a fish?:

Till the next episode of Food Culture 101.
以上です。

Disclaimer: There actually is a recommended order of eating Hitsumabushi. If in doubt, ask! =)

How much is that sandwich in the window? Part 3

Sure. A certain "Ready to Eat" sandwich chain boasts over 20 varieties of "things you can slap between two slices of bread (optional) and call it lunch" sandwiches.

 Or, you could have this:

Cold soba noodles (on a warm spring day)

with a side order of vegetable flavoured oil sponge that will rival any London chippie

Food culture 101: 苺ムース (Strawberry mousse)

The title speaks for itself. Go on, drool.

Anti-clockwise: Strawberry mouse, Raspberry and chocolate cake, Chocolate praline sponge, Strawberry tart

Happy Easter 2011!

What you see is (was) part of my lunch at church after the Easter service.

Talk about effort (and the amount of washing up) involved in preparing the following menu for about 60 people on 9 tables:

• French fries
• Egg salad
• Chili con carne
• Croquette
• Seaweed salad
• Chicken salad
• Tomato salad
• Noodle salad
• Ham & cheese
• Meatballs in tomato sauce
• Assorted bread
• Fruits
• Chocolate coated strawberries
• Assorted home baked cakes
• Assorted home baked cookies

and or course, an Easter egg. 

Not those fake chocolate eggs, mind you. We all know Easter Bunnies* don't lay chocolate eggs...

No, a real hard boiled egg (which I forgot to take a photo of... but if you really need to know, just go to your local supermarket and find an egg in the "Egg" section, and imagine the shell being blue from artificial colouring).

*Disclaimer: The author does not endorse Easter Bunnies.

Food culture 101: トマトゼリー (Tomato Jelly)

This is not a case of something being lost in translation.

You are indeed staring at what appears to either be an invention from a molecular gastronomy genius, or a malfunction in the production line. 

I kid you not, it really is a tomato in there!
見て、見て。。。本当にトマトが入っている！

Food culture 101: とんこつラメン (Tonkotsu ramen)

This style of ramen is a speciality of the Kyushu area (i.e. the south western island where Fukuoka is located.... or "somewhere in Japan" for the really geographically challenged).

What you see below is a fine example of a big bowl of medium textured noodles in a rich broth, topped with a slice of succulent roast pork and finely slicednegi, served with a hearty helping of Japanese gyoza. 

Did you know? 

In this shop, there are at least 12 possible permutations of this soupy delight.

Noodle consistency: Soft, Medium, Hard

Soup: Very light, Light, Rich, Very rich.  

Plus, you've got the option to add in a number of extras as well, including half boiled egg, seaweed, etc. etc. etc...

Recipes 101: Lesson 2 - 竹の子 (Bamboo shoots)

"What?" you might ask, "is the bamboo shooting?"

Sadly, that's a very lame joke.

So on to the photos!

Exhibit A: A fine example of hand harvested bamboo shoots

Preparation involves scouring the web for "How to prepare bamboo shoots", which should direct you to pages which detail how to slice, boil (with some ground rice chaff to remove the bitterness) and cool the bamboo shoots prior to consumption.

Sashimi of bamboo shoot

Seared bamboo shoots with deep fried chicken
焼いた竹の子と鳥から揚げ

How much is that sandwich in the window? Part 2

Still eating that ham sandwich?

Well, this is my lunch today - a bento box filled with yummy stuff made by my host mum.

Of particular note is okra pork wrap - where the firmness of the meat complements the squishy but moist okra inside.

 Try buying this at your sandwich shop.

Scenery 101: Sakura!

An Ode to Spring

Behold! The beauty of a Sakura tree, how pink it blossoms in spring,

And a swan, dear swan, in a clear spring pond,

who will chase you,

and bite off your finger.

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Behold! The beauty of the Sakura tree, how pink it blossoms in spring,

And a turtle, big turtle, 

looking out from the castle,

at a clock

 with a robot inside!

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Behold! The beauty of the Sakura tree! Right here in Okazaki.

Culture 101: Lesson 1 - Meet your local Shogun day

Japan, a land where ancient culture and modern lifestyle harmoniously co-exist*.

Forget kimonos. People really still wear SAMURAI outfits!!!

Not all the time, mind you. That would be silly and impractical. 

But once a year in Okazaki, the local Shogun (sort of like the ruler of the local territory) will march out with his personal army and actually meet with the local residents in full regalia. 

Cars need less feeding than the more traditional forms of transport.

The Shogun is, of course, an important figure. So first, the representative of the common folk (in pink) negotiates the number of people the Shogun will have an audience with. As you can see, there are quite a few people yearning to meet the Shogun (opposite the river). 

The local Shogun taking a breather.
Having the common folk sitting on his lap asking for land and titles is a tiring job.

The friendly samurai chasing down that silly foreigner who stuck a doughnut through the horn of the Shogun's helmet for laughs. 

So there you have it. Meet your local Shogun day 2011.

*Disclaimer: Everything written in this post is a figment of the author's imagination. The author has little knowledge of what actually happens during the Tokugawa Ieyasu Parade held in Okazaki. The one thing the author can say convincingly is that there were LOTS of people. 

Recipes 101: Lesson 1 - 水餃子 (Water Dumplings)

What, you ask, are Water Dumplings?

Exhibit A: Delicious Water Dumplings.
美味しい水餃子

"It looks amazing! How do I make it?"

すげえ！美味しそう！どうやって作るの？ 

Step 1: Get a big pot. Put lots of meat into the big pot. Add soy sauce and mix it together
by stirring vigorously in a clockwise (or anti-clockwise) motion like there's no tomorrow.

Step 2: Get another big pot. Grate daikon, lots of it. 

Step 3: Add the grated daikon to the meat, and mix by stirring vigorously
in a clockwise motion (or anti-clockwise - depending on your
preferred choice per Step 1) like there's no tomorrow.

Step 4: Add finely diced Negi (Japanese spring onion) and mix together,
again, stirring in a clockwise motion (or anti-clockwise - depending
on your preferred choice per Steps 1 and 3) like there's no tomorrow. 

Step 5: Make the wrapper for the dumplings by mixing water with flour.
Use your hands to combine the mixture by stirring vigorously
in a clockwise (or anti-clockwise) motion.
This time, it's ok to stir like there is a tomorrow.

Steps 6 - 10: Due to floured hands, no picture is available for these steps, where you knead the mixture, let it rest, roll it out, portion into small chunks, and flatten into little circular shapes. But I'm sure you can figure it out by yourself. 

Here's some that I made earlier:

Step11: Add some filling in the wrapper and seal the edges.
Amount of filling depends on how big your wrapper is, and
how hungry you feel. 

Step 12: Boil the dumplings. Eat the dumplings.
Even better, boil lots of dumplings and get some friends over to enjoy it with you.

Serve with vinegar, soy sauce and some green tea.

How much is that sandwich in the window? Part 1

Fried rice, Gyoza and Deep Fried chicken £6.00 (with discount coupons... I love these discount coupons)

Pork ramen, Gyoza, Rice & a half boiled egg £6.50

The fact that I don't have to eat a sandwich for lunch.... priceless.

The day my world was shaken, not stirred

Is it turbulence? Is it a vibrating bed? No, it's a real earthquake.
It's ok, my world didn't fall apart.
Back to sleep.

 今日午後１１時半ごろ初めて地震を経験しました。
岡崎でそんなに強くないから、すぐ寝て続きました。
以上です。

In the beginning, there was a twig

Navigate through the airport with more bags than my hands can carry. Check.

Avoid getting lost on the way to school. Check.

Sit for a placement test whilst suffering from a bout of diarrhoea. Check.

Scoop up some cow poo. Che... WHAT??!

Sakura planting at Yamasa

Along with soil and water, we played with cow poo when planting twelve cherry blossom trees in a bare piece of land behind campus following orientation... the transience of the cherry blossom a fitting expression of our time here in Yamasa. As my previous textbook so elequently puts it,  「パッと咲いて、パッと散る」。 

10 years from now, these metre high twigs will blossom into beautiful giants.  

I hope it doesn't take that long for our Japanese to improve!