WASHOKU - Japanese Food Culture and Cuisine

4/05/2008

Edo Shokubunka

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Ecotarian Food エコタリアン and Slow Food

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Ecotarian is a term that refers to the process of selecting food with consideration for all of the various ecological factors plus energy used to produce the food. The goal is to eat in a sustainable way. Sustainability itself is a tricky concept, as there is no end goal to focus on, but rather it is an aim to reduce our environmental impact, our ecological footprint.

"Ecotarian" means a diet that is based on "eating your environment," just as "vegetarian" refers to "eating vegetables."
Ecotarian embraces the idea of reducing the distance between where food is produced, and where food is consumed (food miles). There are several key aspects for "eating local".

Origin
The term ecotarian has been developed and used independently by different groups and individuals across Britain and the rest of the world and there is yet no agreed origin. Some people use it synonymously with ethicatarian and locavores.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Global warming 地球温暖化

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Just Enough:
Lessons in Living Green from Traditional Japan
Azby Brown

quote
He said people in the Edo Period overcame many of the same problems confronting present-day society — issues of energy, water, materials, food and population — in unique ways.

For example, trading in human waste was big business, with farmers going to great lengths to secure contracts to collect and transport night soil from cities for use in their fields, at a time when in Europe such waste was being dumped in rivers, polluting the water supply and leading to outbreaks of cholera, Brown said.

He cited "oshinko" pickles as examples of food that can be preserved and eaten without the need for cooking, thereby saving fuel.
"We can probably save a lot of energy if we eat more foods that don't require cooking," he said.
by Yoichi Kosukegawa
source : Japan Times, Feb. 17, 2010

. WASHOKU
Pickles (tsukemono　漬物)oshinko おしんこ【御新香】

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Slow Food from Japan

click for more English Information

quote from July, 2008
The Ark of Taste in Japan
aji no hakobune 味の箱舟

The Ark of Taste is a project created by the Slow Food Association in 1996. It is a metaphorical vessel traveling around the world, helping small-scale products of high gastronomic value threatened by industrial agriculture, environmental degradation and standardization.

The Ark seeks out, catalogs and nominates flavors that are endangered and need protection, but are still alive and have real potential. With the help of monitoring carried out by Slow Food Convivia around the world, the Scientific Ark Commission evaluates cured meats, cheeses, cereals, vegetables and local breeds using specific selection criteria: gastronomic excellence, a connection with the local area, artisan production, a sustainable approach by producers, and products at risk of extinction.

Japan is a country where the Ark project has been welcomed with particular enthusiasm. The Japanese Ark was formed in 2005, when the commission selected the first nine products: the tankaku cattle breed, etari in brine (anchovies macerated and fermented in brine using traditional artisan methods), the roasted and smoked goby yakihaze from Nagatsura Bay, two local types of turnip (hanazukuri daikon and akkajidaikon), yukina (a leaf vegetable grown in the area of Yonezawa), Amarume Welsh onion, hachiretsu corn and Unzen kobu takana (an ecotype of takana, distinctive for the ‘knots’ on its leaves).

There are now 20 Ark products and over time the project has strengthened the links between Japanese Ark producers and the Slow Food network, which is actively involved in presenting and promoting them.
source : www.slowfood.com/

短角牛 Tankaku beef たんかく牛 Iwate

etari えたりの塩辛 from Nagasaki
えたり（かたくちいわし）

yakihaze 焼はぜ / 焼きハゼ from Nagatsura

yuukoo ゆうこう　citrus fruit from Nagasaki

花作（はなづくり）大根」Hanazukuri Daikon

Kisoo akakabu 木曾赤かぶ red turnips from Kiso

Kosena daikon　小瀬菜大根 radish from Miyagi

あっかじだいこん akkajidaikon akkaji daikon

amarume 余目 (あまるめ) twisted leek from Miyagi
..... Sendai magari negi 仙台曲 twisted leek from Sendai

Noguchi sai 野口菜 leafy vegetables from Noguchi, Nikko

akanegi 赤ネギ red onions from Ibaragi

Yatabe negi 谷田部ねぎ onions from Yatabe, Fukui

yukina ゆきな / 雪菜 "snow leaves"
Maibara yukina

八列とうもろこし (はちれつ) hachiretsu corn

雲仙こぶ高菜 Unzen kobu takana

takana 高菜 takana leaves
Brassica juncea var. integlifolia

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Resistance in Japan
Article from October 2010
Modernity has wreaked havoc on the ancient identity of the Japanese people. This was already understood by the Japanese intellectuals who gathered in Kyoto in 1942 to draw up a strategy to stop the phenomenon of Westernization. They believed that the glorious Japanese traditions were at serious risk, and with them national identity (for more on this see Occidentalism by Ian Buruma and Avishai Margalit).

Slow Food can play a very important role in this country, and in fact it is surprising that the movement has not yet developed here as much as it could. In no other place is there such great harmony with the philosophy of those locals who believe in the survival of traditions and are fighting for recognition of their value, without giving in to the abusive power of the food industry.
Visiting the Unzen Takana Vegetable Presidium in the prefecture of Nagasaki, followed by a meeting of the local Slow Food convivium, was extremely encouraging and showed us just how aware people here are of the issue of food biodiversity.

The recently formed Slow Food Nagasaki Convivium has already firmly oriented itself towards promoting this specificity. It is not by chance that the first and only Japanese Presidium, for the Unzen Takana Vegetable, was established here.

More is here
source : Piero Sardo / www.slowfood.com

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quote from Japan Times, Feb. 2008
Slow-food movement creeps to Japan
By YOKO HANI

Enjoying good food is a fundamental pleasure. But the slow-food movement asks whether "good food" can mean more than simply the flavor and presentation of a meal.

"When we talk about quality food, we mean something that is good to taste but also good in terms of its background,' " said Giacomo Mojoli, former vice president of Slow Food International, an NPO founded in 1989 in Italy, and the current spokesman for Slow Food Italy. Mojoli was in Tokyo recently to attend a symposium titled "Food Culture in the Global Age" organized by another NPO, the Tokyo Foundation.

"Slow food has been interpreted as being about 'eco-gastronomy,' in which we appreciate not only food itself but also things 'outside the plate,' such as the method of farming, the producers and the food's history," Mojoli said.

MORE
source : Japan Times

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Slow Food Japan

Slow Food Japan was founded in June 2004, the sixth national branch of Slow Food to be established. The national headquarters are situated at the Tohoku Fukushi University in the city of Sendai. There are over 1,800 members and 40 convivia in Japan. Important Japanese producers now participate in international events such as Salone del Gusto, Slow Fish and Cheese.
The first national event was held in December 2005 in Tokyo to launch the Ark project in Japan and was followed by the Yokohama Fair in April 2006, which showcased presidia products from around the world.

Office: Slow Food Japan
Tohoku Fukushi University Station Campus 1F
1-19-1 Kunimi, Aoba-ku, Sendai
981-8523

スローフードジャパン（SlowFoodJapan）
http://www.slowfoodjapan.net/

スローフードジャパン事務局
〒981-8523 宮城県仙台市青葉区
国見1丁目19-1 東北福祉大学

Slow Food International
http://www.slowfoodjapan.net/sibu/

Slow Fod Nara
http://slowfoodnara.com/

Slow Food Okinawa
http://www.slow-food.jp/

Slow Food Suginami / Tokyo
http://www.slowfood-suginami.com/forum/foods/2010/05/538/

Slow Food Yamagata
http://www.slowfood-suginami.com/forum/foods/2010/05/538/

Bewegungen wie Slow Food und Eco-Food breiten sich langsam aus, das verstärkte Umweltbewußtsein beziet sich auch wieder auf Lebensmittel und Lebensmittelsicherheit, nachdem zahlreiche Skandale in der Lebensmittelbranche die Bürger aufgeschreckt haben.

Meeting in Nara in 2010

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quote
I am a Canadian who is living in the countryside of north-eastern Japan.
Nigel Fogden Shibata

Slow Food from Japan
http://slowfoodfromjapan.blogspot.com/

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

Slow food
More about : スローフード !

Slow-Food-Bewegung
"Ohne Gentechnik"
ohne gentechnische Zusätze
source : 　Slow Food Deutschland
Terra Madre 2008, ein Treffen von Köchen aus aller Welt

Münchener Messe "Food&Life"

Slow Food Deutschland e.V.
http://www.slowfood.de/projekte_und_aktionen/

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Agroforestry
especially in the Amazon, to grow various trees of different hight
. . . Reference

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HAIKU

slow life
slow food
slow haiku

葉っぱは自然に散る
人間は自然に生きる
......... そして死ぬ

Gabi Greve 2005
【do LOHAS】ロハスを

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Related words

***** . Cheap local food
B-kyuu gurume Ｂ級グルメ Second Class Gourmet

***** スローライフ　ネットワーク岡山
Slow Life Network Okayama

***** . Takana 高菜 mustard greens .

***** WASHOKU : General Information

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4/04/2008

Donburi

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Bowl of rice with topping (donburi　丼)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season:
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

donburi 丼 ... a bowl of rice topped with some food.
The dish is usually served in a special pot with a lid.

"Things in a bowl", 丼物

The first DONBURI was invented in Edo.
A rich merchant used to order kabayaki　蒲焼 grilled eel and wanted to eat it hot. But while the servant was fetching the food, it had cooled down. So the merchant got the idea to place the grilled fish on hot rice during the carrying of the fish to his store . . . and this soon became the custom with other food that tasts best when served hot.

. unagi no kabayaki
skewered grilled eel with a soy and mirin sauce, .

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Donburi (kanji: 丼; hiragana: どんぶり, lit. "bowl", also frequently abbreviated as "don", thus less commonly spelled "domburi") is a Japanese "rice bowl dish" consisting of fish, meat, vegetables or other ingredients simmered together and served over rice. Donburi meals are served in oversized rice bowls also called donburi. Donburi are sometimes called sweetened or savory stews on rice.

The simmering sauce varies according to season, ingredient, region, and taste. A typical sauce might consist of dashi flavored with shoyu and mirin. Proportions vary, but there is normally three to four times as much dashi as shoyu and mirin. For oyakodon, Tsuji (1980) recommends dashi flavored with light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sugar. For gyudon, Tsuji recommends water flavored with dark soy sauce and mirin.

Traditional Japanese donburi include the following:

Tamagodon (玉子丼): a scrambled egg mixed with sweet donburi sauce on rice.
Oyakodon (親子丼): simmered chicken, egg and onion on rice.
Katsudon (カツ丼): breaded deep-fried pork cutlets (tonkatsu), onion, and egg on rice.
Tenshindon (天津丼): a Chinese-Japanese specialty, consisting of a crabmeat omelet on rice,this is called 天津飯 tenshinhan, named for Tianjin, China.
Tekkadon (鉄火丼): thin-sliced raw tuna over rice. Spicy tekkadon is made with what can be a mix of spicy ingredients, a spicy orange sauce, or both (usually incorporates spring onions).
Negitorodon (ネギトロ丼): diced toro (fatty tuna) and negi (spring onions) on rice.
Tendon (天丼): tempura shrimp and vegetables on rice.
Gyūdon (牛丼): beef and onion on rice.
Unadon (鰻丼): unagi kabayaki (grilled eel) on rice.

Donburi can be made from almost any ingredients, including left-overs. Inexpensive Chinese restaurants in Japan often serve chūkadon (中華丼) or gomoku-chukadon (五目中華丼)—stir-fried assorted vegetables with some meat over rice in a big bowl. Not traditionally Japanese or Chinese, the hybrid dish indicates the popularity of donburi in Japan.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

donburi
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2342.html

gyuudon, gyudon
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2345.html

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puchidon, puchi don プチドン/ プチ丼 small bowl of food
This is becoming popular with the female office workers for a small lunch. Or as a set with five small bowls of different tastes: puchidon setto プチ丼セット.
Three different small bowls, sanshoku puchidon 三色プチ丼.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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Worldwide use

Gemüse, Fleisch oder andere Komponenten auf Reis in einer Schale.

Oyakodon (mit Eiern und Hühnchen)
Katsudon (mit paniertem Schweinekotelett)
Gyudon (mit Rindfleisch)
Butadon oder Tondon (mit Schweinefleisch)
Yakitoridon (mit Yakitori)
Tamagodon (mit Eiern)
Tendon (mit Tempura)
Mabodon (mit Mapo-Tofu)
Magurodon (mit Thunfisch)
Ikuradon (mit Lachslaich)
Unadon (mit Aal)

©　More in the DE.WIKIPEDIA !

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Things found on the way

donburi kanjo, donburi kanjoo, 丼勘定
to do business without keeping proper books. Calculating unsystematically.

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HAIKU

北の空海鮮丼を頼みけり
kita no sora kaisendon o tanomikeri

sky of the north -
I order a bowl of
seafood on rice

Someko 染子
Tr. Gabi Greve

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Related words

***** WASHOKU : General Information

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Daidokoro kitchen and hearth

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Kitchen (daidokoro) and hearth (kamado

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Non-seasonal Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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The main entry with kitchen vocabulary is now here:

. daidokoro 台所 the Japanese kitchen .

source :　edo-tokyo-museum.or.jp

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Explanation

The Japanese kitchen has to deal with a lot of humidity in the summer months. So the stainless steel surfaces are very suitable.

Also, there is usually no cellar to store food in a cool place and the kitchen space is very small. The yukashita shuunoo 床下収納【ゆかしたしゅうのう】 box in the kitchen floor is special.
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

Each family member has its own bowl of rice and chopsticks. Especiallt the meoto pairs for a couple are typically Japanese.

Even in a family kitchen there is space for many knives to cut the food.

The oroshigane for grating is another speciality of the Japanese kitchen tools.

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In a home kitchen, a lot of food of different nationalities is prepared for one meal, curry rice on one plate, Chinese-style salad on another and miso soup to got with it ...
This kind of internatinonal cooking has become common since the Meiji period.

The pride of a Japanese kitchen is the assortment of knives.

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In former times, the kamado hearth was important and a God of the Kitchen was revered.
kamadogami 竈神 God of the Hearth
. Kamagami 釜神 The Hearth Deity .

Water was also important, although the running water was often outside in the street or a well. The God of Water was revered there.

Running water and a box for the house to keep fresh fish.
Shinjo Village, Okayama pref.

See also my story about the
Samurai Home Kitchen in Katsuyama

Suijin, God of Water

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observance kigo for the New Year

hatsu kamado 初竈 (はつかまど)
first use of the hearth (fire)

hatsu kashigi 初炊ぎ (はつかしぎ)
first cooking (of rice)
. . . . . kashigizome 炊ぎ初（かしぎぞめ）
takizome 炊初（たきぞめ）, takizome 焚初（たきぞめ）
wakameshi 若飯（わかめし）"young", first cooked rice

niwa kamado 庭竈 (にわかまど) cooking stove in the garden
On the third day of the new year, rich merchants would prepare a new stove outside and cook a special New Year's meal.

. Cooked Rice, Food and Kigo

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animal kigo for early spring

. iso kamado 磯竃 (いそかまど) stove on the beach 　

for the fishermen and women to keep warm and cook a fast meal or cup of tea.

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observance kigo for early autumn

. Bon Stove (bongama 盆竈) .

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animal kigo for all winter

. kamado neko 竈猫（かまどねこ）cat in the hearth 　

Cats would settle in the warm ashes for the night.

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observance kigo for mid-winter

. kamabarai 竈祓 (かまばらい) hearth purification .
kama matsuri 竈祭（かままつり） hearth festival
kamashime 竈注連（かましめ） sacred rope (shimenawa) for the hearth
Koojin barai 荒神祓（こうじんばらい）purification for the deity Kojin sama

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

Some haiku by Gabi Greve

memory loss
at the kitchen table -
who are you ?

2006 : Alzheimer

春雷やガラスの響く台所
shunrai ya garasu no hibiku daidokoro

spring thunder -
the rattling window panes
in my old kitchen

Gabi Greve, Spring Thunder Haiku

snow snow snow -
the cats just sleep
in the kitchen

　Haiku Kun and his mother, O-Tsu

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寒食や竃をめぐるあぶら虫
kanshoku ya kamado o meguru aburamushi

cool food -
cockroaches search
around the hearth

Tan Taigi 炭太祇

. kanshoku - eating cold food 　
observance kigo for mid-spring

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- - - - - Matsuo Basho - - - - -

叡慮にて賑ふ民の庭竃
叡慮にて賑わふ民の庭竈
eiryo nite nigiwau tami no niwakamado

by the Emperor's good graces
a cooking pit
for the New Year’s celebration
Tr. Kosei Meiken

Written in 1688 元禄元年, during the New Year, when Etsujin visited Basho in Edo. Etsujin stayed until two years later. Etsujin published a haikai collection called

niwakamado shuu 庭竈集 Niwakamado Collection, with poems prizing the emperors of olden times.

An allusion to a poem by Emperor Nintoku 仁徳天皇

高き屋にのぼりて見れば煙立つ民の竈賑わひにけり

takai yane ni noborite mireba kemuri tatsu
tami no kamado nigiwai ni keri

When I ascend a high place and look about me, lo ! the smoke is rising:
the cooking ranges of the people are busy.
source :　Song of the Emperor NINTOKU

Basho used the last two lines as a honkadori of this waka poem.

. Ochi Etsujin 越智越人 .

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猫の妻竈の崩れより通ひけり
猫の妻竃の崩れより通ひけり
neko no tsuma hetsui no kuzure yori kayoi-keri

a cat’s trysts:
she crosses back and forth
over a crumbling stove
Tr. Barnhill

Die läufige Katze
schlüpft durch den Riss an der Feuerstelle
hinein und hinaus
Tr. Udo Wenzel

Written in 延宝5年, Basho age 34.

Allusion to a story in the "Tales of Ise" 伊勢物語, chapter 5.
. Ariwara no Narihira 在原業平 .
When he visits his lady love, he had to climb over an old crumbling wall.
わらわべのふみあけたる築泥＜ついじ＞のくづれより通ひけり。
A typical Danrin-style poem.

hetsui 竈(へ)つ火 "stove with fire", also the name for the Deity.
hettsui へっつい.

MORE - about cats by
. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

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貧山の釜霜に鳴く声寒し
. hinzan no kama shimo ni naku koe samushi .
a kettle crying in the frost

. Matsuo Basho 松尾芭蕉 - Archives of the WKD .

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Related words

irori　囲炉裏　いろり　open sunken hearth

source :　facdbook

With mount Fujisan as a jizaikagi　自在カギ counterweight

. nabe なべ　鍋 pot and pan .

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. Kamagami 釜神 The Hearth Deity .
Dokujin, dokoojin 土公神 - Kenroo chijin 堅牢地神 Kenro Earth Deity
お荒神様 Aragamisama

***** Hocho, wabocho . 和包丁. Knife, knives (hoochoo, waboochoo) Japanisches Messer

***** Meoto Tableware for Couples

***** Mizu, drinking water

***** WASHOKU : General Information

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4/03/2008

Chuuka Chinese

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Chinese food in Japan (chuuka ryoori)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

Chuka ryori, chuuka ryoori
ちゅうかりょうり(中華料理)

shina ryoori　シナ料理

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noodles in a Chinese restaurant
http://www.worldramen.net/Varietion/chinesenoodles.html

Chin Kenmin　陳建民（ちんけんみん） brought his verison of mabo tofu to Yokohama. He was the son of poor farmers in China and made his fortune in Yokohama. He even prepared the banjan fermented hot pepper ingredient on his rooftop and sometimes neighbours complained about the strong smell ... Now his son, Chin Kenichi, carries on with the tradition.

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Chinese Food in Japan and
about Yokohama's Chinatown

The former capital of Kyoto is Japan's most traditional city, the home of many famous temples and artisans. There are only a few Chinese restaurants for Kyoto's 200,000 classically Japanese residents. Nonetheless, Chinese food is the most popular foreign cuisine throughout Japan, closely followed by Korean barbecue, then Italian pasta. Mexican and Thai places are newly popular but, after that, finding foreign fare can be a scattershot proposition.
... Chinese dish in Japan is ebi chili (shrimp with chili sauce)
subuta (sweet and sour pork); ma po tofu (mabodofu, maboo doofu, bean curd with spicy sauce), and pan fried gyoza (pork and garlic-chive dumplings).

The Japanese gyoza is a direct take-off on the Chinese jiao-tze.

The earliest Chinese settlers in Yokohama can be traced back to 1861, just after the port city was opened to overseas trade.
source : 　Harley Spiller
memo

Japanese style Mabo Tofu : Wafu mabodofu
麻婆豆腐 maabo doofu
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

chuuka bentoo 中華弁当 lunchbox with Chinese food,

gojapan.about.com : Yokohama Chinatown

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横浜　中華街 Yokohama Chuukagai, Chinatown
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
chukagai
Yokohama Chinatown (Japanese: 横浜中華街, yokohama chūkagai; Traditional Chinese: 橫濱中華街; Mandarin Pinyin: Héngbīn zhōnghuájiē; Cantonese Jyutping: Waang4 ban1 zung1 waa4 gaai1) is located in Yokohama, Japan. Just south of Tokyo. It has about 150 years of history. These days only a few Chinese people still live in Chinatown, but it has population of about 3,000 to 4,000. Most of the residents are from Guangzhou (Canton) but many come from other regions.

Yokohama Chinatown is the largest Chinatown not only in Japan but also in Asia (larger than Chinatowns in both Kobe and Nagasaki) and it is one of the largest in the world. There are over 200 restaurants alone (other shops are not included for this number).

History
In 1859, when the sea port opened in Yokohama, many Chinese immigrants arrived in Japan and formed settlements. Later, ferry services between Yokohama and Shanghai and Hong Kong were started. Many Chinese traders came to Japan and built a Chinese School, Chinese Community Center, and various other facilities in what represented the beginning of Chinatown. However, government regulations at the time meant that immigrants were not permitted to live outside of the designated foreign settlement area. In 1899, changing laws gave Chinese increased freedom of movement while reinforcing strict rules on the types of work Chinese people were allowed to carry out.

In 1923, the Kanto Area was devastated by the Great Kanto Earthquake. Around 100,000 people were killed and approximately 1.9 million people became homeless. Chinatown also suffered and with many immigrants choosing to return to China instead of rebuilding their livelihoods in Yokohama.

In 1937, full-scale war between China and Japan erupted, effectively stopping further growth of Chinatown.
After the war ended, Chinatown once again began to grow. In 1955, a goodwill big gate was built. That is when the Chinatown was officially recognized and called Yokohama Chukagai (Yokohama Chinatown).

In 1972, Japan established diplomatic relations with People's Republic of China, and severed relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan and interest amongst Japanese people grew leading to an explosion in the number of visitors to Chinatown with it becoming a major sightseeing spot in Yokohama.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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Kobe Chinatown (Nankin-machi 南京町)

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

There are over 100 restaurants, shops and a Chinese temple (関帝廟), that accentuate the international flavor of the city with authentic Chinese dining and a unique shopping experience.

Kobe's Chinatown developed as the residential area of Chinese merchants, who settled in Kobe after the city's port had been opened to foreign trade in 1868. At that time, Japan didn't have a peace treaty with China, and so it was not permited to live in this foreign settlement for Chinese people, so they lived in the neighborhood of the other foreign settlers. That was the beginning of Chinatown. Now there are over 10,000 Chinese people living in Kobe, there are a few residents in this Chinatown, because they didn't have many trouble with Japanese and many of them began to treat various business.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

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長崎　中華街 Nagasaki Chuukagai, Chinatown
長崎新地中華街

. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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Tokyo Chukagai 東京中華街
Chinatown in Ikebukuro 東京池袋の中華街

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Chinese condiments

Toobanjan トウバンジャン Tobanjan. Spicy Miso Bean Sauce
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
chinesische scharfe rote Miso-Paste

Tenmenjan ﾃﾝﾒﾝｼﾞｬﾝ Chinese sweet black miso
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
chinesische süße schwarze Miso-Paste

Toochi 豆鼓（トウチ/ トーチ） black beans paste.
Black bean sauce
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
chinesische würzige schwarze Bohnenpaste

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wantan　ワンタン wanton, wonton
dumplings put into soup

へろへろとワンタンすするクリスマス
herohero to wantan susuru kurisumasu

I slurp wantan dumplings
with the sound "hero hero" -
Christmas

. Akimoto Fujio 秋元不死男　(1901 - 1977)

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gyooza 　ギョーザ　/ 餃子 Jiaozi

Jiăozi (Chinese transliteration), gyōza (Japanese transliteration), or pot sticker is a Chinese dumpling, widely popular in China and Japan as well as outside of East Asia, particularly in North America.
Jiaozi
typically consist of a ground meat and/or vegetable filling wrapped into a thinly rolled piece of dough, which is then sealed by pressing the edges together or by crimping. Jiaozi should not be confused with wonton: jiaozi have a thicker, chewier skin and a flatter, more oblate, double-saucer like shape (similar in shape to ravioli), and are usually eaten with a soy-vinegar dipping sauce (and/or hot chili sauce); while wontons have thinner skin, are sphere-shaped, and are usually served in broth. The dough for the jiaozi and wonton wrapper also consist of different ingredients.
Japanese gyoza

The most prominent differences of Japanese-style gyōza from Chinese style jiaozi are the rich garlic flavor, which is less noticeable in the Chinese version, and the fact that Japanese-style gyōza are very lightly flavored with salt, soy, and that the Gyoza wrappers are much thinner than the Chinese counterpart. They are usually served with soy-based tare sauce seasoned with rice vinegar and/or rāyu (raayu ラー油, known as làyóu (辣油) in China, red chili pepper-flavored sesame oil).
The most common recipe found in Japan is a mixture of minced pork, garlic, cabbage, and nira (Chinese chives), and sesame oil, which is then wrapped into thinly-rolled dough skins.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

misty valley-
the aroma of momos
from a distant dhaba

Arvinder Kaur, India

Momo dumplings
is a type of dumpling native to Tibet, Nepal, the bordering regions of Bhutan, and the Himalayan states of India (especially Sikkim). It is similar to the Mongolian buuz or the Chinese jiaozi.
©　More in the WIKIPEDIA !

. WASHOKU
Utsunomiya and the Gyoza Statue 宇都宮餃子像　
Tochigi prefecture

cheese gyoza チーズギョーザ gyoza with cheeze filling
Agedashi Cheese Gyoza
Goat Cheese Gyoza

ebi gyooza, ebigyooza 海老餃子 / エビ餃子 gyoza with shrimp filling
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

gyorokke　ギョロッケ gyoza fried in a coat like a croquette

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

From my Darumapedia:

Maso Bosatsu 媽祖菩薩
venerated in Yokohama and Nagasaki
It is said that in Japan the famous Mito Daimyo 水戸光圀, Mito Komon at the beginning of the Edo period, was one of her worshippers.
Senrigan and Junpuji

Confucius, a Chinese Scholar Kooshi, Koshi 孔子

Encho Chinese Dragon Park, Tottori
Encho En Park 燕趙園 Chinese Park where you can sampel Chinese food.

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quote
Sichuanese Cuisine : Food & Culture
by TAN WEE CHENG, Singapore

Sichuan, being a “land of fish and rice”, is naturally home to a rich and varied cuisine. The Sichuanese cuisine is well known for its spiciness and use of a diverse range of native ingredients. The province’s geographical proximity to Southeast Asia meant an exposure to the hot and spicy cuisines of this region, for example, Thai, Burmese and Indian cuisines, and hence one sees in the Sichuanese food the liberal use of chilli, pepper and other tropical spices. The main reason for this is summarised in May Holdsworth’s Odyssey Illustrated Guide to Sichuan : “Local people attribute the development of their cuisine to the weather in Sichuan. They say that chilli- and pepper-flavoured food stimulates sweating, which cools them down in the hot summer, while in the damp cold winter, it produces the opposite effect of warmth and comfort.”

However, what caught visitors who thought they knew what’s Sichuanese cuisine unaware is that quality known as “ma” - the feeling of numbness in the mouth. The addition of Sichuan peppercorn, known as “huajiao”, in numerous dishes create a most sudden numbing sensation in one’s mouth.

The diner who’s unaware of this might for moments thought that one’s mouth have evaporated. Tasty and appealing Sichuanese cuisine might be, this quality is certainly not one easily appreciated by outsiders. And this is why Sichuanese restaurants outside the province usually dispense with ma.

Some of my favourites are listed here :

· Mapo doufu - “Pocked Face Grandmother Bean Curd”. This is bean curd cooked with minced pork and served in hot chilli and pepper.

· Huiguo rou - “Returned-to-the-pot Pork”. Thinly sliced pork boiled first and then stir-fried, with spring onion scattered at the end.

· Mala huoguo - “Ma and Hot Hotpot”. Meat and ingredients of every kind thrown into red hot soup. First eaten by poor boatmen of the Changjiang in Chongqing area and then spread westwards to the rest of Sichuan. Now a restaurant dish.

· Dan dan mian - yellow thin noodles served in soya sauce, spring onion, vinegar, hot oil and generous serving (what’s new!) of chilli and pepper. Real sensational !

· Liang Fen - Cold Noodles. These are white rice noodles served cold with a hot, spicy and ma sauce. Especially great in summer, as the local say.

source : 　 TAN WEE CHENG, Singapore

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. spring roll　春巻き　harumaki .

wuipaa, waipaa, uipaa, weipa ウイパー / "味覇" / ウェイパアー / （うぇいぱぁー）
Ueipa. Waipa. Chinese soup stock, chicken and pork base bouillon. Chinese soup mix.
A mix of animal and plant protein extracts.
Famous in Japan since a few years ago.
Ueipa-Paste . Chinesischer Suppenextrakt. スープの素
原材料：
食塩、肉エキス（ポーク、チキン）、野菜エキス、動植物油脂、砂糖、乳糖、小麦粉、香辛料、調味料（アミノ酸等）

menma メンマ pickled chinese bamboo shoots
often put on ramen noodle soup
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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chuuka poteeto 中華ポテート Chinse potatoes
a kind of preparation like daigakuimo 大学芋, but not with sweet potatoes, but real ones.
They are served as desert in Chinese restaurants.
抜絲紅薯 baasi hongshuu

hiyashi Chuuka　冷やし中華　cold Chinese noodles
served during the hot summer months
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

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HAIKU

Chinese food -
why did I travel
to Japan ?

my Chinese friend in Chinatown, Yokohama

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春節の赤あざやかに中華街
shunsetsu no aka azayaka ni chuukagai

the bright red
of the spring festival -
Chinatown

Nagareboshi 流星

. Chinese Origin of Japanese Kigo .

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Related words

***** Medicine Day (kusuri no hi) ...
Medicine-related kigo. Chinese Medicine (kanpo, kampo).

***** Hiroshima Day also: Nagasaki Day, Japan

***** WASHOKU : General Information

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Cherry Blossom Time

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]
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Cherry Blossom Time and related kigo

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late Spring
***** Category: Humanity

*****************************Explanation

The cherry blossom time is very important in the Japanese yearly events.
It is a time to get drunk on the blossoms while sipping rice wine ...
Many kigo have been mentioned elsewhere, see LINK below.

Here are some kigo concerning the activities of us humans during this time.

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cherry blossom viewing party, hana no en
花の宴（はなのえん）(banquet)

"rice wine for the cherry blossoms" 花の酒（はなのさけ）
rice wine for cherry blossom viewing, hanamizake
花見酒（はなみざけ）

cherry blossom viewing, hanami 花見 (はなみ)..... o-hanami お花見（おはなみ）
guest for cherry blossom viewing, hanami kyaku
花見客（はなみきゃく）
..... hana no kyaku 花の客（はなのきゃく）
crowds viewng cherry blossoms, hanami shuu 花見衆（はなみしゅう）
..... hanabito 花人（はなびと）

hanami daru, barrel with rice wine for hanami
花見樽（はなみだる）
nana no yoi, evening with flower watching
花の宵（はなのよい）
hana no maku, curtain to partition one's area for flower viewing
花の幕（はなのまく）

hana shoogi, board or small table for hanami
花床机（はなしょうぎ）

hana no chaya, tea stall to watch flowers
花の茶屋（はなのちゃや）

hanamibune, boat to watch flowers 花見船（はなみぶね）

hana no odori, dancing below the blossoms花の踊（はなのおどり）

hanami oogi, fan used during hanami 花見扇（はなみおうぎ）
hanami tenugui, small towel used during hanami
花見手拭（はなみてぬぐい）
hanamigasa, straw hat used during hanami season
花見笠（はなみがさ）

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hanami bentoo 花見弁当 lunch box for blossom viewing

A good bento, made by mother or bought in a local store ... one of the necessities for blossom viewing !

. . . CLICK here for more Photos !

In the Edo period, a 重箱 Jubako box was used to carry all the things for Hanami.
The box contained four boxes of food, Sake cups and a Sake bottle, small serving plates and chopsticks. Some boxes were quite elaborate and artistic.

CLICK for more delicious samples !

The food boxes contained Kamaboko and vegetables, Sushi, Sashimi and a final one with sweets, like
. tsubakimochi 椿餅 (つばきもち) camellia rice cakes .

and

. sakuramochi, sakura mochi さくらもち / 桜餅　
rice cakes for cherry blossom viewing
. . . CLICK here for Photos !

. . . CLICK here for Photos "sakura food"!

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

At Osaka Tenmangu, enjoying Plum Blossoms

ながむとて花にもいたし頚の骨
nagamu tote hana ni mo itashi kubi no hone

Having seen them long,
I hold the flowers dear, but ah,
The pain in my neck.

. Nishiyama Soin (Soo-In) 西山宗因 .
With more translations of this poem.

source : Tr. Nobuyuki Yuasa

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桜よし花見弁当窓辺かな
sakura yoshi hanami bentoo madobe kana

beautiful cherry blossoms ...
we eat the lunchbox
by the windowside

It has been raining during the hanami in 2006, when this "beginner" wrote the haiku.

source : tenarai-haiku

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- quote
Hanami History
The practice of hanami is many centuries old. The custom is said to have started during the Nara Period (710 - 784) when the Chinese Tang Dynasty influenced Japan in many ways; one of which was the custom of enjoying flowers. Though it was ume blossoms that people admired in the beginning, by the Heian Period, sakura came to attract more attention. From then on, in tanka and haiku, "flowers" meant "sakura."

Hanami was first used as a term analogous to cherry blossom viewing in the Heian era novel Tale of Genji. Whilst a wisteria viewing party was also described, from this point on the terms "hanami" and "flower party" were only used to describe cherry blossom viewing.

Sakura originally was used to divine that year's harvest as well as an announcer of the rice-planting season. People believed in gods' existence inside the trees and made offerings at the root of sakura trees. Afterwards, they partook of the offering with sake.

Emperor Saga of the Heian Period adopted this practice, and held flower-viewing parties with sake and feasts underneath the blossoming boughs of sakura trees in the Imperial Court in Kyoto. Poems would be written praising the delicate flowers, which were seen as a metaphor for life itself, luminous and beautiful yet fleeting and ephemeral. This was said to be the origin of hanami in Japan.

The custom was originally limited to the elite of the Imperial Court, but soon spread to samurai society and, by the Edo period, to the common people as well. Tokugawa Yoshimune planted areas of cherry blossom trees to encourage this. Under the sakura trees, people had lunch and drank sake in cheerful feasts.

The teasing proverb dumplings rather than flowers (花より団子, hana yori dango) hints at the real priorities for most cherry blossom viewers. (A punning variation, Boys Over Flowers (花より男子, Hana Yori Dango), is the title of a manga and anime series.)
- source : www.gojapango.com

Click for more photos !

hanami in Edo 　江戸の花見

Shogun Yoshimune
Along the new river banks and open spaces to protect from fire he had many cherry trees planted and thus supported the old custom of
hanami　花見 cherry blossom viewing and merrymaking.
He wanted to give the townspeople a chance to enjoy life.
The most famous spots are 飛鳥山 Asukayama, 御殿山 Gotenyama, Koganei and Mukojima.

飛鳥山 - 広重 Asukayama, Hiroshige

. Shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune　徳川吉宗将軍 .
(1684 - 1751)

御殿山　The Gotenyama in Shinagawa
Utagawa Hiroshige

. - - - Welcome to Edo　江戸 ! .

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Related words

***** - many more - Cherry Blossom KIGO -

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[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO . TOP . ]
#hanami #gotenyama
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Conbini

[ . BACK to WORLDKIGO TOP . ]

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Convenience Stores (conbini)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Topic
***** Category: Humanity

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Explanation

conbini コンビニ / コンビニエンスストア convenience store
. . . CLICK here for Photos !
Ladenketten mit 24 Stunden Betrieb

Most offer a variety of food, many small portions for singels and opportunity to heat your food in the microwave.

They also offer a lot of other services.

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©　More in the Japanese WIKIPEDIA !

Family Mart ファミリマート

Lawson ローソン

Seven Eleven セブンイレブン (sebun irebun)
7-Eleven is a worldwide chain of convenience stores.
Reference : Seven-Eleven Japan SEJ

source :　tyounomauoka/so.sebundaruma
sebun Daruma セブンダルマ Seven Eleven Daruma support

There are many regional stores too.

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Worldwide use

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Things found on the way

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HAIKU

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Related words

***** WASHOKU : General Information

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WASHOKU - Japanese Food Culture and Cuisine

4/05/2008

Edo Shokubunka

Eco and Slow Food

4/04/2008

Donburi

Daidokoro kitchen and hearth

4/03/2008

Chuuka Chinese

Cherry Blossom Time

Conbini

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