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Japanese Food

Ten Days of Japanese School Lunch 給食

October 11, 2012
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Ten Days of Japanese School Lunch 給食

Though I may not be teaching elementary school anymore, while I was there I found that there were some interesting differences between a Japanese, public elementary school and an American one. One of the major differences was public school lunch (I’m sure that’s no surprise). In the US, I knew of kids who brought lunches from home (more often than not, I was one of those kids) and those who at the school-made lunches. When I was teaching public school, I never saw anyone carrying a lunch from home. Everybody eats the school-made lunches. Having eaten both, I have to admit that I think Japanese public school lunches (給食, kyushoku) beat the pants off...

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Sweet Potatoes and Daigakuimo, A Tasty Vegetable Turned Tastier

January 11, 2012
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One of my New Year’s Resolutions is to get as fit as I possibly can before Obon rolls around. I’d like to go to a nice beach in Japan and be super-ripped. Why? I don’t really have an answer. I know I enjoy exercise, and I figured getting as ripped as possible at least gives me a goal to shoot for (it might also be good for landing some cool modeling gig in the future). One of the big challenges with that is that I absolutely adore all things sweet*: chocolate, gummy bears, cakes of all kinds, caramel, ice cream, Jelly Belly jelly beans, and the list relentlessly goes on. So decided this week...

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Japanese Elementary School Perks

December 6, 2011
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Japanese Elementary School Perks

One of the cool things about teaching at a Japanese elementary school is that sometimes, after work, they prepare food. Granted, it’s not usually a four course meal or anything, but it is quite tasty. On one of the colder days last week (winter is rearing his frigid head) one of the teachers prepared a suiton soup. If you’re not familiar with suiton, the best way I can explain it is that it’s kind of like a dumpling made of flour. On a cold day like this one, a bowl of this hot soup, chock-full of vegetables, juicy meat, and suiton, really hit the spot. One day this week, one of the staff members...

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The Mystery Meat I Couldn’t Eat

December 3, 2011
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The Mystery Meat I Couldn’t Eat

When it comes to food, I try to be as open-minded as I can. I tell myself that I’ll try any food at least once, and if I don’t like it, won’t try it again. I have eaten crickets (which aren’t half bad by the way), baby bees, and fish eyes, just to name a few things, but I think I met my match at a staff dinner a week ago. All of the staff went to a yakitori restaurant. Yakitori is the Japanese name for chicken or other pieces of meat that have been skewered and grilled. Truth be told, the food was INCREDIBLY good, and it just kept coming! I was so...

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What is Yuba?

November 26, 2011
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What is Yuba?

Have you ever heard of yuba before? Well, if you’re familiar with tofu, you’re not far off. Guess what yuba is made of? Soybeans of course. For some strange reason I think everything in Japan has just a little bit of soybean in it. How can I explain yuba? Well, I’m no expert on the subject or anything, but yuba is kind of like a by-product of the tofu making process. Please check out the post I did on tofu a while back. In that post I put up a video of the tofu-making process that I saw on YouTube. I thought it was really well done and gave me a really clear picture...

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Have You Ever Eaten Baby Bees?

October 12, 2011
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If you have a weak stomach, baby bees may not be the best food to try.

No? Well I have. Hachinoko, 蜂の子, are one of the unspoken delicacies of Japan. I tried hachinoko for the very first time while having dinner with my friend, Gareth, my student & friend Kyoko, and her family. We had already eaten our fill of the wonderful spread that she had prepared, so we had some light servings of fruit as dessert. While we were eating and talking, Kyoko asked if we had ever tried hachinoko. Gareth and I both said no. But we were both willing to give them a try. I don’t think Gareth enjoyed them very much, but he was a trooper for trying. I think he was a little put off...

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Ginnan, Japanese Ginkgo Seeds

October 1, 2011
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Ginnan, Japanese Ginkgo Seeds

I tried ginnan (銀杏 or ぎんなん) for the very first time today, and they were pretty tasty. When I got to the school, I saw the school nurse sifting through a tub of white-colored seeds. As I approached, I heard the nurse say “Donarudo.” “Ah, Ohio gozaimasu,” I replied. The nurse then asked “Ginnan kita koto ga arimasu ka?” (Have you ever heard of ginnan?). “Iie, kita koto ga nai. Sore wa nan desu ka?” (No, I’ve never heard of them, what are they?). She explained to me what they were and I was able to glean enough info to do a little bit of research. I realized that I actually had heard of...

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The Japanese Breakfast vs. The American Breakfast

September 15, 2011
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The Japanese Breakfast vs. The American Breakfast

Please close your eyes for a second and think about your idea of the perfect, most delectable breakfast you could have. Think about every nuance. Are you eating it at a restaurant that really makes your tummy smile every time you go? Perhaps it’s at your Mom’s house or another family memeber. What breakfast foods are running through your mind? Please feel free to leave your ideas in the comments section. The American Style Breakfast When I think about the perfect breakfast, it’s gotta be one thing for me…pancakes. I think about a piping hot, short-shortstack of fluffy, buttermilk pancakes with whipped butter on top and just the perfect complement of maple syrupy goodness...

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Are Japanese Black Eggs The Secret to a Long Life?

August 6, 2011
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Are Japanese Black Eggs The Secret to a Long Life?

Kurotamago (くろたまご/黒卵), The Secret to a Long Life? Hakone, Japan 2011 The Fountain of Youth was once thought to bestow life on any person who partook of its sparkling waters. Many an explorer went in search of this fountain: the legendary Ponce de Leon, the infamous exploratory team of Steven Spielberg & Indiana Jones (some time after they went on that crap-trip looking for the Crystal Skull), the mysterious Chester Copperpot, everyone’s favorite kid adventurers…the Goonies, Atreyu & Falcor, and yours truly. Alas…the magical fountain was never found. I loved hearing stories about the fountain of youth, but when I heard that Ponce de Leon went looking for it in Florida, it kinda killed...

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Strange Japanese Foods. A Dancing Squid Bowl?!?

July 26, 2011
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Strange Japanese Foods. A Dancing Squid Bowl?!?

Mr. Dillard, thank you for emailing me this link. In a word “fascinating!” In another word, “creepy.”I haven’t been to Hakodate or to an ikezukuri restaurant, but this was a pretty good look at one. I love trying new foods here in Japan, because there are so many good one to try. I saw this video, though and it send a chill through me. Have you ever heard of ikezukuri or ikezukuri(いきずくり, いけずくり or 生き作; (I hope the hiragana and kanji are okay on this one))? Well, if you’re not familiar. Ikezukuri is a type of sushi that is prepared and eaten alive. While I truly love sushi, but I’m not a fan of...

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