Sinbad

It's not only food that is being wasted. The amount of packaging used for food products in Japan is just amazing. I once bought two bottles of sakes in a depa-chika. They were then individually wrapped in protective padding, then with decorative wrapping around each bottle, then each bottle was put in a gift box, with individual gift wrapping for each box, put in two individual gift bags, who were then placed in one larger bag! And I did not even ask for any kind of wrapping, one plastic bag would have been fine! 6 layers of wrapping and packaging! This was an extreme, but the waste in incredible.

It's actually priced almost at the same level as the regular beers in Japan (Suntory, Kirin etc) which is one reason why I mentioned it(besides it being a good beer). You should look at Ginga Kogen as well, a very nice Japanese microbrew with a reasonable price,

Budrichard Thanks for the feedback on Browne Trading, I will give them a try. I knew they shipped to Daniel and Le Bernardin(or at least advertised that they did), but I trust reviews from "everyday" customers as your experience is more likely to mimic mine.

Budrichard, Thanks for the info about the law, no reason as I thought. Btw, what is your opinion on Browne Trading and ordering seafood from them? You obviously order scallops from them, anything else recommended? I have been thinking about ordering from them, but I am hesitant to order seafood by mail since I prefer to inspect the fish prior to purchasing.

What is the reasoning behind this law? Health Concerns? Or just a relic from old times?

It's not S-E Asian, it is not even Asian but my vote for worst acquired taste in the world goes to Surströmming. It makes durian smell like a rose garden, trust me. It's got the aroma of rotten fish marinated in a NY sewer. The link actually tells you most about this dish which is herring fermented in a can, but the smell has to be experienced, it can not be described. Walk into a room where there is a Surströmming-party and see if you can stay. The party is traditionally held outdoor but due to wather we were forced to be indoors and man, that was tough enough to be in the room. Anyway, you walk in to a room and there is the tradional accompaniement of Vodka, Aquavit, boiled potato and hard "thin-bread"(The soft thin bread is very similar to flour tortillas). On the table are a number of cans with Surströmming that after a year of storage has gone from the original flat shape to an almost round shape the size of a small volleyball due to the pressure. The cans are opened extremely carefully to avoid having the liquid that the fish is fermented in to spray all over the room. However, the "aroma" of the fish almost instantenously makes you rush to the bathroom, the stink is unbelievable. After about 30 minutes of warming up with a couple of shots of Aquavit I finally had enough courage to actually taste the fish. I ate it in the traditional beginners way with my left hand pinching my nose, my eyes closed shut and putting the fish filet in my mouth very quickly and swallowing without chewing. Yikes. Although it did not meet my worst expectations, it was still by far the worst I have ever tasted. I quickly downed two shots of Vodka as an antidote and told myself "never again". Despite the weather, the rest of the party was spent outdoor, eating thin-bread and slowly beginning to feel like a Surströmming-can myself with the fish filet applying outward pressure on my stomach. The next morning was spent recovering from a Surströmming-hangover and carefully cleaning my camera. While I was taking pictures, I had Surströmming-liquid on my hand making the Camera smell like a sewer the next day. Once in a lifetime only.

The use of different sauces, condiments and blowtorching is actually not that unusual in Japan either. My last meal in Tokyo for example I had Chu-Toro with some mayonaisse-based condiment that was cooked with a blow torch. Although the use is more common in NY, it is definitely not unique to the city.

1 albatross 1 ex-parrot and a coconut. halved. 1 mint, wafer thin. 1 Kipper 1 Duck celery, apples, walnuts and grapes 1 Vodka and 1 Screwdriver drink mix 1 prawn Goebbels, 1 Hermann Goering and four Colditz salads from the deli 2 mixed veal 1 Siberian Hamster 1 box of bisquits 2 Pigeons 1 Bottle of Champagne 1 Gin, 1 Orange, 1 Lemon Squash,1 bottle of Scotch and 1 bottle of Water And one bunch of Basil

If you could get Celis White as brewed in Belgum I would be very happy. Yona Yona Ale from Japan, a beer that is far better than the standard Japanese crap (Kirin, Sapporo etc) sold in the US.

The building was very divey! The basement was dedicated to S-E Asian food, but the rest of the building was an outlet mall for anything, clothes, costmetics etc. I used to drive down there on weekend mornings to pickup Thais herbs, especially Bai Horapa, Bai Kra Prow and other Thai herbs and spices. Occasionally I would pick up some japanese foodstuff there, but to me the whole area was all about ethnic food. And I always made sure to take overseas visitors there, and they always loved it. Wonderful place.

I know exactly which building you are talking about, it was one of my favourite places in Tokyo to visit and shop. Ameyoko, which is the name of the area, is in my view a must on any foodies itenerary in Tokyo, great area.

Agree with the Panko assesment. As for Tonkatsu sauce, I used ready made one that I mixed with crushed white sesame seeds, and it was actually pretty good.

Well, I associate Kurobuta with Tonkatsu(Japanese Pork Cutlets), perhaps the most famous pork dish in Japan. Since Kurobuta is Japanese I thought that you might be interested in cooking something Japanese(and tonkatsu with quality pork is really yummy). I found this recipe on the net, but I haven't tried it myself. http://www.japanesegifts.com/rpanko.htm Reagrdless of what you end up cooking, would be interested in hearing about the quality of the pork since I've been thinking about ordering some myself(I am hesitant since the Kobe Beef that I have bought has been disappointing).

I used to go to this hole-in-the-wall place in Tokyo where they sold Thai ingredients at very good prices (all the customers were Thai, besides me). It was near Okubo, if I remember correctly. Oh Yes, I remember that. If one would believe the news it was like the country had been hit with a major disaster. I was also happy that they imported long-grain rice from Thailand, but unfortunately it was of very low quality. I think it was on purpose, to make people believe that foreign rice is bad(which is a joke). I still think you will find foreign rice expensive, unless prices have fallen dramatically. I did not know that you used to live in Japan before, why don't you just pack as much as you can since you know what you will most likely need(I doubt that it will be cheaper in Japan). I don't find Japan particulary stressful, but I guess it depends on where you live and work. I was also frequently travelling outside the country on business and vacations, which helped.

Will you be living in Tokyo? I lived in Tokyo for 10 years, you can get pretty much anything you want in Tokyo in terms of food supply, but imported food items will definitely cost you more than in most other places(but you can get coconut milk for far less than 300 Yen, I think I have seen it for around 150 Yen). Your post indicate you are cooking Indian food, I would actually suggest bringing indian rice to Japan(Coals to Newcastle). Specialty rice like Thai and Indian is very expensive in Japan. My advise would be to bring as much as possible of the ingredients for the things that you intend to cook in Japan. Also bring the tools required to cook them, it really doesn't cost that much more to ship and you will be so busy any way that you don't want to run around and look for specialty items once you are in Japan. You most likely will eat out more in Japan than you normally do for the following reasons. 1. It is an wonderful country to eat in. 2. Social gatherings after work is very common, where you go and eat and drink. We only cooked at home during weekends(if at all), during the week it was always a meal out. So my guess is that you will cook less than you normally do, so bear that in mind when deciding how much to bring for perishable items(coconut milk goes bad pretty quickly). You might also want to cook Japanese. The other extreme(which I used is) is to ship absolutely no food. Most peoples lifestyles change when they move to a new country, including eating habits. After a few months you know what you really need and then you can either ask a friend to ship it or buy it on your next trip overseas. Other Non-Food related advise when moving: Bring as much as possible of everyday items like contact-lens cleanser, detergents etc which can be very expensive. Bring standard medicin that you use(just make sure that it is legal to bring into Japan, me and Paul McCartney have one thing in common, we have both been caught smuggling drugs at Narita. He was caught for Marijuana, I was caught for a Vicks Inhaler. Seriously, it's illegal in Japan). If your clothes-size is hard to find in Japan, make sure that you have enough clothes until your next trip home. I made at least one trip overseas each year just to buy clothes and always made sure that I had a surplus. Going into a store and shop by size is no fun. Will you be shipping furniture? Furniture can be very expensive in Japan(but IKEA is finally about to enter the market). If not, one advise is to buy at a Sayonara sale(expat moving home). I can tell you how to find them. If you are shipping, then adding everything previously mentioned will cost you practically nothing. If you like food, you are moving to a very good country for it. Enjoy it!

Green tea is the traditional beverage. Green tea is the traditional beverage not only for Sushi but for Japanese food in general. At a casual meal in Japan, one would usually be served green tea with it. At a fancier meal though, Beer and Sake is he usual accompaniement and although tea can be served most customers would opt for either sake or beer.

I guess Uni is an indicator of the quality of the freshness of the ingredients, tamago as to the skill of the chef

Good Sake-Yes! Cold Japanese Beer. Well, I wish I could get something better than Suntory, Sapporo, Asahi or Kirin in a Sushi bar, I don't think the beer necessarily has to be Japanese. The master at Miyako Sushi (one of the premier sushi restaurants in Tokyo) appareantly prefers people to have tea with the sushi(I have not tried it). Several Japanese I know when eating at a Sushi place for the first time orders Uni first as an indicator as to the quality of the restaurant. God Uni is great, but it is also spoiled very quickly. But good one, mmmmm. I know exactly what you mean. When I went to Japan a couple of months ago the chef took out this block of Tuna that had never been frozen and it was just beautiful. A piece of Art. Did not have a camera with me which I really regretted.

To me good quality sushi "must" be experienced at the counter, and a good sushi chef should always ask about preferences (likes/dislikes). There are certain categories of fish that I do not like or less likely to enjoy which I communicate to the chef(I usually go for Omakase). In a quality establishement they usually slice a small tasting if they are unsure and let me decide. I have been at Sushi places where sitting at the counter was meaningless, the chefs were not to be communicated with(although it is rare). I guess sea urchin is one of the categories of fish that Sushi chefs would be hesitant to offer american diners. Hikari-mono is propably another one.

If you can't afford to eat sushi in japan, then you can't afford it in the US (unless you get a significant salary increase in the US). The price/quality ratio is better in Japan than it is in the US for Sushi. A lot of Sushi in Japan is of the fast food variety, takeout or conveyor belt sushi, but I would still argue that the overall quality is very high. But yes, you can get bad sushi in Japan as well.

Whichever one was more passionate about burger joints. I lived in Tokyo for 10 years and one of the criterias I had for deciding if I should try a western restaurant was how many westerners were frequenting it, the other side of the argument of using the number of Japanese customers as a benchmark. The absence of western customers to me was an indication that the food was either extremely bastardized (squid-ink pizza with grated wasabai, ginger and nori topping) or extremely poor price/performance ratio. I used this in the beginning before I had developed other means of obtaining restaurant information, and although it propably helped me avaoid a number of duds I don't think ethnic profiling of the customers is a particulary efficient way of deciding where to to eat. I would never decide to eat at a Sushi place just because they have many Japanese customers, there are so many other ways these days to obtain better information about restaurants.

I don't know which pastry shop is the best in Tokyo, but my advise would be to head to one of the major Japanese department stores which usually have several high-end places like Fauchon in them so that you can try several places(and the foodhalls are a major experience in themself). I would pick one which is near an area that you are already visiting. Isetan in Shinjuku, Matsuya in Ginza and Seibu in Ikebukoro were in my opinion the overall best foodhalls, Isetan and Matsuya are more high end-places so they are more likely to have higher quality shops in them (I do know that there is a Fauchon in Matsuya). And after you are done with Matsuya or Isetan you can walk next door to Mitsukoshi if you haven't overdosed yet. Also, make sure to check the hours, most department stores close one day midweek. Takashimaya (they have a Fauchon as well) in Nihonbashi is also pretty good, but there really is no reason to visit the area except for shopping.

Since Torakris has a thread called "Daily Nihongo" I thought I make an entry called "Daily English", although I do not plan to make daily entries in it. Any visitor to Japan must have noticed that many products and establishements have English names, some of them which clearly were not reviewed by a native speaker. I mean, who would name a softdrink "Pocari Sweat"? Anyway, I though these two entries were quite funny (and food-related). I wonder what the ambience is in this cafe? http://www.engrish.com/recent_detail.php?i...date=2003-11-11 After seeing places like "Only Coffee and Alcohol" and "Perverse Person"(the place was a very normal bar, nothing seedy about it at all) this does not surprise me. The name of this bread sounds really mouthwatering. http://www.engrish.com/recent_detail.php?i...date=2003-11-10 I doubt this has been photoshoped since there are enough real examples in Japan. Anyway, don't let this discourage you from visiting Japan, it is a great country for food.

By the time I was visiting the third big house in Reims my ability to absorb information was dramatically disappearing. The best tour we had at Reims was a private tour at Ruinart for me and my wife that Boyer arranged for us where they let us taste even their more expensive champagnes. After that it was getting less and less exciting to tour the caves. I agree with your post, I think the value that one get's from visiting a region, type of tour etc depends on the type of tour/tasting etc as well as on which level of sophistication one has reached. When people start making advance appointments at individual wineries I would say that they have reached a fairly advanced level. Some prior research is useful as always when vacationing.

Yes, belgian Wits, how could I forget. I have had American microbrewed Wits with Indian delivery, very good match (I have had Hoegarden, but not with Indian food). Their German cousins Weissens are not as good, but I also like them with Indian/spicy food. So many choices, which is why it upsets me even more that restaurants in general can't do better. Btw, what is the story on Celis White, is it available again?