Hiroyuki

I did notice a hint of strawberry jam when I licked the whipped cream, but I didn't when I ate the cake (because of all the other flavors, I think).

My parents, who live in Chiba prefecture, kindly sent a box of chestnuts to my family. I boiled some of them for forty minutes, cut each of them in half, and scooped out the flesh with a small spoon. Do you have any simple recipes for chestnuts? By the way, I used a used milk carton to cut the chestnuts on, instead of the cutting board. If you have any good uses of used milk cartons, please post them here.

I tried this urawaza the other day to make my daughter's birthday cake with my children. It did work for me, taking much less time to make whipped cream. Peach slices on top. Strawberries are not available now. Decoration was done entirely by my children.

That's true. A 250-ml can is said to contain about 20-30 grams of sugar. 8 teaspoons of sugar translates into 3 x 8 = 24 grams. The reason?? The sweetness obscures the nasty taste of low-quality coffee?

I remember having read the Coffee Milk thread before. Very interesting.

Canned coffee in Japan

Unfortunately, September 10 doesn't work for me, so I'm going to make mine on the next day. I'm going for Chuuka-fuu (Chinese style) yakisoba in an attempt to answer Palladion's question:

Could it have been Pretz rather than Pocky? I tried maple butter Pretz early this year. It was good and I'd buy it again but I haven't seen it since- I think it was a seasonal item. ← Ahh, I think you're right. Either way I'll have to go back and check it out. It's definitely not something that Uwajimaya carries all the time, it was on display as a "special," so it's probably seasonal. Better act on it quick! And torakris - thanks for the welcome! ← Was it something like this? http://www.ezaki-glico.net/pretz/maple.html

Wait, wait, this is not an edamame one but an endoumame (green pea) one. The package says so. えんどうまめ not えだまめ.

Who else is up for the challenge??

Most apple pie recipes in Japan suggest using kougyoku (紅玉). Unfortunately, they are so hard to come by, especially in rural areas like mine. I wonder if Granny Smith is similar to kougyoku in taste and texture.

I have a feeling that the theme of the next cook-off in the Japan Forum after okonomiyaki, nabe, and curry should be yakisoba!

Hm............... Hatcho miso is the only type of miso that I DON'T want in my miso soup... That distinctive flavor! I will direct your question to Nontan's bulletin board. Yankee mama may be able to give you some suggestions since she lives in Aichi prefecture.

Do you know the world's first canned coffee drink? If not, visit this site: http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/techno/can/coffee.html The official website of UCC in English: http://www.ucc.co.jp/eng/index.html

Thanks everyone for their replies. I think that Gabunomi falls into the category formerly called 'Coffee Gyunyu'. It's not a coffee drink but a coffee-flavored, skimmed milk-based, sweetened drink. Gyunyu means milk, but manufacturers are now prohibited from using the term 'Coffee Gyunyu' for their products unless they contain raw milk. Manufacturers now use such terms as Coffee Milk, Milk Coffee, Caffe Latte, Coffee au Lait, and Cafe au Lait instead. I have fond memories of Coffee Gyunyu; I used to like it a lot when I was small. There is a wide selection of Gabunomi type drinks, as you can see from here: http://www.ne.jp/asahi/aocky/kite/coffee/coffee.html

What a dinner! That sure was Japan Day for you.

Here is the English-language official website of Riken: http://www.rike-vita.co.jp/int/ I searched for that product through the Japanese-language official website of the company, but I couldn't find it.

I really didn't know why, but my daughter (5) kept saying for a few days that she wanted to eat apples. Today, I went shopping with my son and daughter, and bought some apples because she wanted them. When we got home, I asked my daughter how she would like to eat them, and she said, "You will know that when you look at this." She showed me this book. Now I know why she wanted to eat apples in the first place.

I'd never heard of that, nor have I had one! Unless one of my relatives fed it to me without telling me. Interesting, I may have to try it some time. Will any alcohol work? ← I did a google search and found that any alcohol with a proof of 35 percent or greater will do. You can use whisky, for example, to make "Western-style" sawashi gaki.

Don't forget about sawashi gaki!! http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...ndpost&p=718187

I made yakisoba for today's supper. Here is a rundown of my method: Ingredients for 3 servings: 3 packs yakisoba 3 packs yakisoba sauce 1 green pepper (optional) 200 g thinly sliced pork 1/2 carrot 1/2 onion 1/8 cabbage 1 pack moyashi (bean sprouts) 1. Put all vegetables in a frying pan, and stir-fry until tender. 2. Set aside in a plate. 3. Put pork in the frying pan, stir-fry until done. 4. Set aside in the plate. 5. Put yakisoba in the frying pan, add some water, turn on the gas, and put a lid on for 2-3 minutes. 6. Remove the lid and stir yakisoba. 7. Put vegetable and pork back in the frying pan, and mix well. Add sauce and mix well 8. Serve with beni shoga and ao nori (and katsuo bushi (dried bonito flakes), if you like)). The most important thing is I think is to leave the yakisoba at room temperature long enough before cooking. Otherwise, it will be hard to stir. The simplest method will be just put the pork first, stir until done, add the vegetables, stir until tender, add the yakisoba, mix well, add the sauce, and mix well. So, what is your method, everyone?

Your comment reminds me of this thread, which I started in the Japan Forum: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...&hl=subtraction

Fascinating thread. It is imaginable that there some traditionalists that may criticize Kaiten Zushi as possibly dismantling the "cultural tradition that requires knowledge of the cusine and its protocol," but this is not Urasawa or Masa. Kaiten Zushi was created in Japan, in the 70's, with the focus on price-conscious customers, who may be rushed for a meal. It was also probably geared towards foreigners and children as they may not have any knowledge about sushi, and provides a visual ordering method of the items you want. It is you that takes the plate from the conveyor belt. This is not a sushi restaurant, so you may not find all the things that you are used to at your local Kamehachi. Sushi Station has items that are comparable, if not better, to that of sushi or izakaya restaurants in Chicago. ← Thanks to kaiten zushi, sushi has regained its initial status as fast food, and I am really glad about it. Slightly off topic, but what do you think of the jika system? http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=53052&hl=jika

I'm no fan of canned coffee. Sweetened (kato (加糖)) types are too sweet for me while less sweetened (bito (微糖)) and unsweetened (muto (無糖)) types taste just awful. Do you like canned coffee? What do you think of it? For your reference, here are some canned coffee reviews in English: http://www.chinmusicpress.com/books/kuhaku...erature/coffee/

Winny is the name of a Wienna sausage produced by Nippon Ham, not a gadget. In Japan, you can get those gadgets at a 100-yen shop: http://image.www.rakuten.co.jp/hyakuemon/img1041994081.jpeg Gadgets for making Wienna sausage into octopus, crab, tulip, and penguin shapes (from left to right).