Hiroyuki

I'm sorry that the link is broken AND no one has ever responded to your question! Have you found an answer to your question yet? It is classified as sunomono in this site: http://amsterdam.park.org/Japan/Kyoto/cult...ori/ek_b034.htm For ease of reference, here are some sites on nanban-zuke: http://www.hakutsuru-sake.com/content/031.html http://oishii-web.hp.infoseek.co.jp/recipe/torinane.htm I like nanban-zuke, but rarely make it, I almost always get it from supermarkets. I think that mackerel and chicken versions are often sold at supermarkets, and I like both of them very much.

Sorry, I can't answer your question. This is the first time I've ever heard of Honke Kamadoya, and I have bought bentos at Hokkahokkatei several times only in my entire life. According to the following site, Hokkahokkatei ほっかほっか亭 surpasses Honke Kamadoya 本家かまどや in almost all factors such as sales and the number of stores. http://www.h7.dion.ne.jp/~shindan/FC.html (You have to scroll down a great deal to view the table.)

The ingredients shown in the photo plus eggs are about all that I need to make okonomiyaki. Too many ingredients spoil my homemade okonomiyaki.

What do you do if you can't eat all of the raw fish you serve at tonight's supper? Here's a very good solution. I thought that zuke was a dying technique for preserving raw fish until I saw a TV program yesterday morning. This program, Hanamaru Market, featured zuke, and made me realize that zuke is very versatile. It can be used to preserve not only seafood but also other foodstuffs. For example, to preserve what is left of the raw fish you serve tonight, prepare a mixture of soy sauce, sake, and hon mirin at the ratio of 1:1:1 and just soak the fish; it will keep for about three days. More info about zuke later. Hanamaru Market's website: http://www.tbs.co.jp/hanamaru/

I guess many of you living in Japan have heard of Naeba 苗場, famous for its ski resort. For those living in this region, however, Naeba is famous for its bamboo shoots. In fact, the name of one of the mountains there is Takenoko Yama (Mt. Bamboo). An acquiantance gave me some of the bamboo shoots she collected from that mountain. These are of the type called hime-take (princess bamboo) or nemagari-take (root-bending bamboo), not a much larger type called mousou-chiku. What do I do with them? I just grill them without removing their skins, and when they are done, I remove the skins, and eat them with mayo. I love them. I grilled them and ate them with mayo and ponzu. Yum! The edible part is probably only 1/3 to 1/5 of each shoot, though.

In the Edo period, tuna, I mean, lean tuna (akami), was not served raw at sushi shops. It was soaked in a mixture of soy sauce and sake (tsuke-jiru) and served as zuke ヅケ.

Just a few of my favoriate Japanese okashi: Sweet selection スイートセレクション from Bourbon http://www.bourbon.co.jp/top_d.html Especially Alfort (sp?) アルフォート.

koshi-an vs. tsubu-an I prefer tsubu-an, which retains azuki skins. I had a vague idea that more Japanese preferred tsubu-an like me, until I found this site: http://weekend.nikkei.co.jp/kiko/map/tsubukoshi/map.html Click the Kanto area, for example, and another map appears. http://weekend.nikkei.co.jp/kiko/map/tsubukoshi/kanto.html Click Tokyo, for example, and a circle graph appears, showing the percentage of people living in Tokyo who prefer koshi-an こしあん, that of those who prefer tsubu-an 粒あん, and that of those who like both.

Sorry, I should have been more specific: Plastic squeeze bottle vs. glass bottle. I think this is similar to tube mustard vs. mustard powder. When I was a child, only mustard powder was available (tube mustard wasn't invented then), and it was a little bit cumbersome that we had to mix it with some water whenever we wanted to use it.

I wonder if this has been discussed before--squeeze bottle vs. bottle. I have a feeling that the ease of use of a squeeze bottle greatly contributes to the frequent use of mayo in large quantity in Japan. Do you agree?

Oh, thanks again, Pan. It's a shame... I simply thought that Korea was more advanced in IT technology than Japan.

Unfortunately, I missed that news story, and I couldn't find any related story on the Internet. But, I did find this: 210,000-yen melon http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20040514...0109-kyodo-soci On May 14, a box of two Yuubari melons was put up at auction (the first auction of the year) in a market in Sappro, Hokkaido, and was sold at the highest price ever, 420,000 yen, 90,000 yen higher than last year, by a local department store, Robinson Sapporo. The two melons were sold on the same day at the store, at the same price, 210,000 yen each. You may ask, who's going to buy it? Never mind. I think it's more like advertising, trying to get attention.

Oh, No! I didn't realize there is no Korean Forum in eGullet. No Koreans in eGullet?

In my opinion, you have three opportunities for saying Gochisousama(deshita) at a restaurant: 1) When the waiter/waitress comes to your table to clear away the dishes, you may want to say it, especially if you are a regular, 2) When you stand up to leave the restaurant, you may want to say it to signal that you are ready to leave, and 3) After you have finished paying, you may want to say it as you leave as if to say good-bye. (I don't think we say Sayonara (good-bye) in this situation.) I think it's absolutely OK to say it at all these opportunities. I usually say it at opportunity 3) only, though. When it comes to saying Itadakimasu at a restaurant, things are totally different, I think. Of course, if you are not alone, it is quite customary to say Itadakimasu in unison with your companion(s) if your and your companions' dishes are served at the same time; otherwise, you can say something like "Suimasen ga, osaki ni itadakimasu" (Sorry, let me eat first) if your dish is served first, and your companions will reply, "Douzo, douzo" (Please go ahead). But, in my case, I usually do not say Itadakimasu to the waiter/waitress when he/she brings me my dish, and I don't think I have a chance to say it to the chef either even if I sit at the counter, unless I am a regular or the chef is attentive to me. I think there are different opinions about this matter even among native Japanese.

I almost forgot. Umai うまい has a totally different meaning from good-tasting: Umai can mean "good at". For example, 彼はスキーがうまい Kare wa sukii ga umai He is good at skiing/He is a good skier/He skies well. In this sense, umai can be used by both men and women.

There is another theory: Distillation technology was introduced into Japan from Thiland in the 14th century. But there are other theories as well, so we can never be sure which one is correct. A great difference between Koreans and Japanese in terms of drinking shochu is that Koreans always drink it straight while Japanese often mix it with water (either hot or cold) or make it on the rocks. This is what I learned from one site. Can anybody tell me if this is true?

You can freeze regular cream puffs at home, like the ones I mentioned. EDIT: And see what frozen cream puffs taste like.

This is another thread I have been neglecting up to this day. First, don't mistake me; I'm no nationalist, but I find some of the remarks here really disappointing and others off-putting, reminding me of the term cultural imperialism. I think that the commercial availability of American, Belgian, Chinese, English, French, Italian, and other sweets in this country is a good example of coexistence. EDIT: I think that you can see both instances of assimilation and those of coexistence throughout Japan. I don't want to make any generalization. This has been part of my answer to the following post in another thread: QUOTE (jhlurie @ May 31 2004, 04:17 PM) QUOTE (Jason Perlow @ Dec 3 2003, 10:06 PM) How is Japanese Chinese different from Korean Chinese? Well, Japan tends to assimilate more than co-exist, doesn't it? I'm wondering if the ethnically chinese people in Korea hold tighter to their ethnic identity than their counterparts in Japan.

Since my wife and I are frugal (not stringy ), we usually buy cream puffs at a local supermarket. Our favoriates are the various products of Monteur, such as: http://www.monteur.co.jp/view/4-10920.html http://www.monteur.co.jp/view/4-13220.html Homepage of Monteur's website: http://www.monteur.co.jp/index.html We find them delicious, and we like the soft crust. Although their regular price is 100 yen (excluding the consumption tax), they are often on sale at 88 yen. I think they are much better than those of most pastry shops. What do you say?

Pan, I added some translations. I knew someone would say something like that, but I didn't expect it was you.

My question for all vinegared rice haters and their spouses- Have you ever tried citrus juice instead of vinegar?

スリーピー＿ドラゴンさん、おまたせしました。 (Literally, Sleepy_Dragon-san, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting.) おまたせしました (Omatase shimashita) is another useful expression. You can use it after you have kept someone waiting only for one minute!) 1) Itadakimasu and Gochisousama(deshita) are regarded as greetings just like Ohayou(gozaimasu) (Good morning), Kon'nichiwa (Good afternoon), and Konbanwa (Good night) and, therefore, you usually do not say them when you are alone. (Also regarded as greetings are Ittekimasu (Goodbye, used by someone who is about to go out), Itterasshai (reply to Ittekimasu, or you can say Itterasshai first), Tadaima (used by someone who has just come home), and Okaeri(nasai) (reply to Tadaima, or you can say Okaeri(nasai) first). 2) Usage of Itadakimasu and Gochisousama(deshita) at MY home a) We say Itadakimasu in unison after we all sit at the table, or b) My wife says Douzo meshiagare (Bon appetite), and my children and I say Itadakimasu in reply, either in unison or one by one, or c) My children and I say Itadakimasu first, either in unison or one by one, and my wife says Douzo meshiagare in reply or says nothing. We say Gochisousama one by one when we finish eating. We don't say Gochisousamadeshita; it is too polite at my home. 3) Usage of Itadakimasu and Gochisousama(deshita) at someone's house Don't touch or eat anything until the host says something like: Nannimo arimasen ga, douzo omeshiagari kudasai (literally, "There is nothing, but please help yourself") or Okuchini au ka douka wakarimasen ga, douzo omeshiagari kudasai (literally, "I don't know whether this suits your taste, but please help yourself") Then, say Itadakimasu, (Sore)deha (= then) Itadakimasu, Sore(deha) enryonaku (= without reserve) Itadakimasu, or something like that . When you finish eating, say something like Gochisousamadeshita. Totemo oishikatta desu (It was very delicious). The host will definitely insist that you eat more, by saying something like: Go-enryo naku motto douzo. (Please have some more without reserve.) Then, say something like: Iie, hontouni mou kekkoudesu. Takusan itadakimashita. Mou onaka ippai desu! (No, I really couldn't. I've had enough. I'm already full!) Most importantly, the next time you see the host, don't forget to mention the dinner by saying something like: Kono mae ha gochisousamadeshita. (Kono mae ha = the last time) This is true for other things too. When someone does you a favor, it is quite customary to mention it the next time you see them. EDIT: I added some translations.

Do you know how to make a well-balanced bento with the number of calories that is right for you easily--without any cumbersome calorie calculation? Here's how to do it: Just follow the 3:1:2 law. 3:1:2 refers to the ratio of shushoku 主食 (rice), shusai 主菜 (fish, meat, eggs, soy beans, soy bean products, etc.), and fukusai 副菜 (vegetables, mushrooms, seaweed, etc.). 1) Determine how many calories your bento should have. If 700 kcal, then use a 700-ml bento box; if 500 kcal, then a 500-ml box. 1 ml for 1 kcal. 2) Pack one half of the box with plain cooked rice. 3) Pack the other half with shusai and fukusai at the ratio of 1 to 2. Caution: Don't pack the box too much, or the number of calories won't be right for you. Last Saturday, my son (8) and I attended a bento making class aimed at elementary school pupils and their guardians that was organized by the town community center. The class was intended to teach how to make a bento in the way described above. Packing bento boxes: And ours: I guess that the 3:1:2 law is similar to the food pyramid with sweets and milk removed: http://www2.lhric.org/pocantico/nutrition/nutrition.html Websites on the 3:1:2 law (Japanese only): http://www.kochi-u.ac.jp/~harigai/sub1.htm http://www.nhk.or.jp/gatten/archive/1997q2/19970402.html

You know what I'm thinking? I just envy you. But I have an excuse. My wife and my son don't care for raw fish. Looking at your photo carefully, I found there is another important item missing--umeboshi paste! You know, the combination of umeboshi paste, ooba (aojiso), and fake crab is so goooood.

In Japan, eggless mayo is called tofu mayonnaise because tofu is used instead of eggs. The recipe I found (which is also oil-less) is quite similar to the one posted by CompassRose. Here's another recipe, which uses oil: Ingredients: 300g tofu (one pack) 80 to 100 cc vinegar Juice from 1/2 lemon 1/2 tbsp whole-grain mustard or mustard 1/2 tbsp salt Pepper 150 cc oil How to make: Mix all ingredients well.