Hiroyuki

In China and other Asian countries, 2007 is a year of the pig, but it is a year of the wild boar in Japan. The Chinese character for pig is 猪, but the Japanese somehow mistook it to mean wild boar. (In Japanese, the Chinese character for pig is 豚.) I learned about this this year!

What does the label say?? I would put it in the fridge.

Today I saw small bottles of pink rock salt at the local Daiso 100-yen shop, 37 g per bottle if I remember correctly. I almost bought one, but I wasn't sure what I could do with it, so I didn't.

I got one tuna collar today for 198 yen. I think I'll just grill it with salt (shio yaki).

Needless to say, スコーン (soo-koh-n) is a loanword from English. Scones are quite popular in Japan. I made them several times (in my toaster oven )when my children were smaller. Generally, females tend to like them more than males do. Edited to add: As for the origin of the word tempura, there is no established theory, as described here.

Sorry, but I think that your question should be posted in the UK Forum.

New additions to the Valentine's Day Glossary in Japan: kansha choko (thank-you chocolate) papa choko (dad chocolate) I got a box of Maxim de Paris chocolate (made in Germany) from my wife, and my son got a box of Doraemon chocolate from my daughter.

Your question will be best answered if you ask, "How do you say xx in Japanese?" Just two examples for now: Katai = Hard Yawarakai = Soft ← Yes, that makes sense. Still I also wondered if there were Japanese words for sensations I didn't know... Maybe I also could try to put it the other way around. What are the English words or explanations for purpurikan (?) and ashi? ← Puripurikan is プリプリ感? If so, it means elasticity, as in kono kamaboko wa puripurikan ga aru. This kamaboko has elasticity. which means, This kamaboko is elastic. You can also say: Kono kamaboko was puripuri shite(i)ru (This kamaboko is elastic.) Ashi means firmness. Interestingly, this word is usually used to mean the firmness of kamaboko. When we talk about the firmness of noodles, we use the word koshi instead.

As the word implies, nerimono (lit. something kneaded) is very broad in sense. It actually includes kamaboko, hanpen, satsuma age, chikuwa, etc., etc. The same goes for almost all other words ending with -mono. The only exception I can think of at the moment is kimono (lit something worn), which in modern Japanese, means only those traditional Japanese garments. ← Thank you! Interesting lecture! You're always vigilant. But is it wrong to use kamaboko as a common term that can include the other surimi based products like chikuwa, satsuma age and hanpen? ← When I hear the word kamaboko, I usually associate it with that semicircular surimi product with or without a wooden board at the bottom. But I found this passage from Wikipedia: from here Rough translation: Those boiled include hanpen and tsumire, and those fried include satsuma age (also called tempura in Western Japan). These can also be called kamaboko in its broad sense. So, I guess, depending on whom you speak with, you can call them kamaboko.

Of course, I do. I like it too. Chikuwa with cucumber sticks in it is also good.

Your question will be best answered if you ask, "How do you say xx in Japanese?" Just two examples for now: Katai = Hard Yawarakai = Soft

As the word implies, nerimono (lit. something kneaded) is very broad in sense. It actually includes kamaboko, hanpen, satsuma age, chikuwa, etc., etc. The same goes for almost all other words ending with -mono. The only exception I can think of at the moment is kimono (lit something worn), which in modern Japanese, means only those traditional Japanese garments.

No, this was the show that I watched, and I made a mistake! That teacher was American, not British.

OK, thanks. Anyway, in Japan, calling "PET bottles" "plastic bottles" is confusing and inappropriate because you have to dispose of these two types separately.

Recently, I watched a TV show where a teacher of English, who was a native British English speaker, if I remember correctly, said that "PET bottle" was not right English, and "plastic bottle" was the right expression. This doesn't make sense to me because PET is a type of plastic, polyethylene terepthalate. So, my question is, how do you say "PET bottle" in your country?

My wife's current favorite "shokupan": Honjikomi of Fuji Pan. She says it's totally different from Yamazaki's "shokupan" in texture. Honjikomi has a "mocchiri" (mochi-like) texture, which is preferred by many Japanese.

Here is a related thread in the Japan Forum. In general, the best before date of miso ranges from 3 to 12 months, depending on the type. Keeping miso in the freezer is a good practice, and miso won't become as hard as a rock when frozen. As for me, I keep a pack of 1-kg (2.2 lb) miso in the fridge because I use it up well within one month.

Rice malt?

What Jason and Kristin said. All I can think of: 1. Finely shred and use as a yakumi (condiment) for somen (very thin wheat noodles) or cold tofu, just like negi (Japanese scallion or Welsh onion). 2. Slice and mix with katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes), add some soy sauce or men tsuyu (noodle soup) concentrate. Eat it with hot rice. 3. Put in miso soup. Some Japanese are very fond of it, but not me. Here is a webpage containing photos of various dishes using myoga (Japanese only): http://www.geocities.jp/yamapon65/tisantisyou_myouga.html

Not by the same company but by Fundokin, headquartered in Ooita prefecture. I'm not sure if it is aged in cedar barrels or not; the company's website doesn't say anything about it. But still, your soy sauce is much, much better than regular ones. It's made with whole soy beans (not generically modified), wheat, and sun-dried salt, and aged with traditional techniques for about 12 months, as compared with about 6 months for regular dark soy sauce. No additives are used. Hmm... I keep buying regular, cheap ones...

I got one for 980 yen: Label on the back: 25 g ma-fugu sashimi (14 very, very thin slices) 10 g tora-fugu kawa (skin) Ponzu Negi (bannou negi?) Momiji oroshi (Grated daikon and carrot) 1 or 2 servings We are a family of four... (sigh) Edited to add: The momiji oroshi was actually grated daikon and red pepper. I googled and found that this type of momiji oroshi seems more popular. Anyway, we didn't use the momiji oroshi; it was too hot for us.

I'd like to point out that fuzzy has something to do with software whereas IH has something to to with hardware. I looked for rice cookers that incorporate both and found one commercial one: http://national.jp/appliance/product/cook_biz/sn_at540.html I checked the Japanese version of Jojirushi website http://www.zojirushi.co.jp/syohin/01kitchencook/01list.html and found no fuzzy rice cookers. No mention of "fuzzy" either. One question remains: Whey do they keep selling fuzzy rice cookers in the United States?

Not sure if this answers your question, but the Japanese Mitsubishi site indicates that the pot is coated with five layers of a teflon+(proprietary) titanium/mica+carbon coating. ← Seitch, I'm not sure, their related webpage simply says, "Carbon material (purity: 99.9%). The four photos on the page show how the pot is made: 1. Carbon material, baked. 2. Rough cutting 3. Cutting 4. Coating sanrensho, thanks for your detailed comments. Edited to add: The above link does not work. Try this one: http://store.yahoo.co.jp/8686-network/yh-nj-ws10.html

Fuzzy!? Funny, it's such a forgotten word! It was a buzzword in 1990. Now it's much of a thing of the past. I googled and found that the fuzzy theory is still applied to some appliances and systems, but not to rice cookers any longer. Matsushita introduced the industry's first fuzzy rice cooker in 1990. History of rice cookers (sorry, Japanese only) According to this, Matsushita released an IH rice cooker two years earlier, in 1988.

What a coincidence! It's my wife that selected that color (or should I say the stainless steel surface?) I do love the optical partial compartment. Now I don't have to worry so much about the shouhi kigen (use-by dates) of perishable foods like meat and fish!