Hiroyuki

I learned from a flyer today that tomorrow, Feb. 9, is Fugu Day! I hope I can get some fugu sashimi (fugu-sashi) and post a photo tomorrow! Why is Feb. 9 Fugu Day, you might ask. It's a pun. Konnyaku Day (May 29) is another example.

Thanks you two. It's good to have you both on this thread. But don't forget that, as I write elsewhere, when I say negi, I almost always mean that white part of nebuka negi because I'm a Kanto man! I'm still not used to green negi like bannou negi (万能ネギ).

Recent posts in the Japan Forum regarding negi have got me thinking that I must make sure what I mean when I say something like, "I like to eat natto with negi." In Japan, negi is largely divided into nebuka negi (根深ネギ) and ha negi (葉ネギ). The former is popular in Kanto, and the latter in Kansai. When I say, "I like to eat natto with negi," I mean the white part of nebuka negi. People in Kanto usually use only the white part of nebuka negi and dispose of the upper green part. This webpage clarifies the difference between nebuka negi (first left photo) and ha negi (first right).

So, does anyone know a preferred English term for negi? I did some googling and found these two Wikipedia pages. This page in Japanese suggests that the English term for negi is scallion, and this one in English suggests that Welsh onion is the English term for negi. Note also: I just can't come up with a right conclusion!

My present fridge: Top: Double-door refrigerator compartment Middle left: Drawer ice cube compartment Middle right: Drawer optical partial freezing compartment Below them: Drawer vegetable compartment Bottom: Drawer freezer compartment A photo can be found here. The compressor is located in the upper part, unlike in conventional models, so the freezer at the bottom is spacious. Anyway, I like my present fridge.

I noticed that I had made a silly mistake. The bottom compartment is a freezer, not a vegetable compartment.

I think I previously provided a link to this webpage here or elsewhere. There are regional as well as personal preferences.

Grapenuts?? Here is a photo of my panko (medium size, dry): I made 30 shrimp fries for supper last night, using this panko. (Sorry, not a good photo. I'm not much of a photographer.) If anyone wants to see how panko is actually made, here is a video (although the captions are in Japanese only). Click one of the three PLAY options provided on the right.

Slightly off-topic: In Japan, normal rice cookers (mirocomputer-controlled and IH) ranged in price from 10,000 to 40,000 yen, and the highest end models were around 70,000 yen, until Mitsubishi released a new rice cooker last year. Price: 115,500 yen. Its inner pot is carved out from a single carbon block by hand. You can see some photos of it here. Other manufacturers followed suit and released their highest end models with their own technologies, including "pressure IH" and "steam".

I agree with sanrensho on IH (induction heating). I have an IH model, which does a decent job. I can't comment on brown rice, though, because I have never cooked it with my cooker.

I like katsu sando too. I can't think of any other that I particularly like.

Fresh button mushrooms are expensive here too. A pack of four is 160 yen or so, if I remember correctly. I usually buy canned ones.

Hi, Blether, you seem to like to talk about oysters. As for me, I like menchi (meaty corokke (croquette)), especially those made with soft, coarse panko that you can buy from a decent butcher shop. *** Coarse panko are not always the right answer. Very fine panko are usually used to make kushiage (skewered fries).

Besides dryness, particle size is another factor. Come to think of it, I usually buy all-purpose medium-size, dry panko, and store it in the freezer.

Recent posts on the Japan Forum, coupled with the recent Fujiya scandal, have got me thinking about the difference between shouhi kigen and shoumi kigen. In Japan's food labeling system, we have two very confusing terms: Shoumi kigen 賞味期限 (best before date): Indicated on conservable foods. The shoumi kigen does not mean that the food expires on that date because the quality degrades slowly over time. Shouhi kigen 消費期限 (use-by date): Indicated on perishable foods. The shoumi kigen means that the food must be consumed by that date. Is their difference clear to you?

I got mine at the Daiso shop nearby.

No, eho means lucky direction, as I described here. Hand roll is temaki in Japanese. Temaki rolls are often conical in shape rather than cylindrical. I loved the umi no sachi rolls because they contained squid, crabmeat (not fake), ama ebi (sweet shrimp), tobiko (flying fish roe), tuna, sunny lettuce, and a bit of mayo. Yum, yum.

I'm familiar with ume kobu (or kombu) cha, but not ume cha.

Your question is too broad to answer here, and besides, obviously, it is way off-topic. Anyway, I try to provide some info. Vegetarian food is "shojin ryori" in Japanese. You can find some useful info by googling "shojin ryori". (Don't forget to enclose them with double quotations.) The first site that came up when I did was this. Here is one thread in the Japan Forum that may interest you: Vegetarian gyoza Another thread on vegetarian dishes in the Japan Forum: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=85885&hl= It should be noted that it's tough being a vegetarian in Japan: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=36292&hl= As you can see, Japan is not a kingdom of vegetarians. We are a "eat everything" nation.

On Setsubun Day (Feb. 3), my family had eight eho maki for supper, which I had ordered from the supermaket. Four of the eight: Left to right: Authentic eho maki, maguro tataki maki, tekka (maguro) maki, and umi no sachi salad maki. Close-up of the umino sachi salad maki:

In Japan, onigiri are usually stored at room temperature, and should be consumed by the "consume by" date (shouhi kigen in Japanese). You can keep them in the fridge, but when cold, onigiri are not very appetizing. You may want to reheat them in a microwave a little before you eat them.

Bamboo leaf (sasa no ha or simply sasa in Japanese)

Some info about the current trends in pork in Japan can be found here (pdf file). SPF (specific pathogen free) has nothing to do with marbling.

I know this is off-topic, but let me add that when you make tonkatsu (breaded pork cutlet), deep-frying is the way to go to get that crunchy texture, with all bread crumbs sticking out rather than being flattened.

Well, we did not stay away from alcohol - my friend had a 16oz black label Sapporo and I had two glasses of umeboshi wine - but with everything, the bill came out to be $120 for two people - that's including tip, which they automatically add to the bill for you. ← Thanks! I wanted to ask about tipping. Umeboshi wine? Umeshu, I suppose.