OnigiriFB
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Posts posted by OnigiriFB
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Eiji Yoshikawa's version. I thought his was the penultimate version. I've been reading it on and off for the last ten years. I've finally managed to get to the middle of the book. I figure another ten years and I'll be done.
Aw, man!
*gets in line* -
Costly? Japan?
Actually, I didn't find Japan "that bad" in regards to prices on the mid to high end. This is comparing Tokyo with London, Dubai, or New York. In discussions, in generally seems that the prices that were crazy in '97 have hung in that same area. What was an abusively expensive city in the early 90's is now just pricey. For example, my accommodations in Hong Kong proved more expensive than in Tokyo.
That's at the higher end.
It's at the lower end that the crunch comes. The moment by moment stuff of a train ticket here, a cab fare there, and (most difficult to bear) the cost of a beer. When you switch over to that "only 1,000 yen? Just buy it!" mode, you know you've lost it.
But, outside of Tokyo, prices improve quickly. Osaka wasn't as bad, and neither was Kyoto (although admission prices can eat away at you very quickly).
In terms of general ease of travel, you'd have a split decision. I found it quite simple to get around. Give me a map and good shoes, and I'm quite content. Scud, however, would vote to the contrary, citing hours of walking, and the inevitable getting lost trying to find an underground station. The trains are fairly straightforward once you understand the signage and the system of expresses, limited expresses, and large cats that fly through the sky (sorry, Serena's watching Totoro and I caught that out of the corner of my eye).
Sightseeing? If you like anime and manga, it's great! Movies, too. As Japanese culture is a cornerstone of our video life, the simple recognition factor that you experience walking past iconic locales is a lot of fun. But this presupposes a certain exposure already exists. On the historical side, it depends on how much you've read. I'd recently finished The Imjin War, and was keen on seeing Hideyoshi's legacy in the Kansai. And after all the translated "classics" I'd gone through at university, the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras all hold a certain fascination for me (and are dead dull to Scud, although he could click with some of the anime locales).
However, I'm not a big fan of temples for their own sake. I can admire the architecture and the materials, but after four or five I start yawning. If I want temples, I'll go back to Luang Prabang (which'll be April next year for Pimai).
Eating? Ah, there's the crux of the matter, and one that I'll ruminate over further. For me, eating in Japan was very much an education. In the West we fixate more on sushi and sashimi (hey, in Vancouver the ingredients are so good). I'd been exposed to other elements of Japanese cooking in Thailand and Egypt, but not in an immersive sense, rather as an odd meal here or there. This trip afforded the opportunity to explore paths that I'm just not going to find elsewhere (although Bangkok has some very interesting options).
And Serena's continually whinging about "when do I get to go?"
I'm reading Musashi so I think some of the historical things do interest me.
I have one more question: Will you adopt me?
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Hrm, I'm not sure I have any questions but I would like to comment. I think the food looks extraordinary. I loved that you guys moved around a lot and showed us quite a diverse itnerary. I've always loved your travelogues I think you should write a book it's that good. Thanks for all the hard work. Can't wait to see what you get up to in HK.
Oh wait I do have a question: In comparison to all the other trips you've done, say BKK or China, where would you ranks this in terms of eating, sightseeing, and general ease of travel. I'm sure it was costly so we won't even go there. Hopefully the next time Serena will get her chance to spend some time with Daddy.
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Very nice Stephie! Looked good to me. You really should start a "blame it on egullet" thread. I bet that would be hilarious. I think I have few stories to contribute when you get it up and running.
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ALRIGHT!!! I've been waiting for this part since you started this thread. Very cool! I always wanted to go to that. I go to Anime Expo every year in LA and remember when they announced the Tokyo one.
BTW the boy's got a great sense of humor. I love the quote about sweating like a beer mug.
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I knew I shouldn't have clicked on this thread....You post makes you sound like a snob. I agree with another poster who said it sounded like you were just dogging midwesterners.
You can thank Applebees, TGIF, and the like for the generic greetings and service. They train their employees to do that. It's now become the industry standard.
BTW there are some people who still enjoy iceberg lettuce and bottled salad dressing.
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Yay! Alright I gotta try this.... I'm going to have to try and find the cut. I live in pork central (Iowa) so hopefully it wont be too hard. Thanks!
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No one? Any one? Bueller?
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Count me as another that missed the freezing tip. I can't justify buying the stronger miso because I was afraid of not using them up quick enough ( I usually only buy shiro miso for miso soup). Now I think I'll pick up some other kind and stick it in the freezer. Thanks Hiroyuki.
Oh BTW OT I managed to comment on your blog but it never showed up. My Japanese isn't good enough to really comment or I'd try that.
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*drool* chu-toro!!!!!!! tabetai!
Edited because it's chu not cho toro
though I'm sure it was cho oishi. -
Is there a reason for doing the sticky rice like that? I've always just soaked it, dumped into the bamboo thingy, and steamed it on high for twenty minutes.
OnigiriFB, no particular reason except that I enjoy comparing different methods before settling on a standard.. We have only made sticky rice once or twice, so we don’t have the bamboo thingy. The method above looked interesting, and we have a spray bottle for when we smoke ribs, so I gave it a go.
Do you soak your sticky rice before steaming it?
FORGET THE DAMN BOSTON LETTUCE, if you want thai style no holds barred let your protien set out out for at least 4 hours at room temp, the main reason you cant get any real thai in the us is because of sanitation parinoia we here in l.o.s. <land of smiles> know that flavor is derrived from a little bit of temprature induced funk...... no other way of replicating it.... fish paste shrimp khao soi, som tum you will never get it right if your not willing to replicate the cooking enviroment that means no refrigeration.....tb86, I appreciate your on-the-ground insights, and the fact that you took the time to offer suggestions. Personally, I like a bit of funk in Thai food, but I need to dial some things back when cooking for the family.
Inevitably, Thai food is likely to taste somewhat different when made thousands of miles from Thailand. Still one of my favorite things to eat, though.
AND FOR SOM TUM A KNIFE WILL DO JUST FINE, ALL YOU NEED IS DECENT DRY SHRIMP, GOOD PRIK, AND A LITTLE SUAI FACTOR, KRAB.....I’ve made som tum with a knife, but for me the shredder is much faster. Probably says a lot about my knife skills, or lack thereof.
Again, thanks for the advice, and I hope you can post your pictures.
I try to soak the sticky rice overnight or at least eight hours. If I don't have the time I'll soak it in HOT water for at least an hour. THe eight hour is better but you'd be surprised that the hour soak isn't that bad. I'm glad you understood the bamboo thingy cause I have NO idea what it's called besides a steamer.
If you have the bamboo thingy you don't even really need the cheesecloth (it helps in clean up though). I just chuck the rice in and put a lid on it. Also when you are done steaming, dump it out onto a clean counter and kinda knead it or break it up a bit with a wooden spoon around a bit before putting it in the serving bamboo basket (if you have one, I think Peter posted a few pictures with them it if you need a visual). Some people even flip it and put it back into the steamer for another 5-10 minutes but I never do. Too much work! The "kneading" helps with the texture and stuff i think. Dunno if that's really important just what I was taught to do. As for the papaya the way we always did it is to take a cleaver and kinda thok thok (yes that is the technical term. the somtum lady told me so. kinda thump the cleaver into the papaya multipe times to create shallow cuts all over) into the papaya. Then make shallow slices horizontally. Hope that makes sense. It's quicker than you think but may take a little practice. Make sure your cleaver is the thinner kind and is sharp. You may also want to put a kitchen towel between your hand and the papaya to avoid slippage. Cleavers slicing fingers HURT!
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I still don't see why that was a problem. You just sound picky to me and took it personal. I've been a waiter and my dad owned a restaurant when I was young. So I've seen the waiters side and the managers side of the business. Picky people are picky no matter HOW the waiter treats them. They could have been the nicest person to them and they still have a problem. Maybe he wanted to know what sauce you want because they could substitute something for you or come up with something. I wouldn't ASSume that somebody is out to get you just because he may have asked a dumb question. I wouldn't also assume that a steakhouse would carry tarter sauce unless is specifies that fish should come with it. Not everyone wants tarter sauce with their 15 dollar fish.
Waiters are people, they make mistakes. My Dad used to tell horror stories of customers who just were out to get something for free. Sometime he did it and sometimes he just figure whatever and hoped that customer never came back. Sometime he threw the customer out. Better to take the loss than deal with some dumbass who may be disrupting other diners. Some customers are just really not worth it. Granted they may bad mouth the restaurant if they don't get what they want but I know that I take what a review or people say with a grain of salt. Especially after reading Ruth Riedel's book about how she gets treated for being a reviewer.
I have similar customers who call me rude just because I tell them no we can't do what they want. I'm polite and try to explain the reason but they can't take it that someone is saying no to them. I really don't agree with the "customer is always right" idea. Customers aren't always right and just because you want it your way means we have to comply. There may be other circumstances that make it so we can't. Usually I just bite my tonge and be polite but there are times when I want to tell them to go to BK if they want it there way.
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Another speciality of the North I love is miang kam (this is always brought out as a starter at Baan Khanitha in Bangkok), and the beauty is in the simplicity. Pandan leaves are wrapped into a cone, and then a selection of ginnger, peanuts, chilis, dried shrimp, onion, lime, and roasted coconunt is added to be topped with a dollop of sweet sauce (I like the plum). But this can be varied to any adjustment of items (or rather tastes) you care to try.
Those definitely aren't pandan leaves.
I was told they were betel nut leaves, but not sure whether that's true either. Sure is an acquired taste though.
Yes I believe they are fresh betel nut leaves. Or at least what you use to chew betel nuts.
Edited to add:
This is also one of my favorite things to munch on. Great appetizer. Good with beer I'm told ( I was too young to imbibe back then). I can't find the leaves here fresh and it doesnt work otherwise.
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Ok, fellow egulleters I'm craving khao kah moo really bad. This is one dish I haven't tried to make myself here in the States. One I'm not sure if I can find the right cut of pork, two I'm afraid of how time consuming it's going to be, and three.... I'm just afraid! I think mostly I'm afraid I'm going to love eating this so much I'll balloon into a mini tank and spend way too much time cooking. I have a feeling though that it would be a good product to freeze and keep in the freezer. I do have access to pickled mustard greens (the traditional side) so let's get some porky goodness going.
(This post was entirely inspired by Peter Green's reply to the Chiang Mai thread with his pictures of pork, pork, and er.. pork. Damn you Peter!)
Edited because spell checking is a good thing.
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We soaked the sticky rice all day, rinsed well, and lined a steamer basket with cheesecloth, and steamed the rice for 30 minutes. We then sprayed the rice with water, steamed for five more minutes, and repeated the cycle of spraying and steaming a total of three times. When the rice was done, we turned off the heat, opened the steamer to release excess steam, and then closed the lid to keep the rice warm. The sticky rice turned out particularly well using this method, but unfortunately I forgot to take a picture.
Is there a reason for doing the sticky rice like that? I've always just soaked it, dumped into the bamboo thingy, and steamed it on high for twenty minutes.
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I'd like to think it was because the US cared about nutrition for Japanese children after bombing the hell out of thier country, but I think the real reason is we had a glut of wheat after the war ended and it became a tidy profit for US government to get rid of surplus wheat it had stored up. (I believe I read that in either Omnivore's Dilemma or Guns, Germs, and Steel. No idea which. I highly recommend both if you haven't read them.) Though I have heard milk is now drunk by most Japanese children and it's helped the younger generation tremendously. If you take a look at the older generation you'll see that most men are pretty short. Thailand has a similar situation with the introduction of milk to the diet of younger generation. The men in my family are mostly around 6 ft with one cousin topping off at 6'4. This was unheard of prior to WWII I believe. No a days it's not uncommon to see taller men in the younger generation. I believe it's common to have a rice based meal or a bread based meal as part of the school lunches in Japan also because of the policy from WWII.
Hiroyuki might be able to tell you more.
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Hrm.. are you sure that the powdered stuff you saw isn't the dessert almond tofu? That would be too different from the fresh stuff.
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Er... I think what Ohba is trying to get at, that you seem to be ignoring, is that there are people willing to spend more on things that they are interested in. Are you saying the ghetto brother who buys $100 pair of air jordans is an elitist? Is the the Best Buy working for $9.00/hr who buys a $3000 gaming computer an elitist? Why is a person who enjoys good, maybe expensive, food an elitist? It's what we choose to spend our money on instead of the $100 air jordans. I know I'd rather buy $100 jamon ham instead.
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Your sushi picture makes me cry. I wish I had a place like that to go to. Thank you for letting us eat vicariously with you. Sorry to hear about your wife, hope she gets better soon. I've never heard of the cherry salmon. Is that something only found in Japan? Could you tell me the taste? Is different from regular salmon?
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Hrm.. the first kanji looks like taberu (to eat) but no idea about the actual manga. I've never heard of that one. Is it the manga form of Kuitan? Kuitan is a jdrama about a detective who loves to eat.
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I'd agree with Oni.
Oni? ONI??
Isn't Oni Japanese for ghost? Are you calling me a ghost?? Hrm... I do have a craving for some liver.... nice bloody liver.... ACK!!!
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I think the tubar in the first picture is taro not turnip. Also can I ask how much the knives were? I've always wanted to get to good Japanese knives.
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The restaurants found in the States mostly cater to Americans so you won't find those dishes here.
That's unfortunate. Yet you can find at least 10 Chinese restaurants in Austin that have pork intestine and various other offal, and not a single Thai place with that. Why are the Thai places shy and the Chinese aren't?
Hrm... I think there is a larger Chinese population here in the States so authentic dishes are readily consumed by that population and other Asians (and a few good foodies
). Thai food on the other hand caters more towards Americans as that is their predominate clientele. I am a little sad to hear you can't at least get some good offal dishes in ThaiTown LA (I'm not there enough to know). The only other places you may want to try is places that serve Laotian or is owned by Laotians. They are more likely to serve dishes with offal. I really doubt you'd be able to find a place that serves predominate offal dishes. You may want to try the Thai or Laotian markets if there is one in your area. In Iowa Tai Dum are prevelant so a couple of the markets have laab dip (which can contain some wonderful offal, rare beef, and blood) for sale if you ask the counter lady who is often the owner. I don't know what the Thai population is like in Austin so really couldn't tell you, sorry. It may also come down to who you know in that area that can direct you in the right place. I know we could get some dishes off menu at different restaurants because we knew the owner. If my Dad were still here he might know because he used to be part of the Thai restaurant network back in the '80s. I don't think he really knows the newer owners. -
Damn. I don't remember ever getting a meal like that. I would have loved it!
Is Piii Bowb the one that lives in the banana tree? I've forgotten my piiis
[Tokyo] Ryugin
in Japan: Cooking & Baking
Posted
OMG OMG OMG! If I ever make it big I want to go there so bad! Those ayu... i'm at a lost for words (which is bad for a writer!). I want to get published and if I do I'm coming to Japan and going to this restaurant. You will ahve to come with me Rona, I'll pay! Maybe we can convince Peter to jaunt around and come too!