Cadbury

Not at a home but at a Japanese restaurant where I (very briefly) worked: additions to the miso soup (tofu, spring/green onion) were placed in the bowl using fingers; left over liquids (soup etc.) were poured down the drain in the floor which then of course flooded so the entire kitchen floor was wet; uneaten fruit from the set menu dessert would be placed into another bowl and "topped up" for the next victim. After two shifts I quit in disgust! Unfortunately I didn't have the courage to ring the health department.

Our local butcher is just great. The only meat they don't pick and slaughter themselves is chicken, and this comes in fresh twice a week. The quality is terrific. They will get whatever cut you ask for, make their own salami type products, sausages, hamburger patties, fritz/polony etc etc. All this in a little town of less than 200 people (though only decent butcher for 200km).

This is such a handy guide you have created, Hiroyuki. I wonder if it could be pinned at the top of the Japan forum for easy reference.

I'm not sure if this has been on eGullet before, feel free to remove it, if so. What the World Eats It's interesting to see the range of pre-packaged and processed foods available (and the amount of soft/alcoholic drink some consume!!). I guess the families on show would not be considered "typical" when compared to many eGulleteers .

I have spent many hours neglecting my children, the housework and the husband while enjoying your adventures. Wonderful stuff.

I always knew you could run your engine on Lyle's Golden Syrup!! What a project!

Interesting? - Sure. Hygienic? - I don't think so. Using a teaspoon to separate the shell from the egg works for me.

Sadly, I am on my last box of "Fulcreem" custard powder, made in Western Australia until January last year. This was a staple for vanilla slice, sponge cakes, yoyo biscuits etc. Of course there are other brands but they just don't taste right. I will be miserable when this box is finished. Edited to add that I've even seen wanted ads on eBay for this product.

I have thoroughly enjoyed your blog, Hiroyuki. It has brought back many very pleasant memories. I wish you and your family the very best.

The only time items have a price tag is if they are from a very small corner shop or more usually an Asian food store, in which case I leave the labels on for comparative purposes. If my husband was the sort that looked in the pantry (food comes from the fridge/freezer when he cooks) then I would have to remove the labels to aviod the "how much?????" questions.

You may also be able to buy instant dashi in a box containing 5 sachets. The box is about 3x4" and looks like this: The sachets provide a bit more flexibility in cooking than teabags, eg if you only want to make a small amount.

I'm wondering whether fuku-sai could be better termed a "side dish"?

For comparison, with the Australian dollar being roughly equal to the yen at the moment, we pay (per 100g in yen): Beef: 160 (at least) Pork: 160 Chicken thigh: 80-120 Chicken breast: 140 There are cheaper cuts of beef and pork but these are for stewing, braising etc and not useful for comparison. The cuts I have quoted on are for those similar to what I used to buy in Japan. ETA I live in a rural area with a very good quality butcher, however there is no competition, I do not have access to cut price supermarkets etc.

You can even make a stool with milk cartons. ← Some years ago I taught at a school which had had a Japanese intern (Assistant teacher) the term before I arrived. One of the projects she had completed with the students was a number of small stools from milk cartons.

While Hiroyuki is otherwise occupied, I'll answer this one. Natto is a fermented soy bean product, quite an acquired taste for some. More information can be found here.

Ice cream is a food? I thought it was a drug - inhaled in vast quantities.

One Christmas I bought a Kinder egg for each guest as the novelty in the Christmas crackers I made. Putting the toys together was much more fun than the usual stupid jokes you get.

We like to do this, too. A woman after my own heart. Thanks so much for the fabulous photos and trip report, when my three grow a bit bigger, I'd love to do something similar (if I have any Japanese language skills left by then - nappy brain and all ).

Australian fruitcake recipes that need to be dark make use of "parisian essence". Perhaps you may be able to find some?

I found a recipe in my 1941 cookbook for spekkoek. It contains clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon and coriander and is baked in 5 or 6 layers.

In the late 70's my mum had an appliance which was all of the above except the pressure cooker. It had a crockpot insert, fryer basket, steamer insert etc. with a temperature control knob similar to an electric frying pan. It was only decommissioned a few years ago.

Well, now you have some work to do... especially as I didn't take any photos (would an empty bowl do? ). I think next time I might halve the recipe (still with a whole yolk) as it makes quite a lot. BTW, I used 35g cocoa and 125g sugar.

In another thread here, CdnLifeguard asked about a Dutch dessert to serve for a birthday. When I checked Chufi's recipe index, I noticed that Chocoladevla wasn't listed, although it has been discussed in the context of the ready-made drink/dessert purchased in cartons. My mum used to make Chocoladevla occasionally and having not had it for some time and never having made it myself, some research was in order My dutch cookbook (published in 1941!) has two recipes in it each quite different so I rang my Oma to find her method (and to make sure I had translated/guessed correctly). I then rang my mum and checked on the family recipe, which of course I had to test for myself. If you can make custard from a packet, then you can make chocoladevla. Just make sure you slowly incorporate the cold milk into the cornflour/starch and cocoa mixture until it is smooth, then pour that over your hot milk. The recipe is now in RecipeGullet, but I have included it here too. Chocoladevla 1 l milk 30—40 g cocoa powder 40 g cornflour / cornstarch 1 egg yolk 100—125 g sugar Blend sifted cocoa and cornflour with enough milk (from 1 litre total) to make a paste. Heat remaining milk in a saucepan. When just boiling, take off the heat and carefully blend in cocoa mix. Return to heat and bring back to boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1-2 minutes, turn off heat. Stir in sugar and egg yolk. Pour into individual dishes or one large bowl. Place in fridge to set. Serve with whipped cream.

You could make Chocoladevla. It's quite simple and tastes great especially with a little cream on the side to temper the rich chocolate taste.

Chocoladevla (Dutch Chocolate Pudding) My mother used to make this on special occasions. You need to taste the vla after adding the sugar to determine if more is needed (this depends on the quality of cocoa powder used). A vanilla bean can also be added to the milk when heating, remove before adding the cocoa mixture. 1 l milk 30 g cocoa powder 40 g cornflour / cornstarch 1 egg yolk 100 g sugar Blend sifted cocoa and cornflour with enough milk (from 1 litre total) to make a paste. Heat remaining milk in a saucepan. When just boiling, take off the heat and carefully blend in cocoa mix. Return to heat and bring back to boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1-2minutes, turn off heat. Stir in sugar and egg yolk. Pour into individual dishes or one large bowl. Place in fridge to set. Serve with whipped cream. Keywords: Dessert, Chocolate, Pudding ( RG1958 )