torakris

Anything I have in the house! Today was a bowl of beef consomme, Japanese rice, karaage, and eryngii mushroom and garlic stem saute. On other days it could be leftover curry rice, kimchi fried rice or even sauerkraut and sausages.

Then there are the ones they don't refer to as yoshoku anymore such as tonkatsu and tempura. These area bout as washoku (Japanese Food) as you can get now. Sometimes their classification of yoshoku (Western food) confuses me they have things like hayashi raisu (which is very Japanized) next to a beef stew no different than what I would eat in the US. Most of their yoshoku that have been changed I don't really care for: hayashi raisu omu-raisu most corokke etc I do love the wafu (Japanese style) hambagu (hamburger patty with no bun) with ponzu, grated daikon and a shiso leaf for garnish!

I think it has been about that long for me, and I live here! Now I prefer Freshness Burger!

[Moderator note: The original Bentos topic became too large for our servers to handle efficiently, so we've divided it up; the following part of this discussion is here: Bentos (2009-)] Let's get some bento talk going!

Just found a nice list of Okinawan foods: http://www.bento.com/okimenu.html

Here are some more restaurant guides: http://www.bento.com/morerest.html Besides Tokyo, they have some for other cities, as well as for Japanese restaurants outside Japan

No cooking on Sunday since we spent the day at the Tokyo Thai Food festival and ate enough food to last us for a week! Monday dinner: grilled shishamo -- small "pregnant" fish (my husband hates it when I call them that!) eaten head to tail wonderful sac of eggs and all. simmered kabocha mizuna namul (Korean style salad) hiyayakko -- cold tofu topped with some quickly sauteed garlic stems and tamari soy sauce Japanese rice dessert: ice cream The whole meal cost about $5 for 5 people (3 little ones)!

way back when I had metabolism on over ride I used to snack on cream cheese wrapped in pieces of salami, some how I lost my metabolism on my 33rd birthday and I can't seem to find it again!

word for 5/13: 柔らかい　　やわらかい yawarakai (yah-wah-rah-kah-ee) this means tender or soft the opposite of yesterdays katai. this is what you will pronouce after taking your first bite of Kobe steak, "Yawarakaiiiiiiiii!!!!"

The natto with barley is pretty good, they have another one her that has something like 7 different grains added (it could be 4) that I used to enjoy 2 years ago or so.

It is nice to know I am not the only one who appreciates pineapple on pizza!

natto................yum! have you seen this yet? http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...T&f=19&t=10215&

In my search for a restaurant to go to for our wedding anniversary, I stumbled across this list of restaurant guides entirely in English. Incredible amounts of information here: http://www.japan.co.jp/mid01.php?catkey=6546

Here are some pictures of the fish: http://members.aol.com/uoyoshi/himono.html

I ran across a restaurant called 'Cupid's Cramp' in Tokyo last night.

Well I just had durian for the first time yesterday at the Thai Food Festival in Tokyo. We were buying semi-frozen pineapple on a stick, when they handed us a free sample of something. I took a bite, it was smooth and creamy almost custard like with a nice seetness, I asked what it was and was told durian. I asked for another sample and first I smelled it and there was no bad smell, I ate it again and really enjoyed the taste. Does the smell come upon opening it? Once removed from the shell is the smell no longer there? I smelled absolutely nothing unusual.

this is getting as gross as the Japanese pizza thread! If you are looking for ideas check this out: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...=19&t=19219&hl=

the vinegared konbu you are referring to is called su-konbu (vinegared-konbu), this is great stuff, i like the umeboshi flavored ones too! My favorite hoshimono (also called himono, especially when talking about fish) are the fish! Ayu (sweetfish) is the best but can be pricey, so for everyday eating we stick with aji (horse mackeral) and hokke (?). I also loved dried shiitake and my friend makes the best otsumami (snacks for drinking)from dried squid with a kojuchang sauce. I am slowly learning to appreciate dried daikon, but I find it quite bland (it does take to kimchi seasonings well! )

word for 5/12: 堅い katai (kah-tah-ee) tough or hard, talking about food it is usually referring to meat, though you could probably let out a "katai na...!" when trying to open a coconut shell.

I really want to know who comes up with these pizza ideas!

OK, it isn't Pizza Hut, but this sems to be a general pizza in Japan thread now................ the latest pizza flyer in my newspaper was for Pizza-La's (Japanese chain) newest: Ebi-mayo (shrimp and mayo) consisting of shrimp fritters, fresh diced tomato, shoulder bacon, corn, onion, parsley and topped with a garlic-mayo sauce, but not just that instead of regular tomato sauce, the base is aurora sauce, which is made from ketchup, mayo, tomato paste, chutney and spices. gotta give this one a try!

does it hold its shape for that long of cooking, or does it turn to mush?

Just ordered Jacques Pepin's Simple and Healthy, I have got three more waiting in my shopping cart though! I ordered it used through Amazon Japan market place for 791 yen, just over $5!!

I just ran across this again , this time in Nigella Lawson's new book. She talks about it being best (for this particular salad) at this unripe stage before before it turns yellow/orange. I am assuming she is then talking about a papaya?????

?????? what does this taste like? sounds great! no dinner last night, my inlaws took us out to the same restaurant they always take us out to. There are thousands or restaurants in the Tokyo/Yokohama area where we live yet they insist on going to the exact same restaurant, ordering the exact same entrees, the exact same appetizers, the exact same salad, the exact same drinks every single time. I suggested try the avocado and zuwai crab salad instead of the ceasar (which isn't all that great), but they said they like the ceasar. Well maybe they would like the Crab salad if they just try it!!! AARGGHHH!!!!