torakris

Kris, would you mind checking for availability of any type of green tea liqeur (not just Hermes brand)? Thanks a bunch. ← no problem! I won't be heading out to the liquor store/grocery store until Friday though, if you don't mind waiting a couple days. I am going on a Costco run today....

I am not an alcohol drinker either. I know that there is a huge range of flavored liquers at my local (large chain) but I haven't paid attention to the brands.. I will take a look as well at my local supermarkets and liquor stors. The best place to find these though might be the basement liquor sections of any major department store.

Wow! Great thread, this is exactly the information I was looking for.

I have been asked to make Buffalo wings, the problem is they need to be really simple. I like this recipe above because it doesn't have spices added. Things like various pepper powders and powdered garlic and onion are very hard to find in Japan and my students balk at having to buy a bunch of ingredients they don't know what to do with. So I need some answers. Butter or margarine? mixture? What kind of hot sauce? most recipes say Frank's or a Louisiana hot sauce, I am not familiar with anything except Tabasco. What is the difference? In Japan tabasco is widely available though I have seen a Crystal brand at the 100 yen ($1) shops. Do you mix the butter and hot sauce togther? One recipe I read has you dip them in the butter first and then the hot sauce..

By "the former Yukijirushi's Nature", I meant MEGMILK's Megumi. Was it that good? I thought it was the same as Nature... ← No it is different tasting than nature (I also found nature bland) and it is quite pricey usually more than Bulgaria. I usually eat it for breakfast with some homemade granola so the creaminess and touch of sweetness is nice. I don't think I would care for it with savory dishes as much.

The chicken ones that Hiroyuki has made are probably one of my favorites. I really like them with a bit of yuzu zest added as well.

I usually eat Bulgaria but a little while ago MEGMILK'S Megumi was on sale and I tried that one. I really liked it. It was creamier than Bulgaria and a touch sweeter. I wish they would put it on sale again because it is just too expensive otherwse.

Don't worry you aren't the only one! I just can't handle warm natto in any way. Only cold natto on top of hot rice and even then I have to scarf it down before the natto becomes too warm.

This would depend on the oven, some of the larger ones have 2 to 3 rack positions but 1 at the bottom is still the most common. Some have a grill function (close to broil) but on an electric oven it just isn't the same. It doesn't get nearly hot enough. Rona, I had wanted a baking stone for some time as well, my old oven also had a rotating turntable that I couldn't stop so I assumed it was impossible. My new oven has a completely flat bottom (no turntable at all) so maybe I will give it a try.

JasonWV, Welcome to eGullet and the Japan forum! I spent 6 years in Athens, OH just over the border (ok more like 30 minutes) from Parkersburg, WV. There really isn't a whole lot of anything in the area... Columbus does have some really great Japanese markets if you feel like making a road trip!

Edsel, Thank you for the report complete with the pictures! I am already looking forward to next summer.

Maple Pretz, cool! Pocky has a couple new ones out, but I am waiting for them to go on sale... New from the Decorer series: apple and grape I really want to try that grape one. New from the Mousse Pocky series: matcha, creamy, white, bitter (along with new packaging) A new look for the crush series as well: almond and cookie

In a formal Japanese meal there can be a multitude of courses depending on just how formal the meal is. The following is a list of courses with their corresponding eGullet thread. zensai (appetizer) suimono (clear soups) sashimi (raw fish) yakimono (grilled/pan fried foods) mushimono (steamed foods) nimono (simmered foods) agemono (deep fried foods) sunomono (vinegared foods) aemono (dressed foods) these would be followed by gohan (rice) miso soup tsukemono (pickles) ocha (green tea)

How much bigger can you make them?? I wrap them the salmon ones with nori when we eat them, thus it isn't pictured. I never wrap yukari... Yes, I use short grain rice.

I think that's a polite way of saying that the apples don't taste all that great, or at least not enough to justify the price. I remember that when I first moved to Tokyo from the US, the quality and lack of variety of the apples in Tokyo was one of my more disappointing supermarket experiences. ← I know I have mentioned it around here before but I too have been disappointed by the apples in Japan, both variety and quality. For me it is also part personal preference as I prefer tart apples and this is a quality the Japanese don't seem to enjoy. I have had plently of picture perfect apples that have tasted like cardboard. I have also had some of the best apples of my life. It is really hit or miss and price seems to have very little to do with it. My current favorite are small san-tsugaru サンつがる apples from Aomori, the season is starting right now and I order 6 of them every other week from my Co-op until the season is over. 6 small ones cost 398 yen, not a bad price at all. These are eating out of hand apples, with the skin on! In fact the picture in my Co-op catalogue shows a group of smiling children all holding a whole apple with a bite taken out of it.

In the Joubi Sai thread, Cheeko said: I don't always serve soup but I do try to have the 5 dishes, 5 colors of food present (black, red, white, yellow and green) and vary the cooking methods. and earlier in the thread Hiroyuki discussed the ichijuu sansai: I have a feeling that many of those who are not familiar with Japanese home cooking don't know exactly how ichijuu sansai (one soup and three dishes, in addition to rice) is implemented in everyday Japanese meals. Ichijuu sansai is easier to implement if you prepare joubi sai (常備菜 in Kanji). A joubi sai is a dish made so that it can keep for days and some even for weeks. If you prepare one joubi sai and keep it in the fridge, all you have to do to make an ichijuu sansai meal is to: 1. Cook rice (or reheat leftover rice) 2. Make miso soup (or reheat leftover miso soup) 3. Make a shusai (main dish), such as grilled fish. 4. Make a fukusai (side dish or sub-dish?), such as a salad. What points do you take into consideration when preparing a Japanese meal? I have to admit I pay much more attention to colors when I am putting together a bento, but for an everyday meal I always make sure I have a couple different cooking techniques. I would never put 3 simmered dishes together at one meal even 2 would make my skin itch, but this is just me.

I am the same, in both ways. I prefer the tenderloin for tonkatsu and my body has issues with me afterwards...

I love chicken katsu, and actually prefer it to tonkatsu. Tonkatsu will sometimes be too dry and chewy, while chicken katsu is, to me, more consistent in its texture. Plus who doesn't love fried chicken skin? Some of my friends, though, complain that we go to Katsukura and I order chicken katsu--"We're going to a tonkatsu place and you order chicken katsu?????" they say. But hey, I'm the one who introduced them to Katsukura, so I think I can order whatever the hell I want! ← chicken katsu is a wonderful dish, especially if the chicken is pounded flat and rolled around a shiso leaf and some ume paste...

Domestic Goddess, Welcome to the eGullet and the Japan forum! pineapple, dates and maraschino cherries on pizza??? and I though we had it bad in Japan sometimes...

We had our first undokai (sports day) of the season this past weekend, one bento down and one to go... Bento lunch for 5

It looks like a little wagashi cake - rice cake filled with bean jam? ← Cheeko got it! It was a sweet filled with read bean paste.

I am glad to hear about the cabinets. My husband and I spent some time looking at their kitchens as we are planning to build a house within the next 2 years. Japanese kitchens are incredibly expensive and I was quite surprised to see how low the price was at Ikea. They would go quite nicely in the Sweden House we were looking at. New question, How often does Ikea bring in new things? Since everyone seems to be commenting on many of the same things, these obviously are always there. Do they bring in a lot of seasonal stuff?

Yeah, I saw these too, but 398yen for a bag?? I don't think so, I rarely spend that much on meat.. I don't remember them did they have them last year? We could probably scroll through this thread to find out!

edit to add link ← So when are you going? Please give a full report!!

Yes! That's it! I'm so used to calling it "the foreign food store at Umeda" that I forget what it's really called. Does your Seijo Ishii have fresh chives? I've never noticed them at mine, but I don't usually look at the produce section there (way too expensive!). They do have a lot of dried herbs and spices that you can't find at other places, and they're a little more reasonably priced. They also have a great selection of snack foods! ← I was just at Seijo Ishii yesterday, yes chives are a regular staple in their fresh herb section. They have pretty much any fresh herb you are looking for and all the time. Most of their produce is very expensive but yesterday they had gorgeous zucchini at 2 for 198yen and they were large! About three times the normal zucchini you find here. I really like their kimchi....