Foodietopo

@ElsieD I didn't know anything about the Winterlude foie gras story. It's sad, Martin Picard can cook some great food. I've been in Japan for almost 3 years now and my last meal in Montreal was foie gras at Au Pied de Cochon.

I've been to Mathieu Cloutier Kitchen Gallery near Marche Jean-Talon. Great little restaurant. No Normand Laprise or Martin Picard on this list of Canadian chef, Mmmm...

The Back in the Pot Pork was a success! I might try it with some leaner meat next time.

I think her original idea was a once cooked pork blanched in god knows what. Since nobody wanted to eat it, I was asked to save the meat. My Japanese mother-in-law is an amazing washoku cook who tries to feed a huge carnivorous family. Some cuts of meat a very cheap in Japan and she has been experimenting since I married her daughter. For exemple, roasted beef or pork was not part of her repertoire. I will do a pork, green onion, garlic and ginger back in the pot tonight.

Looks like she blanched it. Thanks for the recipe. I will try it tonight.

My Japanese mother-in-law kindda undercooked a very nice pork belly tonight. She sliced it, but the meat was not very appealing. The meat was already sliced pretty thin, so in order to save the meat, I fried it in a pan and the result was pretty tasty. There is a big slab of half cooked pork left and it's now in the fridge. I was wondering what I could do with it??? Any suggestions?

I've eaten natto maybe four times and I hope it won't cross my lips ever again. I always ask my Japanese students who likes natto and it's always 50/50. I am lucky my wife doesn't eat natto.

Almost sound like you are making tonkotsu soup. Let us know how it goes. From what I have seen in Japanese ramen cookbooks which I can't really read. Tonkotsu broth often has some veggies, sometime dried fishes, sometime some chicken and very often a bunch of parts from the pig. If you boil it long enough you should end up with some creamy goodness. What will you use your broth for?

I've tried the Screwpull, but my favorite corkscrew remains my Pulltap with a solid metal handle. I've used mine so much that the black finish rubbed off.

Thanks, I will most certainly give Miyagi Bay oysters a try when I have a chance. I am a bit disconnected with the Tokyo food scene since as I am sure you know, Hiroshima Prefecture is pretty far. Where would be a good place to enjoy these oysters? @rarerollingobject Any Kagoshima suggestions? I will be there during Golden Week.

My Japanese sister-in-law is moving into a new house in early February and the local tradition is to eat udon noodle in the large bathroom. Japanese bathroom are pretty big and my wife told me that people in her area do this after a new house is built. I don't know if it's a regular thing outside of Mizushima where my wife lives, but it should be a lot of fun. In Japan, the person moving into a new house needs to bring small gift to the neighbors, a fellow teacher suggested soba noodles but my wife bought packs of Saran Wrap. Offering a bottle of sake is also considered a nice housewarming gift. Sake is also part of a special shinto ceremony performed when the new house is built.

I've never tried Miyagi oysters, but ate some pretty delicious one in Hinase, Okayama prefecture. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinase,_Okayama I don't know if they were the best, but the oyster okonomiyaki and the fried oysters were really finger licking good. I went to a little shack which only had about 10 seats with 2 old grandma cooking. What is so special about Miyagi oysters?

If deep fried, it's fine.

Hiroshima okonomiyaki is a must. My favorite is Mitchan on Hatchobori, but there is a whole building dedicated to okonomiyaki near the Parco department store. I second Izumo Taisha which is the house of all the spirits in Japan. Izumo is located near the beautiful city of Matsue which has a great looking castle. The soba is worth the trip itself. There is a great cafe on route 9 on the way to Yonago, Cafe Rosso might be in the middle of nowhere, but the coffee is world class! http://r.tabelog.com/shimane/A3201/A320102/32000060/ In this area, near Mt Daisen, you can visit Misasa onsen which is located in the Valley of Love. The onsen are radioactive and the crabs kaiseiki is crazy good. I stayed at Misasakan. The whole area on the Sea of Japan might be easier to navigate by car. Access by train is not really easy. If you decide to take the train, you can travel from Okayama to Yonago station.

Yes, raw chicken sashimi! I saw Anthony Bourdain eat some chicken sashimi in his Tokyo episode, so I asked my wife if it was something served in most yakitori shop and she said it was served in the really good one. So this is me and my wife debating raw chicken safety -But honey it's super dangerous -Mmm, it's made with really fresh chicken only. -But raw chicken is dangerous. -It's Japanese chicken, it's safe. -Are you sure? -Do think this place would still be open after 30 years if people died. -But... -Shut up, just try it. -Damn, this is good! She was right, raw chicken is delicious and I wasn't sick. I would not suggest you try this anywhere else than Japan unless you have a clean chicken farm...

Elizabeth Andoh in her book Kansha mentions that brown rice was associated with poverty. Now it's more expensive to buy genmai and they serve it in fancy restaurants. Chicken breast are indeed dirt cheap in Japan, way cheaper than legs. The only exception about the white meat would be the sasami (chicken breast) which is served with a umeboshi or wasabi flavor. I also had raw chicken breast sashimi which were simply to die for.

My wife bought me a Chemex 3 cups coffeemaker and I was wondering how to make the best out of it. I have to wait 9 more days before I get to use it. My current set up is either an Hario V-60 dripper or a Melitta dripper. I am seeking the opinion of daily Chemex users. What is your favorite grind? etc. Cheers

At least in Japan, in most cases you eat the shrimp tail. I was shocked the first time somebody suggested I should stop fighting with the tail and simply eat it. I left a tail on my plate at a X-Mas dinner and a 5 years old kid reminded me that I should eat it.

I live in Japan in a very isolated village. I don't have any trouble finding ingredients for washoku in the near by supermarkets. My biggest challenge is to cook anything else. I remember watching Julie and Julia and thinking that trying to replicate her stunt would be almost impossible. For the most difficult book, I would vote for the Fat Duck. Beautiful book, but I simply don't have the kitchen or ingredients. I guess that living in a big city is easier for the cosmopolitan foodie.

I actually wrote something about Coffee Kan on my blog https://foodietopography.wordpress.com/2010/12/27/kurashiki-coffee-kan/ I would skip the El Greco coffee shop, their coffee is vile when you compare it with Coffee-Kan. It's a great coffee shop. There is a cool food market on the third Sunday of the month and they offer their great coffee at only 200 yen a cup. I agree that Kurashiki is a nice day trip, but there is a bunch of very nice ryokan in the Bikan area, which could make a good stop over on the way to Hiroshima or Fukuoka. The Bikan area is magic at night. I really want try making ramen in Osaka, it's on my list of things to do, thanks for reminding me. I still haven't visited the Yokohama ramen museum... So many things to do!

For the last 2 1/2 years, I've visited Fukuoka 5 times and I am going back in May. Here is a couple of reasons to visit the city 1- Hakata ramen is the crack cocaine of the ramen world, the stuff is addictive and you get to eat at the original Ichiran or Ippudo. These are very famous, but ramen is everywhere. There is a ramen museum/food court in the Canal City Mall. 2- Fukuoka has a very active street food scene, the yatai are a great place to try new food at a good price. 3- Motsunabe ( offal hot pot) is a speciality of Fukuoka. 4- Really good sea food including squid sashimi so fresh that the sashimi jumps in your plate.

I also use a toaster oven, I bought a Zojirushi oven not long after moving to Japan. It might be a good option and it's pretty versatile. My linhttp://www.zojirushi.co.jp/syohin/kitchenware/ETFA.htmlk It was dirt cheap and it does a really good job. You can also use to prepare great mini pizza.

Japan is amazing! I've been here since July 2008 and I probably will live here for many years. The end of April coincide with Golden Week which will be from April 29th to May 5th. It's probably the worst time to travel inside Japan, but if you plan now, you should be fine. Traffic is crazy, trains are full and hotels are usually full. I currently live in Hiroshima prefecture in the middle of nowhere, but I would strongly recommend that you visit the Japanese countryside to get a taste of the real Japan. The soul of Japanese is deeply anchored in the countryside. Tokyo and Osaka are both amazing, but nothing beats little villages to give you a taste of Japan. I don't spend a lot of time in Tokyo, but I have visited many places. Here is a few suggestions: 1- Kurashiki city in Okayama prefecture. My wife is from Kurashiki and the Bikan area is probably one of the prettiest place I have seen in Japan. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurashiki,_Okayama You can also visit Bizen where they make the famous pottery. 2-Island of Shikoku. You can eat amazing udon in Takamatsu. Sea food in Kochi and visit the famous Iya valley. My linkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iya_Valley 3- Hiroshima city for the Peace park and great okonomiyaki 4- I have a thing for Fukuoka. It's a very cosmopolitan place, it's not too big, the ramen are to die for. 5- The onsen region of Buppu near Oita is great. 6- Visit Uji near Kyoto to drink tea If you can rent a car, driving in Shikoku or Kyushu is a pleasure. You can explore the deep country side. I drive everywhere and as long as you make sure the hotel has a parking, you should be fine. Avoid driving anywhere near Osaka and Tokyo, it's pure hell! Food is everywhere, it's often overwhelming. If there is a line somewhere, never hesitate, you are in for some goodness and it's often cheap. Have a good trip!

I just read Une gourmandise by Muriel Barbery. I read the book in French, but the book was translated. The English title is Gourmet Rhapsody. It　is a very short novel about the death of a famous food critic and the writer take us through a journey of food and memories. Great novel about food.

In 2010 a visit to Uji near Kyoto got me really interested in green tea. In 2011, I will go back to Uji to try more amazing tea. If you like Japanese tea, Uji is the place to visit. http://wikitravel.org/en/Uji