Supplies for 7 days on an island

[MoGa]

And please don't say Cup Ramen!

I'll be spending a full week on Shiraishi Island later this month and I'll need to fend for myself whilst I'm there.

I discussed my experiences of cooking for one in Tokyo in a recent thread and mused that it would be different out in the country. It seems I'm about to find out just how different.

I'm actually convalescing at the moment - the original plan was to stay in Corsica. As I started making plans it turned out that it cost little more to come to Japan. The convalescing part is important here, I am recovering from back injury and this makes what I plan to do particularly challenging.

I'd like to imagine that local vegetables will be on sale at Shiraishi Island, but I can't afford to presume too much. The safest assumption is that I should get the basics I need at Kasaoka before boarding the ferry. There is a kitchen with equipment and basic condiments I can use at my lodging. The advice is not to expect to find any restaurants once I'm there.

So the challenge I'm hoping for help with is: "what should I buy to take with me?"

The choices need to be economical, they can't weigh too much (although I'll have a roller case specifically for this), and just to make things even more difficult, I eat fish, but no other kind of meat.

Any suggestions for feeding myself in this kind of environment? I stress again my need to be frugal.

And anything I should bring from the UK? (I can get a bag sent from NGO to the ferry port at Kasaoka - I'll be going straight from NGO to Osaka and spending 3 nights there before moving on to Shiraishi Island). And no internet once I'm there, I'll need to take any recipes with me.

I also have the option of spending ¥900-¥1,000 for a return ferry trip should I run out of food completely.

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I'd love to hear your opinions.

[prasantrin]

I think you should be able to manage with a few days of supplies. I read there's a small grocery store on the island, so you should be able to find some things there (even if only canned vegetables and the like). If you bring at least a few days of supplies, should you not be able to find locally-grown vegetables or freshly-caught fish (fishing is one of the main sources of income out there), you'll at least have enough to tide you over for a bit until you can make that round trip ferry ride to the city.

For what to bring, I would suggest root vegetables and beans. Maybe some fruit that isn't too delicate, so it won't get banged up on the way there. Canned tuna if you're worried about not getting enough protein out there. Snacks. Even in the boonies, snacks will make everything better.

[MoGa]

It's the basics I'm worried about.

There's a "what's in your pantry?" thread in this forum, and my list of basic ingredients is as big as anybody else's.

In a Western Kitchen at a hired apartment I could probably count on salt, oil, sugar, coffee, tea, and... err... not much else really.

Are Mirin, Soy Sauce and vinegar viewed as kitchen essentials in a Japanese Kitchen? (I'll assume I'll need to take Sake).

I saw some people had written about a store on the island, but there seems to be a big difference in what is available/open in July/August and what there is in early June. The email confirmation I got gave me lots of info about finding food at Kasaoka but none about finding any on the island - it doesn't seem like something I can depend on.

So far I'm thinking:

rice

Mirin, soy sauce, vinegar, ready made dashi (this is where it starts getting heavy)

sake - I suspect I can get this on the island

packets of fish cakes

Katsuobushi

tofu in sealed packet (the freeze dried option in the other thread suddenly seems very appealing!)

A couple of cans of fish

High quality aka miso (which I'll happily take back home with me)

sheets of nori (same)

Wakame (same)

Furikake (same)

Assortment of dried noodles

Whatever vegetables and fruit I like the look of and can carry

And you're right, prasantrin snacks would definitely be a good idea.

I've left out tons of other staples, like sesame oil (I still can't decide between sesame oil and vinegar). But does this list make any sense, or is there anything I don't need, or could substitute or should add? Anything light without too much fish in it (Customs) that I could take back to London would be suitable. If I can take it back I won't need to finish it off or throw it away.

I had the fantasy of making okonomiyaki, but by the time I get all the condiments I can't make it worthwhile for such a short trip (a month yes, 7 days, no)

I wouldn't usually use powdered dashi (some of the ones I've had in England have been appalling!) but this might be an exception. Any brands that aren't too bad?

The supermarket at Kasaoka is a Marunaka Seaside Mall. I've never come across this chain before. I'm also conscious that I won't have that much time to shop there before the last ferry departs (I want to see Himeji castle on the way there). http://www.marunaka.net/

Edited May 20, 2008 by MoGa (log)

[prasantrin]

You may already have found this, but Japan Lite is written by an American woman who lives on the island. I'm not sure if she still lives there, but no harm in trying to send her an email or comment to ask for information. From her blog, I assumed the very small grocery store was open all year. There are about 700 people who live on the island all-year round, and they have to get their food somewhere, too! (She still writes, and she has another blog, but I can't access it while at work, so just check her site for detailsl.)

I'll get back to the pantry list a bit later.

Edited May 20, 2008 by prasantrin (log)

[Hiroyuki]

I assumed from your first post here that the kitchen was equipped with basic condiments. Do they include soy sauce, sugar, and miso, etc.?

Soy sauce is essential to Japanese cooking. Mirin is not. Simply replace it with sugar and sake (1:1). Vinegar is preferred (if you want to make sunomono (vinegared dishes), so is miso. You can't make miso soup without miso!

From my experience, any instant dashi sold in Japan is OK. You may think Hon Dashi is the best, but it does contain MSG, just like any other.

How about a tube of wasabi, just in case you are lucky enough to get some fresh local fish from kind local people?

[MoGa]

You may already have found this, but Japan Lite is written by an American woman who lives on the island.  I'm not sure if she still lives there, but no harm in trying to send her an email or comment to ask for information.  From her blog, I assumed the very small grocery store was open all year.  There are about 700 people who live on the island all-year round, and they have to get their food somewhere, too!  (She still writes, and she has another blog, but I can't access it while at work, so just check her site for detailsl.)

I'll get back to the pantry list a bit later.

←

Happily, she has written a fair bit about the island, but this means that it took me a while to navigate through to this part which confirms your own gut feeling:

http://dollarbooks.tripod.com/moooobar/facts.html

"Warning: Most Japanese people, especially the International Villa reservations people, will tell you there is no food available on Shiraishi, so you must bring your own. What they mean is that there is no Western food available on the island. As long as you are willing to eat like a local, there is plenty of food here in the local supermarket. They also sell milk, bread, eggs, cheese, butter, etc"

Although I'll assume there won't be any butter on the island

This trip is getting better and better all the time, I do so hope I get a chance to try some of the locally grown vegetables and freshly caught fish. The posts in the Niigata thread have been making me drool for weeks!

And wasabi does sound like an excellent idea, Hiroyuki - perhaps I should take a little grater with me (mine's tiny) just in case I come across any of the real stuff.

[helenjp]

I'd go for instant dashi too, even if you buy it on the island - you can get types with no additives (or so they claim!). If you have had back trouble, lighter is surely better.

I use instant dashi when making bentos, as it's easy to add a sprinkle when dressing greens, simmering vegetables, making omelet etc. Apart from the regular katsuo or niboshi types, you can also get a kombu dashi powder, which is lighter in taste and very handy for those non-miso-soup uses.

One thing...you may not find western cutlery in the kitchen, unless you are staying at a place with regular foreign visitors. Many people don't use any western implements other than a spoon.

The standby for Japanese people camping etc. would be side-dishes and curry etc in retort pouches (which would be bit heavy) to either heat in hot water, or empty into a container for heating, precooked rice in vacuum-packed sachets, or dried noodles.

Wasabi is a hill-country crop, so if you found it fresh in a supermarket on Shiraishi, it would be expensive. Tubes are great, but packs of sashimi etc usually have a sachet or two of wasabi paste with them.

One thing that may be in short supply is fruit.

Butter...the easiest option is probably "butter 1/3" or "butter 1/2" in tubes, a margarine/butter blend. Easy to spread, portable, affordable.