Daily Nihongo (2003 - 2004)

[torakris]

word for 5/31:

カジキ

kajiki (kah-gee-key)

This is a general name for some types of marlin and swordfish that are popular in Japan. There are 6 to 7 types caught off the shores of Japan and we will be discussing them the next couple days.

[torakris]

6/1:

Let's talk about those kajiki now!

In Japan it can be confusing to buy and cook kajiki because many stores and recipes don't specify which kind and the tastes and textures can be different. To confuse matters even more, they are often referred to as kajiki-maguro even though they are not related to the tuna.

The 3 most popular types in Japan are

マカジキ makajiki

known in English as the blue marlin, striped marlin, billfish and a couple other names, this has a reddish pink flesh. It 's shun (season) in Japan is during the winter, though imports make it available all year round.

メカジキ　　mekajiki

Known in English as the broadbill swordfish this has light pink to almost white flesh. Similar to the makajiki the best season is winter, but again imports keep the stores stocked all year round. This is a huge fish growing up to over 4 meters, almost twice the size of the makajiki.

バショウカジキ bashou kajiki

This is called the Pacific sailfish or banana sailfish in English. With its distinctive large, colorful, sail-like dorsal fin, its ability to make impressive leaps out of the water, and its amazing speed, it one of the most recognized member of the billfish and it is also highly sought after during recreational fishing.

pictures of all three:

http://rgmjapan.tripod.com/SUSHIGALLERY03.html

[torakris]

6/2:

two more popular types of kajiki:

クロカワ　（黒皮）　or クロカジキ

kurokawa or kurokajiki

kurokawa actually means black skinned and in English this fish is often called blue marlin. This has a whitish flesh and makes great sashimi. A popular fish for sport fishing.

シロカワ　（白皮）　or 　シロカジキ　

shirokawa or shirokajiki

This means white skinned, though in English it is referred to as black marlin....

This is the biggest of the marlins and has a semi-fatty reddish flesh and is very popular as miso-zuke (marinated in miso).

miso-zuke shirokawa:

http://www.yajirushi.co.jp/misokasu.html

[torakris]

word for 6/4:

注意

chuui (choo-ee)

This meaning "warning" and I am using this word today because there is currently a waning or chuui out about eating swordfish and marlin bceause of high mercury levels. More information here:

http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/62565

These are good characters to remember if you ever come to Japan, you will see them everywhere!

[torakris]

word for 6/5:

切れ

kire

This means a cut or a a slice (from the verb to cut, kiru 切る), and this is the most common way to see kajiki sold in the supermarket. Looks something like this:

2 kire (futa-kire) 2 pieces of makajiki

This is used not only for fish but other things that are served in slices, like cakes, etc

EDITED for picture

Edited June 9, 2004 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

word for 6/6:

ソテー

sotee (soh-tay)

saute

This is probably one of the more common ways to served kajiki, sauteed and then served with a sauce.

one example (with a ketchup sauce):

http://www.co-op.or.jp/JCCU/coop_shouhin/r...e/recipe22.html

[gus_tatory]

本当にありがとうござまいす。

（ほんとうにありがとうござます）

hontou ni arigatou gozaimasu.

Thank you very much for the Daily Nihongo.

[torakris]

どういたしまして

douitashimashite

your welcome!

[torakris]

word for 6/7:

梅雨

tsuyu

rainy season in Japan

It was announed yesterday that we have officially entered rainy season (tsuyu) here in Japan. Rainy season generally lasts about a month from June into July.

The characters for tsuyu are comprised of the character "ume" or Japanese plum and the character for rain. I am not sure of the exact reason but I have heard that it has to do with the ume fruit being ready for harvest at the same time the rain starts to fall.

more information:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2277.html

[torakris]

6/8:

let's talk about tsuyu for a moment, here are some word you may hear in weather reports during this rainy season

梅雨空

tsuyu-zora

sora (zora) means sky and thus the "rainy season sky" refers to sky when it is overcast

梅雨晴れ

tsuyu-bare

hare (bare) refers to sunny or clear skies and tsuyu-bare is a sunny day during the rainy season, this is not as pleasant as it sounds, Sunny days after rain here get very hot and since the humidity is still high it can feel like living in a sauna.....

Yokohama is having one of those days today, so I should get off the computer and get my workout over with before it actually gets too hot and sticky to move.

[torakris]

6/9:

let's forget this awful weather we are having and get back to kajiki!

We discussed sauteeing as a way of preparing kajiki, but other popular ways are sashimi, deep-frying, grilling, baking and simmering.

Here are some pictures of various kajiki dishes:

http://www.toshin.co.jp/cook/99_09/kajiki/kajiki.html

[torakris]

word for 6/10:

鯛　タイ

tai

sea bream

Tai: Japan's King of Fish:

http://www.kikkoman.com/forum/009/ff009.html

[torakris]

word for 6/11:

真鯛　　マダイ

madai (mah-die)

This is often called the "true" or "genuine" tai or red sea bream (or red snapper or red porgy) in English. We have now seen a couple times the word "ma" added to the beginning of a fish name, this "ma" 真　means truth, genuine, or real and is often used to distiguish the more common or popular fish from those of the same species.

It's season (shun) runs from about December to April and it can be prepared in a myriad of ways, some of which we will discuss in the upcoming days.

A beautiful picture of madai:

http://www.pref.miyazaki.jp/nousei/foods/f...mainphoto01.jpg

[torakris]

6/12:

let's look at a couple close relatives of the madai that you may run across.

チダイ

chidai

crimson sea bream

http://www.zukan-bouz.com/suzuki2/taika/titai.html

キダイ　　or 　レンコダイ

kidai or renkodai

yellowback sea bream

http://www.zukan-bouz.com/suzuki2/taika/kidai.html

クロダイ

kurodai

black sea bream

http://www.zukan-bouz.com/suzuki2/taika/kurodai.html

キチヌ　　or 　キビレ

kichinu or kibire

yellow fin sea bream

http://www.zukan-bouz.com/suzuki2/taika/kitinu.html

へダイ

hedai

silver sea bream

http://www.zukan-bouz.com/suzuki2/taika/hedai.html

[torakris]

To lazy at the moment to think about tai so, the word for 6/13:

美味しかった　　おいしかった

oishikatta (oy-she-kah-ttah)

It was delicious, or talking about something that was delicious (past tense), I chose this word to describe the wonderful meal that us Tokyo egulleteers had last night!

[Hiroyuki]

I would reply:

よかったですね。うらやましい。

Yokatta desu ne. Urayamashii.

Good for you (lit. It was good, wasn't it?) I envy you.

[torakris]

word for 6/14:

腐っても鯛

kusattemo tai (koo-sah-ttay-moe tie)

Tai, a symbol of wealth and prosperity, also signifies high quality; it is the elite fish of the well-known proverb, Kusattemo tai, or "No matter how spoiled it may be, it's still tai"—the implication being that no matter how reduced in circumstances, someone of quality is still respected. The reality behind this proverb lies in the great quantity of inosinic acid contained in sea bream, a substance that helps the flesh resist spoiling. Thus even when tai is no longer completely fresh, its flavor lasts longer than that of most fish—a fitting and enduring symbolism for the fish that has come to epitomize the very finest in Japanese cuisine.

excerpted from here:

http://www.kikkoman.com/forum/009/ff009.html

since they explain it better than I could.....

[torakris]

now for some dishes using tai

word for 6/15:

鯛の塩焼き　 or 　鯛塩焼

tai no shio-yaki or tai shio-yaki

This is salted grilled tai, normally it is served whole but sometimes it will be in pieces. this is a popular dish on special occasions:

http://image.www.rakuten.co.jp/yu-ya/img1007653233.gif

[torakris]

word for 6/16:

鯛めし　鯛飯

taimeshi (tie-may-she)

This is a dish of rice cooked with a whole tai on top of it. I have eaten it with both the tai grilled beforehand and then placed on the rice as well as the raw tai cooked along with the rice and I prefer the flavor of the grilled version. Simple versions of the recipe for everyday eating can call for tai fillets to be cooked in the rice cooker.

taimeshi:

http://www.pref.kagawa.jp/eizo/vol003/en/a...setouchi/02.htm

[torakris]

word for 6/17:

潮汁

ushio-jiru (ooh-she-oh jee-rhue)

ushio-jiru is a very simple salt based soup normally made with seafood/fish, it is not uncommon to see a tai no ushio-jiru made with the head of a tai. The head can also be simmered in the kabuto-ni style as we discussed with maguro sometime back.

tai no shio-jiru:

http://www.jf-net.ne.jp/jf-net/syun/cook/t...cipe_ushio.html

[torakris]

word for 6/18:

刺身サラダ　　and 　カルパッチョ

sashimi sarada and karupaccho

Sashimi salad and carpaccio

These are both ways of serving sashimi style (raw) fish sort of dressed up. In general it will be referred to as a sashimi sarada if it has Asian style ingredients, "Chinese" sashimi salads using tai seem to be quite popular. If it has the word karupaccho in the title in is more likely seasoned with "western" ingredients.

tai no sashimi sarada:

http://www.sawanotsuru.co.jp/sakana/menu/2001_03/menu_02.htm

tai no karupaccho:

http://members.jcom.home.ne.jp/tun/karupattcho_tai.htm

[torakris]

words for 6/19:

While we are talking about sashimi, let's look at some of the different ways of cutting the fish for eating raw.

平作り hira-zukuri this is the thick slice that is usually rectangular or triangular in shape, best with soft fragile fish

薄作り usu-zukuri this is fish that is very thinly sliced, normally firm pale fleshed fish

角作り kaku-zukuri this is the "cube" cut, works best with soft flesh fish

糸作り ito-zukuri "thread" cut, very thin slices on things like squid

細作り hoso-zukuri "thin" cut, this is a thread like cut but thicker than the ito-zukuri

pictures of the first 4 can be found here:

http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/5789/sashimi.htm

and hoso-zukuri:

http://www.jf-ymg.or.jp/recipe/tatiuo_03.htm

[torakris]

word for 6/20:

松皮造り or 松皮作り

matsukawa-zukuri

This is a technique for preparing sashimi that tenderizes and sweetens the fish, it is commonly used on tai and other medium sized scaly fish. This can translate as "pine bark method" as the resulting fish is said to look similar to the bark of pine trees. In this method the fish is placed skin side up, preferably on an overturned coalnder, and covered with a piece of cheesecloth or dish towel, freshly boiled water is then very carefully poured over the skin and then the fish is immediately plunged into a bowl of ice water. The resulting fish will have slightly whitened flesh and shrunken skin.

tai no matsukawa-zukuri:

http://www.plusm-tokyo.com/fishing/img/RYO...UKAWA_MEDAI.gif

[torakris]

6/21:

Though it has nothing to do with tai lets look at the words used in the last post.

作る　つくる　 tsukuru

造る　つくる tsukuru

These words are both pronounced the same and generally have the same meaning, to make. The first word means to make or create in an everyday sense, to make dinner, to make a dress, etc. The second one is more in the sense of to produce or to manufacture, such as making a bridge or making wine. In some cases they will seem interchangeable as in the previous post, I llike to think of the first one as the all purpose word while the second one is used when some kind of serious skill is involved.

[torakris]

word for 6/22:

花造り

hana-zukuri (hah-nah zoo-koo-rhee)

Hana means flower (though it can also mean nose! )and hana-zukuri is whn fish/meat (usually raw) are arranged into a flower shape. Tai sashimi is often prepared this way for special occasions and seems to be very popular at weddings.

All the pictures I found of tai hana-zukuri were tiny and difficult to see, so i found another example, this one is of horse meat:

http://www.keigetu.co.jp/basasi.jpg