eG Foodblog: Torakris - New Year's Festivities in Japan

[helenjp]

It's really Kris' blog, I'm just the hijacker...providing a little contrast.

My bilingual boys are finally in bed after a loooong teppanyaki dinner. I cut the ingredients and wrapped thin slices of pork around veges, while my husband made two dipping sauces -- one miso, and one with onion and ginger, spiced up with Chinese chili paste. We tossed some Chinese egg noodles on the hot plate at the end for the really indefatigable appetites. There were 7 for dinner, including son's friend and his father.

My boys have spoken both languages from birth, and they read English well, but it's been hard work for all concerned! Cookbooks are a great way to encourage them, but kids' cookbooks were a waste of time -- the dishes were unfamiliar and relied so heavily on packaged products that a normal "from scratch" cookbook was easier for them to follow. But then they discovered that unlike cooking, a book on something like Java Script programming is accessible to anybody who can read English.

I liked Kris' survey of what her kids thought was Japanese or western food...must try it with my kids!

My husband lived overseas for too long to be a Japanese food purist, but now that he's over 50, he certainly prefers basically Japanese food. Of our younger friends, those who grew up in Tokyo and surrounding areas (even rural regions) are much more international than those who grew up in more distant provinces. Even some good cooks from the provinces dislike flowery Indian spices or intense mediterranean herbs. The most popular "foreign" tastes for home cooking seem to be a kind of 80s ethnic all-purpose East Asian flavor, hot and spicy, with clean flavors like coriander leaf or lemon.

I live in an area where there is still a sprinkling of light industry. There are hardly any Europeans, except for a few language school teachers on one-year contracts, but there are plenty of Chinese and Filipinos, and illegal workers from across Asia, especially from Muslim countries. There are good, cheap Chinese, Korean, and Indian restaurants serving the owner's regional food, and generally boring and expensive Italianate restaurants run by Japanese owners -- the trendy stuff just doesn't seem to survive the trip east over the Edo River!

We go for the cheap and cheerful regional Japanese restaurants such as our local Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki shop. Even more often, we eat at home, because one husband, one live-in brother-in-law, and two big sons eat a LOT!

[Pan]

Thanks for the interesting description of the area you live in, Helen.

Which Muslim countries seem to be most represented among the illegal aliens? (I'm guessing Bangladesh and perhaps Indonesia?) Are there some local halal butchers, or what other kinds of shops are serving the Muslim residents of the area?

[gus_tatory]

This is just so fascinating. Thanks, Kristin, for sharing.

ditto what Anna N said!

Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu, Kristin & family, Helenjp and all!

[Pan]

English translation, Gus?

[gus_tatory]

English translation, Gus?

it's an informal (from what i gather ) Happy New Year!

[torakris]

English translation, Gus?

it's an informal (from what i gather ) Happy New Year!

Gus is right that does mean Happy New Year, but in Japan it wouldn't be said until the New Year has actually started, so you won't hear it before the 1st. It is also the greeting you will use whenever you meet up with anyone (neighbors, friends, co-workers, family) for the first time after the new year has started.

If it is before the new year and you want to wish someone a Happy upcoming year then you would say "Yoi otoshi-wo" Yoi means good and toshi is year, it sort of translates as "I hope the upcoming year is a good one" or "Happy New Year" .

[torakris]

This is one of my favorite blogs yet -- the pictures are especially bringing this to life for me.

Torakris, I've noticed that iced coffee is one of your staple drinks. Do you make it yourself, or is it one of the prefab coffee drinks I've seen in takeout sushi shops? I've always wondered what is in those coffee drinks, since I can't read the list of ingredients in Japanese.

The iced coffe I drink is made at home, I brew up a large pot of coffee and then I put it in the refrigerator and drink it for a couple days.(much less if my husband is here! )

You can buy a lot packaged coffees here, from hot or cold cans/bottles in the vending machines/convenience stores/ basically any shop to 1L (1 quart) cartons of it in the grocery stores next to the milk.

I worry about what is in them to which is why I prefer to make my own, it is also cheaper and tastes better!

[torakris]

Good luck tonight with the children. I may not know a bunch about Japanese living but I know about life with children attached at the hip  . I hope it works out.

This thing has been fascinating so far. Whoever comes after you and Jackal has got some work cut out.

hmm. we haven't had anybody do one from southern US yet, have we?

I was thinking the the same thing.....

[torakris]

Great stuff again, Kris and Helen. (Yes, Elyse, this is a dual blog - right? )

Kris, how much English do your children speak? Same question for Helen.

My kids have a good understanding or English, but Japanese is definitely their main language. My husband's English is pretty basic so it is mostly Japanese in our house, I speak English to the kids and they reply in Japanese....

They can switch easily though, and will speak English on the phone and when we travel to the US, they do not have the vocabulary of their peers int he US.

It does take a lot of work on the parent's part to keep it up and i am currently working on reading English with both of them.

[torakris]

It is almost 8:00am so I should really get some breakfast made!

I am currently drinking a large tumbler of iced coffee (what else is new! ) and I will post pictures from our WONDERFUL dinner last night after breakfast.

[Pan]

I can't wait to see them, Kris!

[Jake]

I can't wait to see them, Kris!

Neither can I! I am REALLY enjoying your blog, Kris....thanks again.

[hillvalley]

I feel like I am getting two blogs for the price of one!

Could either one of you talk a little about mochi?

[torakris]

Our dinner last night started off at the Gumbo and Oyster Bat in the My City building just above Shinjuku station. The two restaurant floors (7th and 8th floors) are called Shun Kan and there are A LOT of nice restaurants up there, there are a couple I would like to try.

Here is a picture of the place it looks a lot nicer than the name depicts:

http://happy.woman.excite.co.jp/shunkan/02/excite04.html

Sorry no pictures from here.

We just wanted an oyster appetizer before our "real" meal.

We went to the right place! We had the oyster sampler platter for 2 (I had a coupon for two free glasses of wine when ordering this) It was 10 pieces for about $45.....

There were 5 kinds of oysters

Makaki from Miyagi (Japan), this was huge and was my husband's favorite

Pacific oyster from Seattle

Kumamoto oyster from Seattle (this was the most incredible oyster I have ever eaten!)

Pacific oyster from New Zealand (I really didn't care for the flavor on this one)

Cat's Eye Oyster from Tasmania

These were all served with fresh lemon juice and a cocktail sauce with fresh horseradish grated on top

I wanted to order just a couple more of the Kumamotos but at $6.50 a piece I decided to go for something else instead.

So we ordered the Seafood sampler which consisted of a shrimp cocktail, steamed mussels and steamed clams, these were all served with a spicy BBQ sauce, that I didn't care for and I felt it was too strong for the seafood. We season instead with lemon juice and salt, and cocktail sauce for the shrimp.

We then went to the next place.......

[torakris]

I feel like I am getting two blogs for the price of one!

Could either one of you talk a little about mochi?

what would you like to know?

[hillvalley]

I feel like I am getting two blogs for the price of one!

Could either one of you talk a little about mochi?

what would you like to know?

Last year the Washington Post had an article about them. For the most part they were described as New Years desert cakes. Yet, earlier in this thread they were used in what sounded like a savory dish. Now I am totally confused. What are they made of and how are they used?

Glad to hear you had a night out. How did the sleep over go? I love the gumbo and oyster restaurant. Oysters in DC no longer seem expensive compared to 10 for $45! A dozen oysters go for about $18 at a restaurant near the White House (Old Ebbitt). What great splurge though!

[torakris]

for the "real" meal we went just down the street to Le Aladdin, they advertise as specializing in a sort of fusion of Arabian and Turkish foods, but I felt there was more Japanese style foods than anything else, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing!

Of the 3 restaurants of this group that i have now been two (in 3 days!) I like the food here best, the atmosphere was also incredible, all the wall were tiled in gorgeous patterns, a lot of the tables were "tent-like" being surrounded by material swirling down from the ceiling, all of teh statues, light fixtures, etc added to the Arabian feel. My husband said he felt like he was at Disneyland.....

We were given a small appetizer as we sat down that consisted of 3 small dishes holding a simmered hijiki (type of seaweed) dish, a tamago do-fu (chilled tofu like egg dish) and bean thread noodles and chicken with a very lemony sauce. All threee were very good.

then we ordered a Japanese style fresh spring roll that consisted of crab, scallop, mizuna (a green), pickled gobo (burdock root) and a couple other things, it was served with two dipping sauces --awanori (seaweed in a pureed form) and kani miso-mayo (basically crab guts mixed with mayo) both of these are much better than they sound!

Next was a dish of garlic bread and gorgonzola sauce (sort of like a gorgonzola fondue) and avocado slices wrapped in chutoro maguro (a good cut of tuna) dotted with horseradish and then wrapped by the diners in a piece of nori (seaweed laver) and dipped in soy sauce.

we followed that with a beef tangine and hot stone pot with a beef tendon, onions and a poached egg that was all mixed together

our final main dish were lamb chops with a curry sauce

I enjoyed the meal with a drink called a belly dance consisting of cassis, frambois and cranberry juice (not sure of those spellings), served with fresh raspberries and bluerries on top.

Dessert!

my husband had the soy milk creme brulee (that was incredibly creamy) and I ahd the dessert sampler with 6 kinds of goodies

We never got to see the movie becasue the tickets sold about 10 people before us! We did save our selves close to $18 a piece, the current price for movies in Japan, I guess we will wait for the video....

The overnight thing didn't happen either, because my friend's son came down with a fever,t ehy called just as we were heading back to the car, so the timing worked out well. The really good thing is that because the kids were so disappointed in not sleeping over, they offered to try it again!!

EDIT:

oops I posted the picture of myself twice!!

Edited December 31, 2003 by torakris (log)

[ronnie_suburban]

Great self-pic Torakris...with that fixture behind you, for a moment I thought you were wearing a crown

Thanks for the great blog.

=R=

[elyse]

I thought it was a crown too!

Kris, I'm glad to see you out of your photo shyness.

[hillvalley]

I thought it was a crown too!

I'm glad I am not the only one!

[elyse]

Well, she just looks so swellegant!

[fifi]

OMG... eGullet has a movie star. J Lo has nothing on you, lady. What lovely pictures.

[bloviatrix]

We never got to see the movie becasue the tickets sold about 10 people before us!  We did save our selves close to $18 a piece, the current price for movies in Japan, I guess we will wait for the video....

$18? And we're complaining they just raised prices to $10.50. It helps put things in perspective.

Edited December 31, 2003 by bloviatrix (log)

[torakris]

Please feel free to refer to me as Princess Kristin.......

I won't mind

[torakris]

We never got to see the movie becasue the tickets sold about 10 people before us!  We did save our selves close to $18 a piece, the current price for movies in Japan, I guess we will wait for the video....

$18? And we're complaining they just raised prices to $10.50. It helps put things in perspective.

A year ago I was talking to my sister on the phone and I was telling her that I had just seen my second ever in Japan because the movie theatre near our house has a special every Thursday were women can enter for only $10. I was so excited about it and she was like ONLY? $10..............

And if some theatres the $18 won't even get you a seat! You need to fork out $25 for a "reserved seat", the first movie I went to in Japan was so crowded there were people sitting on the floors and aisles............

I ahve also seen some places that have "couples" seats for $60 (for 2 people) that are sort of like a booth surrounded on 3 sides by walls and with a small table.

this is one of the main reasons we have cable......