eG Foodblog: Torakris in the Heartland - Fast Food to Fine Dining

[Hiroyuki]

with all of the american junk food infiltrating foreign countries, do you find that the japanese diet has changed significantly?

Alan, I think its more the other way around... Japan has always had really serious junk food, and they are influencing our trends in snacks more than anything else.

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i actually lived in japan for three years back in the 80's on a u.s. military base (yokota-kichi, kris you might know it). i understand japanese "snack" culture pretty well...but overall, these snack-type things weren't how people ate at home (from what i remember). special occasions and such. not like in the u.s where junk/fast food constitutes an entire meal. often three meals a day.

from what i can see in china, it is really changing how people eat on a day to day basis and now that it has been 20+ years (maybe 30+) since the first mcdonalds opened in japan, i'm wondering how people are eating.

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Yeah, junk food is still junk food in most Japanese homes, but fast food can now be an entire meal. I think Kris will clarify that.

[Hiroyuki]

You'll have to explain it to your international audience!

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For the brave of heart and sound of mind, a brief introduction to Chuck E Cheese's can be found here. Enter, ye who dare.

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Thanks the for the link! What a great restraurant! I mean it! So, it's more than just a "family restraurant" here in Japan? Can't wait to see what Kris is going to do there.

[sanrensho]

Other things I will be picking up in the next week or so are various dried beans and baking supplies (nuts, shredded coconut, cocoa). These items (unlike the ones above) are available in Japan but very expensive.

Hi Kris! I have the reverse question: What items do you bring over from Japan for your relatives and parents (sembei/crackers? candy/snacks?)?

Also, have you had much influence on their diet in terms of getting them to incorporate Japanese food into their lifestyles?

Edited July 23, 2006 by sanrensho (log)

[Pontormo]

I also wanted to explain a bit about my teaser photo, the food on the left are examples of food I have in my pantry at home while the food on the right is an example of the food I see when I open the pantry here at my parent's house.

I cook quite a bit differently when I am here...

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Torakris: This has got to be one of the richest teaser photos, given your explanation. I think many of us would identify when comparing the foods we ate growing up to the foods we prepare ourselves.

Any further comments you'd like to share would be interesing. For example, I'm curious about the influence you and your immediate family might have had on parents, siblings or other relatives, especially if they've been able to visit you in Japan for extended periods of time. Judging by the comparison of olives in the photograph, distinctions are not simply due to your move to Asia.

Also, I wonder what your family in Cleveland thinks about what you're doing right now in front of the computer.

[torakris]

Is there some dish that is specifically from Cleveland?

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Not that I can think of... fellow Clevelanders are you here? help me out!!

[torakris]

torakris,

i'm always interested in westerners, especially like you who grew up in a very "american" area, who end up living in asia.  as far as this can apply to food, how did this happen for you?  your kids are so cute (hapa kids are the cutest...i can say that 'cause i'm a hapa too  ).  how americanized is your husband?  it seems that you have assimilated very well into japanese culture and you say your children speak better japanese than english, do you have any plans to return to the united states to live?

as much as it can relate to food and how your cooking differs from japan and the united states, with all of the american junk food infiltrating foreign countries, do you find that the japanese diet has changed significantly?  are people less healthy?  can you do a bit of comparison/contrast?

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Though we have no plans to move to the US, I would consider my husband quite Americanized. We are sort of opposites like this as most of my Japanese friends say that I am more 'Japanese' than most Japanese people...

In the close to 15 years I have been in Japan the amount of convenience foods has probably quadrupled. Retort packs are very common with everything from curry rice to pasta sauces to demi glace and white sauces. There also has been a great increase in ready made frozen foods, though most of them are for bentos (the Japanese lunch box). The Japanese are getting larger and their current diet plays a big role, few families are eating the way they did even one generation back.

[torakris]

Other things I will be picking up in the next week or so are various dried beans and baking supplies (nuts, shredded coconut, cocoa). These items (unlike the ones above) are available in Japan but very expensive.

Hi Kris! I have the reverse question: What items do you bring over from Japan for your relatives and parents (sembei/crackers? candy/snacks?)?

Also, have you had much influence on their diet in terms of getting them to incorporate Japanese food into their lifestyles?

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I came back with almost one entire suitcase filled with curry roux (about 20 packs), beef stew roux, Pocky , Pretz, Hi-chu, a couple other new candies and a couple kinds of sembei (rice crackers).

I think I have influenced my family quite a bit, they now own a rice cooker and buy Japanese rice. Friday nights are curry rice nights, almost every Friday night!

When I am here they often request foods like tonkatsu, mapo dofu, sunomono, etc.

[torakris]

Any further comments you'd like to share would be interesing. For example, I'm curious about the influence you and your immediate family might have had on parents, siblings or other relatives, especially if they've been able to visit you in Japan for extended periods of time.  Judging by the comparison of olives in the photograph, distinctions are not simply due to your move to Asia. 

Also, I wonder what your family in Cleveland thinks about what you're doing right now in front of the computer.

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Since college I have been very interested in 'ethnic' foods, I cook a little bit of everything and while my family enjoys eating it, it just isn't the way they would cook for themselves. The foods on the right show how my family eats when I am not here. My dad does have a very nice garden (I will get some pictures up tomorrow) and they eat from there daily in the summer.

My family has really learned a lot about eGullet in the past couple days, but they do think the photographing of all the food is a little weird.

[Kim Shook]

It is 12:30 and we were supposed to leave for the zoo about 2 hours ago, but my sister Mary has just called from the hospital and will be there until at least 1:30 and said we should go without her. So we have decided to eat a little bit of something before we head off. The kids are being fed eggs in a variety of forms, scrambled, hard boiled and egg salad. So for lunch I ate a black raspberry donut and a glass of water.

I swear I normally eat better than this...

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Kris, is there any better eating than a black raspberry donut? Drool! I am already really enjoying the blog and all I've seen are some fabulous donuts, gorgeous kids and a big hunky dog !

[torakris]

Sunday dinner:

We left the zoo a little before 6, my sister Mary and husband Chad who had joined us later left with their 4 kids to return home. I returned to my parent's home with my other sisters, the whole time debating what to do about dinner. We knew there was nothing in the house.... As we arrived home my mother greeted us with the news that she had roasted a chicken and left the rest for us. Roast chicken and it was still warm!

My kids and I were so hungry we tore into with our hands. I let my kids pick at while my sister and I scrounged around to find something to fill out the meal. I ended up sauteeing some (frozen) broccoli and onions (from the garden) with a really nice Asian style sauce from trader Joe's. We also whipped up a Rice A Roni (sp?) style instant rice we found in the cupboard. Voila! dinner for 5 in less than 10 minutes!

the broccoli

the rice

the sauces

Soyaki, this was quite good and the BBQ sauce my kids asked for..

EDITED to include the right picture.

Edited July 24, 2006 by torakris (log)

[torakris]

At 8:00 we met Mary, her husband and kids at UDF (United Dairy Farmers) for ice cream. They had their 2 scoop ice cream floats on sale for $.99, you can't beat that! It was so big I could barely eat half of it. The rest is in the refrigerator, I wonder if will still be ok tomorrow??

One of the things I love most about summer in Cleveland is that the sun doesn't set until about 9:00pm, in Japan it gets dark by 7:00. I really love the long evenings.

[torakris]

Today was a pretty nostalgic day, Both Amy Joy dounts and UDF (United Dairy Farmers) are places that I enjoyed as a child. A couple Sunday mornings a year my parents would take 2 to 3 of us to Amy Joy to pick out the donuts for the family. I am pretty sure there is just a handful of shops and they are all in the Cleveland area, they really are great donuts. I had a coupon for Dunkin donuts last summer and tried there for the first time and was really disappointed.

UDF has great ice cream, you must try their fried ice cream flavor! It was founded in Ohio but according to their website now have shops in Kentucky and Indiana as well.

[LindsayAnn]

kris I love what you are doing (A blog while you are here in the states with your family...discussing, comparing/contrasting and evaluating the differenes and lifestyle you abide by while you are here with your family...eating/cooking wise of course. It really is neat to hear and learn about your perspective, and your children..especially since you live in Japan now and this is a completely new way of doing it (or really back to the old way for you). I am still pretty young (24) and have not yet had the opportunities to travel to other countries, but I look foward to the prospects of doing so someday (I hope), but in the meantime I will live thru you and your family!

What is your favorite meal/dish and snacks to eat here in the states...also what are your fav's in Japan (And please explain what they are cause I will no doubt have no clue what you are talking about!). thanks Kris!

P.S Your kids too, what are there fav's here as well as in Japan...sorry to ask you to explain this, but I would really like to hear and I am quessing that others would as well!

[torakris]

What is your favorite meal/dish and snacks to eat here in the states...also what are your fav's in Japan (And please explain what they are cause I will no doubt have no clue what you are talking about!). thanks Kris!

P.S Your kids too, what are there fav's here as well as in Japan...sorry to ask you to explain this, but I would really like to hear and I am quessing that others would as well!

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Snacks are easy I am addicted to M&M's (plain only please) in both countries and every time I get to the US one of the first things I buy is a big bag of sour patch kids. In Japan I really like Hi-chu (a soft sort of starburst like candy).

I am really not much of a snacker and will often turn to either fruit or a bit of sweetened ice tea or iced coffee if I am hungry between meals.

My kids love snacks and could eat them all day long if I let them. They are big fans of the Japnese rice crackers (sembei) and prefer things like potato chips. Though my oldest daughter just walked in now and said she was hungry (after that huge ice cream float) and wanted to know if there was any broccoli left.

My favorite meals?

hhmm.... In the US I love my mom's stuffed cabbage (this was what I always requested for my birthday dinner), I also love sweet potatoes (they are different in Japan) and I cook with them once a week. I am also an olive and cheese freak and I just love the selection I can find here.

In Japan, it would definitely be the fish. I love sashimi (raw fish) and would eat it everyday if I could. Since I am only here for a month every year I don't really get too many longings for Japanese food but if I ever moved here I think it would be really hard for me to live in a place like Cleveland that doesn't have a very large Japanese population and thus access to great Japanese supermarkets.

[MarketStEl]

I came back with almost one entire suitcase filled with curry roux (about 20 packs), beef stew roux, Pocky  , Pretz, Hi-chu, a couple other new candies and a couple kinds of sembei (rice crackers).

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No "Hello Kitty"?

the sauces

Soyaki, this was quite good and the BBQ sauce my kids asked for..

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You need to educate your kids about what constitutes good barbecue sauce.

Even though you are at present about 600 miles away from it, it is possible to do so thanks to the miracle of the Internet and a recipe that Ollie Gates gave up to Martha Stewart on an ancient episode of "From Martha's Kitchen."

If you don't want to order the genuine article, you can make your own. I posted the recipe to RecipeGullet back in April. Just search on "Ollie Gates."

[mizducky]

There are many aspects of your blog I'm looking forward too, Kris, but I have to say that not least among them will be watching you manage and feed that huge assortment of kiddies!

[FabulousFoodBabe]

Kris, what a cool blog! The UDF brings back some memories, I tell ya. When we lived in Columbus, we took our kids to Sea World something like three times a year, and used to visit other friends up there about twice a year. The redevelopment on the lake was amazing -- it's a truly beautiful place. Your kids are beautiful, too.

[torakris]

It is only 12:30 but I have accomplished a lot today!

Erin and I left the house at 6:40am to be at the thrift store when it opened at 7:00, Monday's are half off days. I am a thrift store junkie. I didn't find any good cooking things or even cookbooks but I did pick up a gorgeous Maggy London dress for $3.40 and an equally gorgeous Ann Taylor dress for $4.20.

Came home and ate breakfast, pictures to follow....

[NancyH]

Is there some dish that is specifically from Cleveland?

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Not that I can think of... fellow Clevelanders are you here? help me out!!

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Wow - that's a tough question! I've lived in Cleveland just over ten years, but I can't think of any food uniquely indigenous to Cleveland except for Dominic Cerino's Blue Egg Ravioli.

Still, when I think "Cleveland Food" - I think pierogi and kielbasa - a reflection of the large Polish and Eastern European population here. The grandmas at some of the local Polish churches still make pierogi to die for! Kris - do we need to get you some of those before you leave??

[torakris]

Is there some dish that is specifically from Cleveland?

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Not that I can think of... fellow Clevelanders are you here? help me out!!

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Wow - that's a tough question! I've lived in Cleveland just over ten years, but I can't think of any food uniquely indigenous to Cleveland except for Dominic Cerino's Blue Egg Ravioli.

Still, when I think "Cleveland Food" - I think pierogi and kielbasa - a reflection of the large Polish and Eastern European population here. The grandmas at some of the local Polish churches still make pierogi to die for! Kris - do we need to get you some of those before you leave??

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I think we should make Dominic's Blue Egg ravioli Cleveland's official dish!

For more information check out the whole thread on the restaurant Carrie Cerino's

I had my first ever pierogi last summer the Ohio Wine Festival....

[NancyH]

The best pierogi in the world are made by the grandmas of St Josephat's, located at State Road North of Snow-Rockside, Parma 440-888-8761. You can only buy them two days a week: th 8-1, Fr 8-3.

[torakris]

The best pierogi in the world are made by the grandmas of St Josephat's, located at State Road North of Snow-Rockside, Parma 440-888-8761.  You can only buy them two days a week:  th 8-1, Fr 8-3.

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Parma????

How do you find these places?

[torakris]

Breakfast:

coffee, instant with half a pack of sweet and low and a bit of 2% milk.

The coffee station

breakfast prep

Hide wanted egg salad sandwiches and the girls and I wanted blueberry bagels. I am the only person in my family who eat Hellman's, everyone else eats Miracle Whip , so my mom always picks me up a small jar (or squeeze tube...)

My breakfast

I took a bite of the bagel before I remembered to take a picture, the sandwich Hide gave to me because he couldn't finish it. The bites are his...

[torakris]

After breakfast my dad, my daughters, my nephew Jake (age 12) and I headed out to Miles Farmer's Market. I love this store! This is where I buy most of my groceries when I am here even though I have to drive past about 10 Giant Eagle and Tops supermarkets to get there.

Some pictures from the store

The olive oil and vinegar tasting area, this is only about 1/3 of the shelves, there was a huge display behind me and I couldn't get it all in.

The cheeses

The olive bar

they even have a salsa/pickle (not pictured) bar

My purchases (purple cauliflower, tomatoes, green beans, grapes, radishes, and plums. The bag of cut up lettuce we bought for my sister.

My kids picked up some fried chicken for lunch and I got the 'Ultimate sandwich'!

Various Italian meats, provolone cheese and a roasted red pepper with olive oil and vinegar on the side. This the type of type sadwich other sandwiches dream of being...

I finished it off with a glass of water.

[torakris]

Just down Miles Rd. is a new Asian Supermarket called CAM, we stopped in because my sister Mary asked us to pick up some tofu and takuan.

Some shots of the store

I can't have a blog without a picture of Pocky

We did't buy much as we had just been there a couple days ago