I was fortunate to live in Okinawa, Korea and Japan over a two year period. The three kinds of foods that seemed to dominate the cuisines were seaweed, fish and rice. The rice was a revelation -a different variety and quality from what passes for rice in the United States. Asian varieties of short grain white rice have real flavor and moderate stickiness. Here's a good article on buying Japanese rice which demonstrates the importance of rice in the culture:
I remember the first time I ate sushi, reluctantly, because I thought "Raw fish? That's got to be awful!", only to discover it was delicious. That got me to try other Japanese dishes like soybean curd (miso) soup (which became my go-to comfort food for when I was sick), Japanese hot wine (sake) (which I had to give up when I quit drinking, only to later learn sake was mostly heated up to mask the flavor of inferior brands!), and the fermented milk soft drink (Calpis Water) which is extremely refreshing and not at all sweet.
You can tell the cultural change sushi brought to America by watching how STAR TREK went from "Ew! Gross Klingon Food!" to Commander Riker admitting he enjoyed *gagh* (a Klingon dish of still-alive "serpent worms" that would attack you if you didn't eat them quickly enough), to the Deep Space Nine space station having a Klingon restaurant where you could sit and eat or get takeout.
I lived in Japan, late 70’s-into the 80’s. Other than going to Yamashiro for ten’pura, I’d never really been exposed to great Japanese food. It didn’t take much for me to dive into all the goodies! Sashimi became my go-to. Okonomiyaki was my late night treat and so on. When I came back to the states, Japanese food was still just so-so. It took some time to really make a breakthrough. Today, I’m a huge fan of Osanebo. Oishi!
Underground Gourmet! Blast from the past and, tbh, the only reviews we seemed to be in line with. If we went to Japantown to eat, they would always, politely, suggest cooked Americanized food. We always, politely, declined and asked for whatever they’re eating in the kitchen.
I grew up in Chicago, and when my family took a road trip to NYC when I was about 11, so about 1968, we stayed with a work colleague of my father's who lived in the West Village. We had dinner on night in a little hole in the wall sushi joint, of course none of us had ever had anything like it before, I doubt very much that I had ever tasted any Japanese food prior to that, or any Asian cuisine aside from an occasional trip to Chinatown for wonton soup followed by egg fu young. {A few years later a couple of ramen places opened up on the near north side and we became obsessed.} I remember being so impressed by the young white woman who waited on us. She wrote down our order in kanji! And I remember how sweet and clean the hamachi negi {still my favorite thing on the menu} tasted.
Ruth, the French Riviera trip and food adventure sounds so fabulous! Would love to do this but the timing doesn’t work this year. Hopefully I don’t miss the announcement for the following year but is there a way to be put on a list of interested parties for 2024?
There's a famous story about a China scholar named Myron Cohen who used the character 孔 as in Confucius in his adopted Chinese name. Unfortunately while at a formal celebration of Confucius' birthday, the character was mispronounced to be understood as "Confucius the slave trader" where upon Cohen was punched by the direct descendant hosting the affair.
I was blessed with a tennis partner in grad school in 1978-79 at Stony Brook who was Japanese. He collected $20 from each of a group of friends went to Montauk and bought a whole tuna from a fishing boat. He said his dad taught him how to butcher it. I had my first taste of sushi when my buddy sliced it up and served it with warm sticky rice. Never had I ever!!! It was at least 6 or 7 years before I went to a sushi restaurant and I will never forget that first taste.
I worked in a seafood restaurant in downtown Tokyo when I was in grad school. Next to the restaurant was a fishmongers, owned by my boss’s father. His brother and their sons all work there and they live across the street.
One of the most charming things about restaurants in that neighborhood is how they were owned and helmed by a single chef. Kitchens were narrow, small and busy, but there is a certain homeliness quite unlike an industrial kitchen.
Great scene-setting. It was almost like I was there with you. Now that you mention it, I was.
I was fortunate to live in Okinawa, Korea and Japan over a two year period. The three kinds of foods that seemed to dominate the cuisines were seaweed, fish and rice. The rice was a revelation -a different variety and quality from what passes for rice in the United States. Asian varieties of short grain white rice have real flavor and moderate stickiness. Here's a good article on buying Japanese rice which demonstrates the importance of rice in the culture:
https://bestlivingjapan.com/which-japanese-rice-to-buy/
I remember the first time I ate sushi, reluctantly, because I thought "Raw fish? That's got to be awful!", only to discover it was delicious. That got me to try other Japanese dishes like soybean curd (miso) soup (which became my go-to comfort food for when I was sick), Japanese hot wine (sake) (which I had to give up when I quit drinking, only to later learn sake was mostly heated up to mask the flavor of inferior brands!), and the fermented milk soft drink (Calpis Water) which is extremely refreshing and not at all sweet.
You can tell the cultural change sushi brought to America by watching how STAR TREK went from "Ew! Gross Klingon Food!" to Commander Riker admitting he enjoyed *gagh* (a Klingon dish of still-alive "serpent worms" that would attack you if you didn't eat them quickly enough), to the Deep Space Nine space station having a Klingon restaurant where you could sit and eat or get takeout.
Love these comments about Star Trek. Thanks! You're making me want to go back and take a look at the special issue Gourmet did on food and television.
I lived in Japan, late 70’s-into the 80’s. Other than going to Yamashiro for ten’pura, I’d never really been exposed to great Japanese food. It didn’t take much for me to dive into all the goodies! Sashimi became my go-to. Okonomiyaki was my late night treat and so on. When I came back to the states, Japanese food was still just so-so. It took some time to really make a breakthrough. Today, I’m a huge fan of Osanebo. Oishi!
Underground Gourmet! Blast from the past and, tbh, the only reviews we seemed to be in line with. If we went to Japantown to eat, they would always, politely, suggest cooked Americanized food. We always, politely, declined and asked for whatever they’re eating in the kitchen.
I grew up in Chicago, and when my family took a road trip to NYC when I was about 11, so about 1968, we stayed with a work colleague of my father's who lived in the West Village. We had dinner on night in a little hole in the wall sushi joint, of course none of us had ever had anything like it before, I doubt very much that I had ever tasted any Japanese food prior to that, or any Asian cuisine aside from an occasional trip to Chinatown for wonton soup followed by egg fu young. {A few years later a couple of ramen places opened up on the near north side and we became obsessed.} I remember being so impressed by the young white woman who waited on us. She wrote down our order in kanji! And I remember how sweet and clean the hamachi negi {still my favorite thing on the menu} tasted.
Ruth, the French Riviera trip and food adventure sounds so fabulous! Would love to do this but the timing doesn’t work this year. Hopefully I don’t miss the announcement for the following year but is there a way to be put on a list of interested parties for 2024?
Yes, we will put you on the list for next year... We're already planning that trip and it will be fantastic!
Please put me on the list as well. Is it always in September?
Always in the fall. Usually mid-October.
貓先生謝謝你
我叫毛周。 不是🐱！ 🤭
There's a famous story about a China scholar named Myron Cohen who used the character 孔 as in Confucius in his adopted Chinese name. Unfortunately while at a formal celebration of Confucius' birthday, the character was mispronounced to be understood as "Confucius the slave trader" where upon Cohen was punched by the direct descendant hosting the affair.
🤭🤣
Wonderful!
I was blessed with a tennis partner in grad school in 1978-79 at Stony Brook who was Japanese. He collected $20 from each of a group of friends went to Montauk and bought a whole tuna from a fishing boat. He said his dad taught him how to butcher it. I had my first taste of sushi when my buddy sliced it up and served it with warm sticky rice. Never had I ever!!! It was at least 6 or 7 years before I went to a sushi restaurant and I will never forget that first taste.
Met you tonight at Per Se. A highlight!!!!
I worked in a seafood restaurant in downtown Tokyo when I was in grad school. Next to the restaurant was a fishmongers, owned by my boss’s father. His brother and their sons all work there and they live across the street.
One of the most charming things about restaurants in that neighborhood is how they were owned and helmed by a single chef. Kitchens were narrow, small and busy, but there is a certain homeliness quite unlike an industrial kitchen.