PROJECT Setting the Autumn Table

This project PROJECT is about setting the table… to set the stage for autumn’s culinary pleasures.

One simple and fun way to do this is by choosing fall-themed HASHI OKI (choptsick rests). Pictured above are a few of the options: autumnal maple leaves, chestnuts, shimeji mushrooms, persimmons, and SANMA fish.

Do you have any hashi oki ?

If not, you can craft some HASHI-BUKURO (sheaths) from origami (folded paper) or other paper.

You can further enhance these hashi-bukuro by drawing images of seasonal motifs on them, or use stamps or stickers to decorate the sheaths.

Long, narrow plates are known as SANMA-ZARA (秋刀魚皿) because they are used to plate whole grilled sanma fish. Sanma-zara are also a great way to showcase clusters of food.