Kitchen Culture
Tasty tidbits from the old-fashioned Japanese kitchen
Osozai Side Dishes
Modern households everywhere are challenged with balancing a desire to eat healthfully with limited time to prepare meals. In Japan, the food industry’s response has been to offer a vast assortment of prepared foods for sale through various outlets: convenience...
Using Food Fully
Meals planned around a single ingredient prepared in many ways are referred to as tsukushi (or zukushi) 尽くし menus. The verb tsukusu means "to use, or consume, entirely." This no-waste approach is both a frugal and practical way to cook, making the most of what is...
The Language of Learning
Although we are all born with some innate capabilities, we also must LEARN in order to survive and thrive. Different cultures manage learning differently. The Japanese language has two verbs that can be used when talking about acquiring information and experience....
Oysters
Throughout the world, oysters have been a popular food source since ancient times. Archeologic evidence in Japan, in the form of kaizuka (shell mounds), dates to the Jōmon period (14,000-300 BCE). Oysters had been abundant for millennia and harvested in their natural...
Kagami Mochi
At New Years’ time, the Japanese decorate their homes with a special display called KAGAMI MOCHI. There are many regional variations on the theme but typically two large rounds of omochi rice taffy are stacked with a daidai 橙 (bitter orange) on top. The arrangement is...
