Persimmons and Chestnuts

the eternal search for umami
March 23, 2012

And Finally, For the Youngest Stirling—Spaghetti Bolognese.

Jennifer, Jenny or Jen Ju (as in the popular Taiwanese bubble tea) is the baby in our little army. Ask Jenny where she was born, and she will excitedly tell you the true story of how she popped out on the foyer of my family’s Taiwanese apartment. She may be 12, but in my mind she’s still a tiny three-year-old sneaking into my room at 6 a.m., dragging her favorite book and hoping for story-time.

Adventurous and curious about food, Jenny is the kid that chefs and food lovers wish for. Jenny always claims the seat next to me when we go out for dinner, not because I’m such pleasant company, but because—as she once explained—I always order the most interesting food.  My husband is convinced that she is actually mine. I swear she’s not.

Phone conversations with Jenny inevitably land on the topic of food. Sometimes it’s about something new she tried and loved—jellyfish salad for example. Other times it’s all about the things she could do without—tuna casseroles. She loves to hear detailed descriptions of weird things I’ve eaten, like the bull testicle tacos I once treated myself to in Mexico.

But like any other kid, Jenny just can’t seem to get enough spaghetti Bolognese. This dish has been her favorite from the time she could sit up in a highchair—often requesting seconds, or even thirds. Growing up, our spaghetti was never perfect; it’s not easy to make a GIANT batch of pasta perfectly al dente. In an effort to make sure there was enough for everyone sometimes we would be forced to stretch the sauce so thin we were basically topping nests of spaghetti with chunky tomato soup. When we were feeling extra flush with cash a green tube containing “parmesan cheese” appeared at the table and we would blanket everything in that, oh-so-delicious and yet oh-so-wrong, faux dairy product. And you know what? It was fabulous! There’s something wonderfully comforting about sitting around a big table with the whole family digging into a massive bowl of pasta.

So, for this final post in my Third Culture Kids palates series, it seemed only fitting to create a simple recipe for something it seems every kid—no matter where they grow up—can’t help but love.

Ingredients:
½ medium onion, minced
2 small carrots, minced (I’m talking carrots as thick as your thumb)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. olive oil
1½ tsp. salt
1 28oz. can diced or crushed tomatoes
¾ lb. ground beef
Fresh ground black pepper
Good fistful of dry spaghetti
Parsley or basil

  • Set a large skillet or wide-bottomed pot on the stove over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil. When the oil starts to shimmer add the onion, carrots, garlic and ½ teaspoon of salt. Cook gently for 8 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the canned tomatoes and another ½ teaspoon of salt. (I rinse the empty can with a splash of water and then add that to the pan as well)
  • Keep the heat on medium until the tomato sauce begins to bubble then turn the heat down to low.
  • Place another skillet over high-heat; add a splash of olive oil. Once the oil is hot add the ground beef, ½ teaspoon of salt and a few generous grinds of fresh black pepper. Cook the beef, breaking apart any chunks, until nicely browned.
  • Add the meat to the pot/pan with the tomato sauce. Partially cover with a lid and allow the sauce to simmer gently.
  • I let the sauce cook for about 1 hour but if you like to let your sauce simmer for hours that’s up to you. Just keep an eye on it and if it starts to look a little too thick add a splash of water.
  • 30 minutes before serving time place a large pot of water on the stove. Salt well. When the water comes to a vigorous boil add the pasta. Cook according to the instructions on the back, stirring frequently to avoid clumping.
  • Drain the pasta just before what would be considered “al dente”, reserving one cup of the pasta water.
  • Add the drained pasta to the sauce (if the skillet/pot is not big enough return the pasta and then the sauce to the pasta pot). Finish cooking the pasta in the sauce, adding a splash of the pasta water if necessary.
  • I don’t like to buy herbs for a single dish because I hate to see the leftovers wasted. I grow thyme and chives on my balcony, but I use so much parsley that it is the one herb that I buy every week. When it comes to this dish you can add some torn or thinly sliced basil at the very end… or you can throw in some roughly minced parsley. Your choice!
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March 8, 2012

A Favorite Childhood Dessert From Guest Photographer, Sibling #9

Except for January, my monstrous family celebrates a birthday every month. That means a whole lot of birthday cake. Before Vanessa came around, all the older sisters dabbled with the world of careful measurements, timing and temperatures. We had a few successes, but many more failures. I can recall two crowning moments of my own. Once I forgot to add baking powder to a cake—you can imagine the outcome. Another time I added liquid dish soap instead of oil to a recipe. Now before you get all judgy, you should know that our dish soap and vegetable oil came in identical 18-liter aluminum cans. Once the labels identifying the products got wet and peeled off, chances were pretty high that you would at best have to rewash all the dishes, or at worst be serving a diarrhea-inducing dessert.

I could make numerous excuses for my less-than-stellar baking skills, but the truth is I simply sucked. Vanessa however, does not. Methodical, precise and patient—she has all the traits baking demands. In addition to being a fabulous baker, my ridiculously talented 14 year old sister dabbles in photography. Naturally, I was thrilled when she agreed to photograph and pass along the recipe for her popular carrot cake so that I could post it on this blog. Vanessa started making this cake regularly after deciphering the scribble on a tattered old recipe card—which she believes was originally adapted from the Joy of Baking (if anyone recognizes it let me know. I’d love to know its origins).

This moist carrot cake is often the star of our birthday celebrations and a happy reminder of childhood.

Ingredients:
2 cup white flour
2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups grated carrots

Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 cup of cream cheese
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

• Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease and flour one 9×13 inch pan or two 9 inch round cake pans.

• In a large bowl combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until blended.

• Add the oil and the eggs. Mix well. Finally add the carrots. Stir to incorporate throughout. Pour the batter into prepared pan(s).

• Bake at 350° for 25 to 35 minutes. Test the doneness by inserting a toothpick or skewer into the center of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is ready.

• For the frosting… cream together the butter and cream cheese until smooth, add the sugar and vanilla. Beat until fluffy.

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March 1, 2012

Visit the Tsukiji Fish Market… But Not in Late December

Even though I spent many years living in Japan every time I visit I still find random, fascinating aspects of the culture and country that I hadn’t noticed before. Instead of creating one long blog post I’ve decided to turn it into a series where each week I share one or two of the ten biggest observations from my most recent trip. #1: Pillow Girlfriends Really Do Exist #2: Technologically Advanced Toilets But Sinks Dispense Water The Temperature of Melted Ice #3: Japanese Women Love High Heels But Can’t Walk in Them #4 It’s Possible to Order at a Restaurant in Japan Without Speaking or Reading a Lick of the Language #5 Unfortunately It Is Possible to Get a Bad Meal in Japan

If you love seafood and/or food markets you really can’t leave Tokyo without spending one of your mornings gawking at the dizzying display of colors, smells and sounds at Tsukiji fish market. It is one of the most famous fish markets in the world, and where most of the really good sushi restaurants—all over the globe—buy their fish. I visited Tsukiji on December 30th, the last business day of the year for this popular market. Do not follow my example.

Every time I travel abroad I visit the local markets and this was by far the busiest one I’d ever experienced. The public market (as opposed to the wholesale market which is wisely closed to the masses during the last couple of weeks of December) is rammed with shoppers hoping to purchase enough fresh seafood to last their families over the New Year’s holiday. No one is rude or aggressive, but there is consistent and intense physical pressure from all sides. Several times I had to steady myself against the pressure behind me to avoid crushing 4-foot tall Japanese grandmothers checking out the fish displays directly in front of me. Parts were so intense, even my husband who is easily twice the size of most people in the crowd couldn’t make any real forward progress.

But the market is so fascinating that we soldiered on, regrouping at the end of each alley to create some sort of game plan for making it through the next. These strategies never panned out. Shouting over the heads of the crowd around us my husband deftly summed up the experience, “I think we now know what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.”

Overlooking the wholesale market section

Shoppers checking out portioned and packaged fish

One of the larger and, believe it or not, more maneuverable alleys

Octopus waiting to be taken home

So sweet, so delicious, so expensive!

Mentaiko—marinated fish roe. Used in everything from Japanese rice balls to pasta

Fresh wasabi root 

Hungry diners hoping for a seat at one of the sushi spots next to the wholesale market

Sushi breakfast. The market drama was definitely worth it

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February 22, 2012

Unfortunately It Is Possible to Get a Bad Meal in Japan

Even though I spent many years living in Japan every time I visit I still find random, fascinating aspects of the culture and country that I hadn’t noticed before. Instead of creating one long blog post I’ve decided to turn it into a series where each week I share one or two of the ten biggest observations from my most recent trip. #1 of 10: Pillow Girlfriends Really Do Exist #2 of 10: Technologically Advanced Toilets But Sinks Dispense Water The Temperature of Melted Ice #3 of 10 Japanese Women Love High Heels But Can’t Walk in Them #4 It’s Possible to Order at a Restaurant in Japan Without Speaking or Reading a Lick of the Language

It pains me to admit that but it’s true. I’ve been guilty of hubristically proclaiming that it’s nearly impossible to get a bad meal in Japan. And while I will say that your chances of finding good food are higher than many other countries, it doesn’t hurt to do a little research beforehand. Here are a few things I’ve learned.

      • Don’t order offal—bizarrely called “hormone” in Japan (the misuse of the word is actually derived from the Japanese term horu-mono or discarded goods) unless you know for a fact that the chef has the chops to do it right. Offal is tricky to cook right and when it’s done wrong… Lord have mercy! Fingers crossed you are good at politely spitting the contents of your mouth into your napkin.
      • Major train stations, large office buildings, and the top levels of department stores usually have a great selection of restaurants, especially for lunch.
      • Japanese restaurants that have established branches in the States have reached that level of success for good reason. They’re delicious! We reluctantly went to Ippudo in Kyoto (I say reluctantly because even though I love Ippudo in Manhattan, I hesitate to eat at a restaurant that I can visit in the US), but it turned out to be one of the best bowls of ramen we had while in Japan. They even had killer free add-ons that they don’t offer in their New York branch—pickled bean sprouts, fresh garlic that you crush tableside, and a sesame seed mill for diners who enjoy the taste of fresh toasted sesame seeds. (See photo above)
      • Go to restaurants that specialize in just one thing. If you want good udon don’t go to a soba place. Have a thing for tonkatsu? Find a katsu restaurant. Ramen stock takes serious nurturing and knowledge to get just right, don’t order it at a restaurant that’s got a million other menu items and expect anything spectacular (come to think of it, this works for the States too!).
      • Street level, basement, 2nd floor, 23rd floor—in Japan it doesn’t matter. Don’t shy away from a restaurant just because you have to take a tiny elevator, or walk up a dark flight of stairs to get to it.

If all else fails pop me a note. I may just have a couple fabulous spots I’d be willing to share with you.

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February 16, 2012

It’s Possible to Order at a Restaurant in Japan Without Speaking or Reading a Lick of the Language

Even though I spent many years living in Japan every time I visit I still find random, fascinating aspects of the culture and country that I hadn’t noticed before. Instead of creating one long blog post I’ve decided to turn it into a series where each week I share one or two of the ten biggest observations from my most recent trip. #1: Pillow Girlfriends Really Do Exist #2: Technologically Advanced Toilets But Sinks Dispense Water The Temperature of Melted Ice #3: Japanese Women Love High Heels But Can’t Walk in Them

I attribute this to three factors. First, many restaurants have plastic replicas of menu items outside their establishment, making it easy to see what they serve just by browsing the window displays. Once you spot a plastic model of something that looks good walk in, get a table and order it. Think of it as buying an outfit right off the mannequin.

Second, food photography in Japan is ridiculously good, prevalent on menus, and the food comes out looking pretty damn close to how it did in the photo. This goes for fast food joints as well. The lettuce is just as green and frilly. The beef patty is just as shiny. Everything is assembled with such exactitude you would think all the employees carried rulers.

Third, if you happen to be at a restaurant that doesn’t have a plastic food display OR photos on the menu OR an English menu (where the heck are you?), chances are high that your Japanese server will be insanely polite and will do their best to help you order anyway. Use gestures, point, and employ all the Japanese words you can remember. If you want to know what kind of meat comes with a dish, don’t be shy about resorting to barnyard noises. If all that fails take a page from my husband and sound out English words with your best Japanese accent.

One evening on our recent visit to Tokyo I had dinner plans with a group of old co-workers, and left my non-Japanese speaking husband to fend for himself. Craving tonkotsu—fried pork cutlets—he walked around checking out the plastic displays until he found a restaurant serving it. He went in and got a table. To order a beer he simply said, bee-ru kudasai, and brought his hand holding an invisible beer mug to his mouth. He then pointed to the picture of the dish he wanted. The waiter nodded, scribbled down the order and then asked, “Uh, bura bura bura bura salada?” (I’m sure the waiter actually said real words but that’s what my husband heard and how he related the story to me) Perplexed but wanting to sound calm and in control, my hubby responded by phonetically mimicking the sounds but changing the last tone so that it came out as a statement rather than a question, “Ah, bura bura bura bura salada”. The waiter smiled and nodded, then hurried away to place the mystery order.

My husband’s dinner consisted of two crispy pork cutlets, shredded cabbage, rice, miso soup… and a side salad.

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February 10, 2012

Japanese Women Love High Heels But Can’t Walk in Them

Even though I spent many years living in Japan every time I visit I still find random, fascinating aspects of the culture and country that I hadn’t noticed before. Instead of creating one long blog post I’ve decided to turn it into a series where each week I share one or two of the ten biggest observations from my most recent trip. #1 of 10: Pillow Girlfriends Really Do Exist #2 of 10: Technologically Advanced Toilets But Sinks Dispense Water The Temperature of Melted Ice

Two Japanese women in their mid-twenties are out for a day of shopping in Shibuya. With the help of primer, concealer and powder their skin is unnaturally flawless and white. Their eyelashes are thick from falsies. They sport matching light brown hair extensions, done into loose curls. One wears her bangs pin-straight, covering her forehead. The other has hers gently swept to the side. Both are wearing blowy tops & tights but one pairs it with short-shorts and thigh-high stiletto boots. Her friend dons lace-up black and red Mary Jane pumps to match her mini skirt. Their fur-trimmed coats are the only evidence that it is, in fact, winter. Both slightly pigeon toed, the insides of their heels are unevenly worn, causing their dainty ankles to twitch as they trip and toddle down the street.

This is not an uncommon sight. In fact I saw it more times than not—beautiful women dressed to the nines not particularly concerned by the fact that they were about to face plant.

Japanese women love their heels but can’t walk in them for shit.

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February 7, 2012

Technologically Advanced Toilets But Sinks Dispense Water The Temperature of Melted Ice

Even though I spent many years living in Japan every time I visit I still find random, fascinating aspects of the culture and country that I hadn’t noticed before. Instead of creating one long blog post I’ve decided to turn it into a series where each week I share one or two of the ten biggest observations from my most recent trip. #1 of 10: Pillow Girlfriends Really Do Exist #2 of 10: Below.

Japanese toilets are notoriously difficult to use with intricate, complex instructions (written solely in Japanese of course) attached to the wall of each stall. Frankly, in a country where you have about a 50/50 shot of hitting the button for “bidet” instead of “flush” I’m surprised we don’t hear about more foreigners bursting out of toilet stalls, arms flailing wildly, their half soaked pants wrapped unceremoniously around their ankles. In Japan you would be hard pressed to find a toilet seat that isn’t electronically warmed. Not hot, just a comfortable temperature that spares your butt cheeks that initial shock of a stone cold throne. Hotels, restaurants, dive bars, even public restrooms on the street—all warm. However, once you exit your technologically advanced toilet stall your hands will be greeted by water so cold you may be tempted to rush back to the toilet push the “warm pulsating wash” or “blow dry” button just to bring back the blood to your fingers. I couldn’t help but think that instead of spending all that scientific manpower on figuring out the ideal distance between vulva and anus jets or the preferred temperature for the pulsating butt wash, they could look into adding a hot water faucet to the bathroom sinks.

But then again, maybe my priorities are just different.

Looks simple enough…

But open the panel and tad da… don’t read Japanese? Good luck!

A very uncommon sight, I found this extensive English user manual in a department store bathroom in Kyoto. Could a past unfortunate experience with a foreigner have prompted the posting of these detailed English instructions?

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February 3, 2012

Pillow Girlfriends Really Do Exist: #1 of 10 Random Observations about Japan

Japan is a country that caters to the fantasy and even the fetish. Hostesses pour drinks and entertain businessmen in bars. Young waitresses wearing French maid outfits or dressed up like popular manga characters serve food and play games with customers at Maid Cafes. There are even bars where the female hosts wear suits and act like men; their patrons are not gay, but mainly straight women. In light of all that, perhaps the fact that some men enter into relationships with body pillows adorned with the image of their favorite anime, video game, or manga character isn’t too surprising.

As someone with an insatiable curiosity for Japanese culture, I’ve read about the pillow girlfriend phenomena (and thoroughly enjoyed the episode of 30 Rock where James Franco had one of his own), but I’ve never actually seen one in person… until last month. Early one morning outside the Shinjuku train station my husband and I were enraptured by the sight of a young male teenager with a body pillow slung over his back. The pillowcase bore the image of not just one, but two sexy anime ladies—long bare legs, knees turned inward, index fingers touching their slightly open pouts. I fumbled for my camera as my husband tugged at my sleeve and whispered loudly “take a picture, take a picture!” I desperately wanted to ask the young man if he wouldn’t mind holding still so I could capture the perfect shot, but thought better of it. A man disillusioned enough to sleep, eat, travel… and be in love with the poly fill ladies would probably not respond well to a foreign (living) lady approaching him with a large camera. Like a rare wildlife specimen, I managed to only snap a fleeting shot of him before he disappeared back into the surrounding Tokyo jungle.

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January 20, 2012

New Year’s In Japan Part 3: Visiting a Temple and/or Shrine

I’m not Buddhist, nor do I practice Shintoism but if I’m in Japan at the dawn of a new year I always visit one (or several) of the temples and shrines scattered throughout the country. I love the beauty, serenity, history and traditions associated with each site.

In Tokyo the very popular Meiji shrine is my favorite. Surrounded by a forest, the shrine is a quiet oasis in the middle of the busy city. If I’m in Kyoto, I refuse to leave without a visit to the Inari Shrine, easily one of my top ten places in the world.

I can spend hours meandering under the thousands of bright orange torii gates that wind up and down the graceful mountain, pausing occasionally to sip tea at one of the tiny teahouses that dot the trail. The startling contrast of orange and black torii gates against the surrounding forest is mesmerizing. The occasional yuzu tree adds a layer of enchantment, the golden yellow citrus fruit perfuming the crisp air with hints of grapefruit and orange.

No matter which shrine you visit, allow yourself to be carried with the crowd towards the center structure. When you get there, toss a few coins into the metal offering box before clapping twice and bowing your head in brief prayer (I spotted many people skipping the traditional opening double bow so you can too). But before doing so, pause at the pit of burning incense and guide the fragrant smoke, believed to possess healing powers, over any ailing body parts.

One of my favorite aspects of each site are the different ceremonial cleansing water fountains. I love the variations of spigots, typically dragons or bamboo, delivering cool water for visitors to purify their hands (and mouth if so desired) before entering the shrine or temple.

When hiking through the Inari Shrine in Kyoto you may hear the faint sound of running water and then spot a stone vessel overflowing with cold mountain water that’s streaming out of a bamboo spigot.

After all the praying and cleansing you might be feeling pretty damn good about your prospects for the new year, so this would be a great time to buy a omikuji—a piece of paper predicting your fortune for the upcoming year.

These are not the pleasant blow-smoke-up-your-bum fortunes found in cookies of a disconcerting yellow hue at the end of (American) Chinese meals. Some can be good, but others can be pretty harsh. If you do get an unwanted fortune, don’t stress. Simply follow the example of others and tie your fortune up around a nearby tree branch or pole so it can’t follow you around in the new year.

Off to one side you may spot a large board with hundreds of tiny plaques, called ema, hanging from it.  Visitors write prayers and wishes on the back of these plaques and leave them at the shrine in hopes that the kami (gods) will receive and grant the wish.

(I particularly liked the one below… someone’s in trouble!!) 

The plaques at the Inari Shrine are in the shape of a fox head (the Inari Okami or Inari god is a fox… go figure) and visitors can personalize their plaque further by drawing whatever face they want to on the front.

If you are worried you’ll forget the proper etiquette for washing, bowing, ringing bells and praying, don’t be. No one will judge you for taking cues by peeking at those around you, or if you opt not to do any of those things at all. Just go. Watch. Follow. Get lost. Stand still. Wander around. You won’t be disappointed.

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January 17, 2012

New Year’s in Japan Part 2: Where To Nurse Your Hangover

Every few years I head back to Japan to ring in the New Year. While most Japanese go home and spend New Year’s Eve with their legs tucked cozily under a kotatsu, (a table with a heater underneath and shrouded with a thick blanket) eating soba (buckwheat noodles) and various other symbolic dishes with their families, I do my best to wrangle up a few good friends for a night of debauchery. I’m not a drinker. I’m not a smoker. Simply put I have no vices. But if I’m in Tokyo on New Year’s Eve I’m the girl in the corner of a smoky bar at 5am with a martini in one hand, cigarette in the other, and a line of empty shot glasses in front of her.

This may explain why I don’t drink the other 364 days of the year.

Naturally, the next day I wake up with a pounding headache muttering to no one in particular how I’ll never touch a sip of alcohol again and in desperate need of food. Here’s the problem… January 1st is the only day out of the entire year when Tokyo is an absolute ghost town. Practically all restaurants and stores are closed; their Japanese proprietors are off climbing mountains, hoping to catch the first sunrise of the New Year or praying for prosperity and protection at their favorite shrine. Luckily for the less pure of heart, massive Western chain restaurants like Denny’s remain open for business.

At the joyous dawn of this New Year my husband and I spotted the canary yellow sign from our 23rd floor hotel room in Shinjuku and dragged our butts across the street to the brightly lit restaurant. While it’s said that when you’re drunk your foreign language conversational skills are exponentially better, I can attest that when you are hungover your foreign language reading skills are atrocious. But what one learns when they are six years old can never be forgotten and thus I did my best to translate the mainly katakana menu.

As I’ve said before Denny’s in Japan doesn’t serve platters of pancakes the size of your head or give you the option to “build your own Grand Slam” but I guarantee that you will find something to ease the pain. My breakfast was called “Hamburger Mountain”. A double hamburger patty, smothered in demi-glace with a panko-crusted shrimp straddling the mounds of beef. The tartar sauce cascading down the side did its best to replicate “mountain snow” (not making that up, it was part of the description). The dish came with fries but I opted to make it a Japanese set meal, which added pickles, rice, and miso soup to the feast. Side note: if you don’t already know this, miso soup is a fabulous hangover cure.

Craving a little taste of home, my husband ordered the “Demi-Glace Hamburger”, a beef patty with a fried egg and thick-cut French fries. I believe the accompanying corn and spinach was the Japanese attempt to “health-ify” the meal (sorry, he inhaled it before I could snap a picture but you can check it out here).

Perhaps one of the most welcomed aspects of the meal was the free coffee refills. In Japan coffee is small. I mean really small, something that a coffee producer might turn out as a product sample here in the U.S. The endless refills revived my husband, but may have forced management to look into slapping a limit on that offer. (I don’t drink coffee. I wasn’t lying about having zero vices).

(Just to give you a visual of coffee size. Here’s Ben adding creamer to a cup of coffee that he could easily smother in one hand) 

The final cherry on the top of this beef & demi-glace sundae was the tiny call button on the table. No need to raise your hand or catch the eye of your busy waitress every time you need your coffee mug or water glass refilled, simply push the little button and a smiling member of the gracious staff showed up tableside in a matter of seconds.

Our total came to something close to $25. A steal when compared to the price we would have paid had we opted to eat the special New Year’s Brunch in the hotel (about $40 a person). Satiated and caffeinated we toddled back to our room… where about 20 minutes later we rode out the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked Tokyo at 2:30 that afternoon. That’s about the time we agreed it would be prudent to visit the Meiji shrine the following day and ask the kami [gods] for protection and prosperity throughout 2012.

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