tradition

most recipes for osechi ryori (traditional japanese new year’s dishes) make enough to feed a family of four for three days. my family is only two people (paul and i) so far, so i didn’t want to make too much. we were just planning to eat osechi ryori for one day, because we can never do the same thing again and again.

so, i did some research and found a japanese website that shows you how to make osechi ryori for two people. i think it’s kind of romantic…

even though i was just making osechi for two, it took a lot of prep work and cooking to make all the various small dishes. my admiration for my mother’s effort in preparing osechi for my family every year grew and grew…

while i was cooking, i amused myself by thinking about how osechi is actually a bit lame. i might offend some japanese people by saying so, but it’s true. osechi is full of “dajare” (bad puns) and “oyaji-gyagu” (”old man gags”, corny jokes). so many of the dishes have names that are meant to bring health and good luck, but they sound like really bad jokes.

for example:

• black beans are “kuro-mame” : “mame ni ikiru” means “live healthy”
• kelp (kobu) : “yorokobu” means joy
• snapper (tai) : “medetai” means joyful, fortunate
• japanese sour orange (”daidai“): “daidai” also means “generation after generation”
• shrimp : we eat shrimp in order to live until our backs are curved with age (shrimp’s back is curved, so…)
• gobo (burdock root) : just like gobo, live thin and long with roots spread in the earth.

…what can i say. it might be hard for english speakers to understand the jokes, but believe me, they’re lame. maybe we’re supposed to start the new year with a good laugh, but i’m not sure if i can laugh without raising my eyebrows a little or thinking of a rimshot at the end of the each joke.

the good thing is, the jokes are so lame that they’re kind of adorable. at least, i’m used to it.

recipes (clockwise from the left of the photo)

pirikara-konnyaku

• konnyaku 1/2 cake
• soy sauce 2 tbsp
• mirin 1 tbsp
• chili flakes
• sesame oil

1. blanch the konnyaku in hot water
2. slice the konnyaku (about 7mm). make a cut in the center of the flat surface. take the top and pull it through the hole to make a weave effect.
3. heat the oil in a pan. add konnyaku, soy sauce, mirin and chili flakes.
4. saute for a couple of minutes, just for flavor
5. garnish with carrots cut into decorative flowers

tataki gobo (pounded burdock)

• gobo 2 stalks (thin)
• rice vinegar (dash)
• white sesame seeds 3 tbsp
• sauce: rice vinegar 50ml, mirin 2 tbsp, japanese soup stock 2 tbsp, pinch of salt

1. wash gobo, pound it lightly with a rolling pin, and cut into pieces 4-5 cm long. if the pieces are too thick, cut them lengthwise in half
2. put the gobo in a small pot, cover with water and add vinegar. bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, until soft. drain.
3. toast white sesame seeds in a pan. cool, then grind.
4. add the ingredients for the sauce to a pan, bring them to a boil. add the gobo and cook until the liquid reduces by half.
5. turn off the heat. add the white sesame.
6. garnish with snow peas

kobu maki (kelp roll)

i improvised this one, so if i remember correctly…

• kelp 2 x 10cm cut pieces, soak in a water for about 10 mins. save the water
• kanpyo, soak in water for 5 mins
• gobo, 4 small pieces (saved from the tataki gobo recipe after blanching)
• carrot, 4 small pieces, blanched
• sauce: soy sauce 2 tbsp, sugar 2 tbsp, sake 1 tbsp

1. put two sticks each of gobo and carrot on top of a sheet of kelp and roll it
2. tie the kelp roll with a short strip of kanpyo. trim off the uneven ends
3. place the rolls in a pan. cover them with the water used for soaking the kelp
4. simmer on low heat for 20 minutes or so
5. add the sauce and simmer for 15 minutes

sakamoto kyu 9

this song is called “let’s walk looking up” (”ue o muite arukou”). it was re-titled “sukiyaki” in the west because it was easier to pronounce. i guess it could have been “teriyaki” or “wasabi” for convenience. after all, life is all about food for japanese people. super terrific idea! i’d like to carry on this tradition and rename an american song for the japanese market. maybe “love me tender” will be more popular with its new title: “bacon double cheeseburger“.

let’s walk looking up
so my tears won’t fall
i recall, one spring day
a lonesome night

let’s walk looking up
counting the blurry stars
i recall, one summer day
a lonesome night

happiness is above the clouds
happiness is above the sky

let’s walk looking up
so my tears won’t fall
i walk as i cry
a lonesome night

i recall, one autumn night
a lonesome night

sorrow to the shadow of the stars
sorrow to the shadow of the moon

let’s walk looking up
so my tears won’t fall
i walk as i cry
a lonesome night

a lonesome night

(my translation from original song in japanese)

lyrics by ei rokusuke　6
music by nakamura hachidai　8

kyu-chan (sakamoto kyu) was killed in an airplane crash in 1985. he was only 44.

(click the images to view close up — slideshow)

obon has begun! obon is a buddhist festival held august 13-15, when our ancestors come back to visit us from the afterlife. obon is said to have begun in 606AD as a practice in the imperial court. it is only during the edo period that it spread through the rest of japanese society. during obon, everyone travels back to their family’s home to welcome their ancestors and to return their kindnesses. the night of the thirteenth, we light lanterns in front of the family altar or the gate to the house so that our ancestors won’t have trouble finding us.

we set up an additional table in front of the altar to offer food. the food offering varies from region to region. usually we offer seasonal flowers, vegetables, fruits and the ancestors’ favorite foods. but every family’s offering must include an eggplant and a cucumber. we make them into little animals, by inserting little wooden sticks for legs. the eggplant becomes a cow, and the cucumber becomes a horse. the idea is that our ancestors will ride the horse on their way to come see us and the cow when they go back home. so they come to see us as fast as they can and leave as slow as they can.

i was looking for italian eggplants that are similar in size to japanese ones (thin and short), but i couldn’t find any. so i bought chinese eggplants instead. so my cow is very fit and has 8 legs. petit cucumbers were available at superstore. so my horse looks damn cute.

of course, now we’re living in the 21st century. which means we are living in the future. i don’t think our cutting-edge ancestors will be happy just riding horses and cows. so i made a UFO out of a red onion to accomodate our future ancestors from space.

obon is a time for families to get together and have fun. we thank our ancestors for giving us our lives and the world today. we serve the same meals we eat as if we all eat together.

when i was little, i remember my grandma being very happy because my grandpa would come see us and hang out for a while. he died in his sixties (before my older brother was born), and my grandma never remarried. she would say, “i’m happy because he’s here with us.” she would talk to the buddhist tablet as if it were him about how well our family was doing and ask him to protect us. she was happy, so i was happy. i couldn’t see him but i knew he was there with us.

now my grandma has passed away. i’m happy that she will come see me and paul. i hope she can find us in canada. my obon dana (shelf) is missing a lot of buddhist items, but i don’t think she’d mind as long as we are all together.

dj kentaro won the Technics DMC World DJ Final in 2002. he was only 20 years old. since then, he was signed to british independant record label, ninja tune.

on coming-of-age day in 2005, he collaborated with tsugaru-jamisen national champion, kinoshita shinichi.

tradition is new. tradition evolves. tradition is extraordinary.

forget about astronauts, forget about teachers — the dream occupation of the 21st century is “wealthy farmer”.

as shown in the documentary “seven samurai“, farmers have it all! does our consumption-obsessed society drag you down? do you feel empty even after you’ve satisfied your materialistic desires? well, you are a perfect candidate to become a “wealthy farmer”.

the word “farmer”, by itself, is not enough to capture how great farmers really are. that’s where “wealthy” comes in. alert readers (most of you, i expect) have already realized that the word “wealthy” here does not refer to material riches. for the rest of you, i’m not going to explain exactly what it does refer to. just trust me.

let’s begin.

lesson two: 豪農

the first character is pronounced “goh”, meaning “wealth”. the second letter “noh” means “farmer”. so “gohnoh” means “wealthy farmer”. isn’t that simple?

it’s probably too late in your life for you to successfully become a wealthy farmer, but it’s not too late for your kids. when people ask your kids what they want to be when they grow up, they need to have an answer prepared. this is no time for hesitation! you can help your kids rehearse. for best effect, you should ask them suddenly, using a different voice than usual. after all, most of these questions will come from strangers or distant relatives.

–you (imitating the voice of an aunt or uncle): “shourai, nani ni naritai?” (what do you want to be when you grow up?)
–your kid: “gohnoh” (a wealthy farmer). your kid should answer quickly, without pouting. any pouting? minus 5 points.

you also need to anticipate scenarios where relatives will be unhappy with this answer, pushing your kids toward a more acceptable career. for those occasions, here’s a possible dialogue.

–you (again, imitating the voice of an aunt or uncle): “sensei ni naritai n desho!” (you wanna be a teacher, don’t you?)

don’t let your kid be intimidated here. teach him/her to stand strong and say:

–your kid: “uun. gohnoh ni zettai ni naritai”. (nope. i definitely want to be a wealthy farmer)

now your kid is wholeheartedly prepared to become a wealthy farmer. your future is assured. good for you.

one more point: notice the amout of sumi ink that i used for this ‘wealthy farmer’. extra ink expresses ‘fullness’ and ‘richness’. so don’t be cheap, use plenty.

see you next week!