Have you ever lifted a glass of nihon-shu to your nose, sniffed, and asked yourself why it smells like bananas? Has the brewer decided to jazz up his product and give it a bit of confectionary appeal by adding a little banana extract perhaps? Well, in the ungrammatical words of that hit song from way … Continue reading “Yes! We Have No Bananas.”
Just before the holidays last year we were given this bottle of sake from Toyama, which caused us to think about that prefecture and its production of nihon-shu, and to open the bottle, of course. The latter was a very pleasant experience, and, as is our custom, a sensory evaluation will be included later in … Continue reading A Taste of Toyama: Sanshoraku’s Junmai Ginjo
Many years ago, there was an interesting commercial running on American television channels. It showed ketchup emerging ever so slowly from its bottle, while the Carly Simon song “Anticipation” played in the background. The unstated message was that this product is so thick and rich that it just has to be delicious, and, naturally, one … Continue reading Anticipation: Moritami Sou Honke’s Nigorizake
This is the fifth installment on the media event entitled “A Journey to Unravel Tokyo’s Diverse Food and Spirit,” organized by the Tokyo Food Promotion 2024 Executive Committee and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. This week I will look into my imaginary crystal ball to limn adumbrations of the city’s gastronomic future. The focus in this … Continue reading Tokyo Cuisine: The Future, Part 5
The Enigmatically Titled Giant Squid Versus Sperm Whale* Though less exciting than some of the antics of Conor McGregor, both inside and outside the ring, the Shiraz v Syrah metaphorical slugfest provides wine lovers with more than a modicum of entertainment, especially in an age of seemingly endless remakes crawling out of the subbasements of … Continue reading Soleil Syrah 2019
Bonfire, Toyohara Kunichika In last week’s entry, we implied, and if you were paying attention, you inferred, that UNESCO would designate the “Traditional Knowledge and Skills of Sake-Making with Koji Mold in Japan” to be Intangible Cultural Heritage. Well, they have, at their recently held meeting in Asunción, Paraguay. Prior to the announcement, a number … Continue reading Celebrating Sake, Part 2
Three Servants of the Palace * This week and next week we will focus on a significant international development in the world of sake. “Intangible cultural heritage includes the practices, knowledge, and expressions that communities recognize as part of their cultural identity, along with associated objects and spaces.” The above citation is from UNESCO’s website. … Continue reading Celebrating Sake, Part 1
Drinking Japan 