Pulling Out the Stops We are going to pull out all the stops over the next few weeks and take a close look at the ostrich—the bird, its meat, its wine-pairing possibilities, its contribution to the world of cosmetics, historical uses, and even a dance fashioned after this flightless bird, the biggest in the world. … Continue reading Ostrich: Introduction
I had first heard about Mùa Craft Saké through a tweet by the sake expert Chiba Marie in November of last year. Mùa Craft Saké is a new sake brewpub in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), Vietnam. I was rather skeptical - sake made from local Vietnamese rice? Why are they flavoring it with dragon … Continue reading Mùa Craft Saké
Simply Beautiful The title of this entry is taken from American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay’s “Still Will I Harvest Beauty Where It Grows.” The subtitle is a reference to our presence at a lecture by Dr. Hiroshi Konno, which was delivered at the Japan Sake and Shochu Information Center (JSS) in February of this … Continue reading “I Tell You Beauty Bears an Ultra Fringe”: An Evening with Japan’s National Fungus
Grilling the Tongue Last week we reported on an extremely dense and delicious nigorizake from Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture. This week we will focus on a Sendai specialty, as well as something else we consumed there. It is hard to spend any significant amount of time in the city of Sendai without encountering a restaurant specializing … Continue reading Grilled Tongue and Raw Whale
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
This is the fourth 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 look at what Tokyo has to offer in the 21st century as presented by Chef Yahei Suzuki, whose restaurant, … Continue reading Tokyo Cuisine: The Present, Part 4
This is the third 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 report on what was cooking—and still is today—during the Edo Period. Chef Akihiko Murata, the owner of Suzunari, … Continue reading Tokyo Cuisine: The Past, Part 3
Drinking Japan 