The Natto Sculpture When the expression “hill of beans” is used to refer to something, it means that the referent is so common that it is insignificant and worthless. In reality, however, nothing could be further from the truth, especially if the beans are natto. As many non-Japanese now know, natto is fermented soy beans. … Continue reading The Powerful Hill of Beans
Three Monkfish with Mouths Agape That Metaphysical Poet John Donne (1571[?]-1631) with his inimitable poems-cum-pickup-lines (remember “The Flea”?) penned a short poem entitled “The Baite,” which is addressed to a woman that he was presumably hotly—emphasis added—pursuing. The third stanza is as follows:When thou wilt swimme in that live bath,Each fish, which every channell hath,Will … Continue reading Glorification of the Monkfish (アンコウ)
Sorry. This crept in from last week's Halloween Special. Please disregard this early manifestation of AI. Earlier this year we wrote about FARM8’s wonderful Jogurt. This week we will write about two other products with connections to the firm. A few months ago we had an opportunity to sample both. One is a nihon-shu made … Continue reading Nihon-shu and Gelati
This is yet another Intermission in our Days of Wine and Music series. Snacks have gotten a bad rap, deservedly so, of course. But not all snacks are detrimental. When a boy, this writer used to consume raw carrots as a snack. Deliterious? No way. Bunny food may not be everyone’s idea of a tasty … Continue reading A JFEX Gem: Burdock Chips
This week’s entry is another Intermission in our lengthy Days of Wine and Music series. If you are the type of person who scrapes the caviar off the cracker and eats the roe, who cuts the decorative buttercream flower from the center of the birthday cake and consumes it whole, or drinks the rum and … Continue reading A JFEX Gem: Some Offerings from Shiino Foods
Japanese Cypress* This week’s entry is another Intermission in our lengthy Days of Wine and Music series. Well, it is late June when this is being written and that means only two things: 1) ultra-abysmal rainy-season weather and 2) JFEX, a huge food and beverage exposition that never disappoints. The venue for the former is … Continue reading A JFEX Gem: Yudanaka’s Blue Forest Ale
This is the tenth installment in our Days of Wine and Music series. Once again, we will provide our readers with more information on the Republic of San Marino, before we turn our attention in subsequent installments to the wines of the country and one winemaker-musician in particular. In this entry we will not include … Continue reading Striking Our Fancy
Drinking Japan 