After spending three weeks in Japan, the subject of radiation in the water remains a mystery to me. People young and old all had differing opinions about it, and tap water vs. bottled water was a hot topic. When I first arrived in Tokyo, I didn’t think twice about drinking the tap water, despite the possible […]
Author Archives: Kayoko Akabori
December 12, 2011
ReCPY: Yamahomo’s Vanilla Extract
I made vanilla extract for holiday gifts, using vanilla beans that I bought on Valencia Street in the Mission when I was visiting San Francisco in October. I don’t remember the name of where I bought them (it was an ice cream shop), but they have the best/cheapest vanilla beans! $20 per pound, which comes […]
December 8, 2011
Lazyass Cookin’: Natto Omelette
I have missed writing this column, so I’m bringing it back! I can not pretend that I have abandoned my lazy ways, or that I’ve stopped cutting corners when cooking. My kitchen may be much bigger than what I had in Brooklyn, but this only means that I can spread out my laziness over more […]
November 29, 2011
ã»ã†ã¨ã† (Houtou)
Now, I’ve always considered myself quite the noodle connoisseur, but I had never heard of the houtou noodle before. Originating in Yamanashi prefecture, Japan, the noodles are like thicker versions of udon, but flat, ribbon-like and looooong. It is served in a miso broth with many vegetables and meats, in a heavy steel pot. Nabeyaki style. […]
November 24, 2011
Deer Head
Let’s give thanks for everything we eat today. Photo by Kelly Ishikawa, a San Francisco-based photographer and the co-owner of The Perish Trust.Â
November 18, 2011
定食 (Teishoku)
Teishoku is a pre-set meal — a main dish, always with miso soup and a bowl of rice, and it builds from there according the chef’s seasonal fancies (pickles, tofu, salad, etc). These meals are very popular during lunch, when salarymen and women can quickly run into a restaurant and get a warm, complete meal […]
November 15, 2011
Outone Unagi Shop (Chiba)
Before leaving for my big trip to Japan, I knew that the one and only thing I really wanted to eat was unagi. Eel! It is quite a delicacy in Japan, and is pricey as hell. Often they are run by families that have been serving eel for generations. Since childhood, my grandfather has been […]
November 14, 2011
ã“ã‚“ã«ã‚ƒã (Konnyaku)
Konnyaku aka devil’s tongue (wtf?!?) is a gelatinous mold that is often found in Japanese cuisine, in dishes such as nimono (stewed vegetables and meats), oden (fish cake stew). The grey, rubbery slab that you find for a $1 next to the tofu in any Japanese market, is freckled with black dots. It is said in […]
November 11, 2011
Tonikaku Ramen (Chiba)
Ramen is all the rage here on both coasts in the US, and it’s still going strong in Japan. Strangely though, I didn’t eat too much of it during this trip to Japan. Unlike Sam White, the host of our OPENharvest adventure, who had upwards of 50 bowls of ramen during his month-long stay, I […]
November 10, 2011
OPENharvest Trip (Video)
This is a short video by Tokyo-based photographer Nahoko Morimoto, which marvelously captures Yoko and my trip to Japan with the OPENharvest team. We spent three jam-packed weeks visiting farms, markets, taking brewery/distillery tours, and eating + drinking our way through Japan–all culminating in a huge event at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. I’m […]