Mentaiko and sesame oil are meant to be together forever. I realized this when I first tried Mentaiko Gohan (Rice) at one of the izakayas I frequent. Luckily, the ingredients were so simple that I could recreate the dish to a T at home. It has since become my ultimate comfort food. Ingredients: 1 generous […]
Author Archives: Yoko Kumano
March 14, 2009
March 14: Happy White Day!
This is my third White Day. One of my first blog posts on UM was about my first White Day. Then there was last year’s White Day. Three times a charm and I finally realized that White Day is the one time to really milk it in the Japanese workplace. So this year, I made […]
March 9, 2009
Tachigui: Eating Whilst Standing
Eating while walking, talking, driving, computing and making love. Most Americans have done many or all of these things. Hopefully not simultaneously. Eating while standing in one place, however, is something that Americans don’t do on a regular basis… yet. Enter Tokyo, and the prevalence of stand-up dining, or tachigui. Step off most any train […]
March 6, 2009
Fridgin’ Out: Tokyo Bachelor Style = EXPIRED
A single Japanese male rarely eats at home. He works all day, and drinks all night. The uncommon instances he eats at home usually falls somewhere within the 18th and 24th of the month (pay day in Japan for salaried workers is on the 24th or 25th), when he breaks into the emergency stash of […]
March 5, 2009
How to Roast a Turkey in Tokyo
Turkey would be really popular in Tokyo. If everyone had ovens. I love turkey and I knew my friends in Tokyo could appreciate an American icon that doesn’t just come to a theater near you, but comes straight to your dining table. Dinner parties are very rare in Tokyo because space is limited in homes. […]
March 4, 2009
UM Recession: $1 (100 yen) Ramen
photo Yomiuri OnlineThe global economic crisis has brought on haken-giri, an onslaught of job cuts for haken workers in Japanese companies. Haken workers are part-timers and day-laborers who work on a contractual basis, rather than as an salaried employee. This means that a huge percentage of the young Japanese workforce who used to commute to […]
February 24, 2009
Panko Chicken Nuggets
Being one month early for a party is good because it gives you time to perfect your entrance. I was getting ready for a pizza party on Saturday, by making one of my favorite finger foods of all time: chicken nuggets. If there’s one fast-food item I still get weak-in-the-knees for, it’s KFC’s chicken nuggets. […]
February 22, 2009
Tori-ina Yakitori in Tokyo
Tori-ina made me a yakitori fiend. I now crave yakitori whenever I see the word chicken or am reminded of anything wooden and cylindrical. This tiny, unassuming joint is located on a side street one minute from Hatagaya Station (near Shinjuku) in Tokyo. Every day is Friday at Tori-ina, so expect to stand in line […]
February 16, 2009
Hi, My Name is Homo Sausage.
I had qualms about blogging the Homo Sausage. Was I really a near 30 year-old woman with the humor of a 7 year-old boy? Yes. Was Umami Mart too sophisticated for a juvenile post such as this? Yes. But then again, maybe not. I met Homo Sausage last week at my friend’s party. Someone had […]
February 13, 2009
Imagine This: 1932 Jean-Paul Gaultier Evian
My bonus saw a drastic cut for December 2008, and less business men are taking taxis clear across Tokyo on company tab. But yesterday I was reminded that the Japanese aren’t taking the financial crisis that seriously. I knew this was so when I saw Jean-Paul Gaultier Evian water at my local supermarket. I will […]