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October 28, 2011
Tuna Head at Tsukiji Fish Market
Look at this tuna head! It was fucking HUGE–I could easily fit my own head into its mouth. Its eyeball was so clear, it looked as though it were still alive, looking deep into my soul, prodding me to try its precious ruby red flesh. Sorry I have not been blogging so much. Every day […]
October 27, 2011
Mochi Tsuki and Shishimai Performance (Saitama)
The OPENharvest group visited the Hachisu residence in Kodama-gun in Saitama Prefecture. We enjoyed a Japanese farm food meal which included fresh edamame, natto, fall vegetable soup, ohitashi (blanched spinach) and mochi. After the meal, Harigaya-san and his troupe performed a shishimai (lion dance).
October 25, 2011
Radiation + Japan: Interview with Satoshi Imai, Rice Farmer (Niigata)
Last Wednesday, I went with the OPENharvest group to a rice farm in Uonuma, Niigata. We harvested one paddy of rice from cutting the rice plants to hanging them to dry on a rack. Rice farmer Satoshi Imai gave me the run down on why his rice is special and how he envisions the future […]
October 24, 2011
Rice Harvesting in Niigata
At 5am on a Thursday morning, groggy and jetlagged, 20 of us OPENharvest participants, with Food Light Project members piled into three vans headed for Niigata prefecture. As we drove through the quiet morning streets of Tokyo, we eagerly anticipated the adventures ahead. Three hours and several rest stops later, we made it to Uonuma, […]
October 21, 2011
Dobinmushi, The Essence of Autumn
Danran, a sushi spot in the Sakura-jyosui neighborhood of Tokyo, is no stranger to Umamimart. It was frequented often when Yoko and Washi lived in Japan (on one of their very first dates!), and has been the subject of many a fine blog posts, here and here. Yoko and I visited Danran tonight, to say […]
October 18, 2011
OpenHarvest Japan: First Soba Supper
By the time you read this, Yoko and I will be in Niigata, Japan, a prefecture three hours north of Tokyo, on the west coast, the side of the Japan Sea. It’s also directly west of Fukushima City, home of the Daiichi Power Plant. We will be visiting a sake brewery, as well as harvesting […]
October 14, 2011
Confessions of a Pizzahead: Mother Dough (LA)
Remember when I said I started making my own pizza because I hadn’t found any in Los Angeles that really fit the bill? Well I am happy to report that this is no longer the case. Not only does it seem like the urban food movement is making its way through a wood-fired revival, but […]
October 13, 2011
The Ume Project: Umeboshi Finale
PREFACE The Ume Project: Foraging The Ume Project: Pickling for Umeboshi The Ume Project: Umeshu (Plum Liqueur) The Ume Project: The Aka-Shiso Edition Since July, Yoko and I have been working on umeboshi (pickled plums) with Sylvan of Peko Peko, a Japanese catering company based in Oakland. From picking our own ume from a backyard […]
October 4, 2011
Inspired Sushi at Takao (LA)
Yes, Japanese food in this country is still equated to sushi. Growing up, people would always ask me, “Do you eat sushi every day?” I guess that’s mostly due to the fact that my father is a sushi chef, but even so, it always bewildered me. I mean, sushi is such a luxury! And it […]
September 30, 2011
Umamimart Writers’ Dinner: Robata Jinya (LA)
On a particularly temperate Los Angeles evening, three Umamimart writers (one a founding member), and an Umamimart photographer, joined three Umamimart supporters and friends for a lovely dinner at Robata Jinya in West Hollywood, CA. Of the diners, two were strict vegetarians, one a somewhat new carnivore and the rest more of the “don’t knock […]