January 2015 – Page 3 – Have you eaten?

food

My kind of meditation: Nurturing my root

January 11, 2015January 11, 2015by have you eaten?1 Comment

Food takes time to prepare in general. Any kind of food really but I have to say Japanese food is one of those foods that takes lots of time to prep. If you want something quick and easy, you might want to be reconsider about becoming a Japanese cook. However, Japanese food is the one if you enjoy process, experience and of course, eating Japanese food.

I heard that most people are born with 4 taste palettes, sweetness, saltiness, bitterness and sourness. Asian people are usually born with one more, umami. What is umami anyway?

“Umami is an appetitive taste and is described as a savory or meaty taste. It can be tasted in cheese and soy sauce, and while also found in many other fermented and aged foods, this taste is also present in tomatoes, grains, and beans. A loanword from Japanese meaning “good flavor” or “good taste”,^[46] umami (旨味^?) is considered fundamental to many Eastern cuisines and was first described in 1908, although it was only recently recognized in the West as a basic taste. Some umami taste buds respond specifically to glutamate in the same way that “sweet” ones respond to sugar. Glutamate binds to a variant of G protein coupled glutamate receptors. (source-Wikipedia)”

This is “sumashi-jiru” (clear soup). Today, I made this soup with snow peas, lotus roots and scallops. This looks quite simple but this requires time, dedication, and love. This soup is packed with umami. I did not have to add gobs of condiments, I only added tiny bit of salt and just a splash of shoyu (soy sauce). It took about 90 minutes total to prepare this soup.

First, you simmer 3′ x 3′ kelp piece for 1 hour, then add handful shaved dried bonito (you can buy shaved bonito flakes at grocery stores, but I shave them myself) and bring to boil, leave it about 1 minute. Then you filter the stock to make it super clear, golden color tasty dashi. Then you put separately prepared snow peas and lotus root in to a bowl and pour this deliciousness over them. THIS soup is my main course for lunch today. Shaving bonito takes time, cooking dashi takes time but these “times” are my weekend rituals. Makes me feel proud and I am thankful that my mom taught me Japanese traditional way of cooking.

I look forward to every weekend because of this. This is my way of meditating through preparing meals, appreciating meals and being gracious for my Japanese roots. Sunday is always a great day.

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food

Flan and Simple Minds: perfect rainy day in Seattle

January 10, 2015January 10, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

I remember the smell of burnt sugar spreading throughout the whole house. For some reason, that always happened on rainy days in Tokyo. My mom made this simple, classic and non-flashy kind of flan when I was a little kid. It was not always consistent. Sometimes it was dense and sometimes it was kind of runny. It was not perfect, that is why I adore her flan even today.

It is raining in Seattle today (or 182 days of the year) and it is Saturday. Pandora is playing Simple Minds and rain keeps falling down, down and down so it is perfect day for making some imperfect flans.

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coffee

1970 Hacienda Alsacia : First Crop

January 9, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

Floral, fruit, chocolate, sweet & sugary, nut, grain, roast, spice, savory, herb, earthy, vegetal.

What do you think I am talking about? These words are commonly used to describe flavor of coffee. You can dig deeper if you want to. For instance, let’s talk about coffee tastes like “chocolaty.” Chocolaty could be categorized “cacao nibs,” “dark,” “bakers chocolate,” “bittersweet,” “cocoa powder,” milk chocolate” and so on. To be a coffee nerd, it is so fun to try to get those flavors by sipping a cup of well made coffee.

So now, this coffee. This whole bean coffee is from Costa Rica and is grown by farmers in Costa Rica on the first coffee farm Starbucks has ever owned, Hacienda Alsacia. As a photo of this coffee bag indicates, this is the first crop and they were only distributed to Starbucks employees this year because they did not produce enough beans to introduce to global market.

I am lucky enough to get to taste this delicious coffee. I will try to describe Hacienda Alsacia as a certified coffee master (completely subjective however)

Balanced and medium soft body coffee with subtle notes of clementine. Juicy, smooth, vibrant and clean and it taste a slight cocoa. This would accompany well with citrus fruits such as clementine or orange, semi-sweet or dark chocolate and roasted walnuts.

Scratch that. It does not matter, just enjoy (perhaps next year’s crop).

coffee

Hey, you are late for 1 on 1 meeting with your boss: Anniversary

January 8, 2015January 8, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

I thought I disliked surprises. I found out today however that I enjoy them.

Do you love coffee? I sure do. I love everything about coffee, smell, shape, different flavor and taste depending on regions, history, romance of preparing coffee…list goes on. I work for this coffee company and every day and every hour, someone is leading a coffee tasting. Meetings-coffee tasting, birthdays-coffee tasting, welcoming new employees-coffee tasting, we have new crop-of course, coffee tasting, someone leaving the company-coffee tasting, someone getting married-coffee tasting. Anyway, you get a point.

My boss sent me an email yesterday with this message, “Hi, can we please meet at 11 am on Thursday. I’d like to talk a couple of things.” She and I are tight. She knows she can talk to me any time and on anything. This message sounded a little strange to me because we do have regular 1 on 1 meeting every Monday. I started to get nervous and I thought that she was going to leave the company (no!) or I was going to get let go (NO!!).

So today is Thursday. I was having the meeting at 10:30 am with different team member and it was supposed to last only 30 min but the meeting went longer. I sent a text message to my boss letting her know that I was running a little late. She replied to me “you need to come see me now.” Oh crap, I thought “this must be serious” She will let me go.

I ran back to her office and she was waiting for me outside the door. Oh great. We are going to go to HR now to complete the exiting process. She took me to this area where people can hang out, drink coffee, eat lunch, whatever that may be. What I heard was, “SURPRISE!” “CONGRATS!” Oh yeah, Today is my 1st year anniversary at work.

They prepared a big French press pot of Ethiopia coffee, dark chocolate to accompany with,a a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a thoughtfully written card by my boss.

I will never forget the taste of coffee I had on the day of my 1st year anniversary at work and the day I found out I didn’t get let go.

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jazz

Sweet sound of clarinet: Artie Shaw

January 7, 2015January 7, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

Artie Shaw…I wish I had been born in 30’s.

When was the last time you felt that you could not even register what’s happening to you?

I must have been 12 or so when I learned about the difference between woodwind instruments and brass instruments in music class. I remembered the difference as knowledge then just to pass the test. In my late teen, this sound hit me like a ton of bricks. In the middle of this vinyl shop in Shinjuku, Tokyo, my body froze and I could not move. It was sweet, warm and lovely sound of clarinet. I remembered about the music class all of a sudden. Clarinet is woodwind instrument and this is why the song sounded so tender to my ears. My heart started pounds fast and my throat tightened up. I was trying very hard not to burst into tears. It was just like love at first sight. After the song ended, I run to the store sales person and asked who it was. He told me it was Artie Shaw. I grabbed a couple of his record and went home. I listened, listened, listened, listened, listened and listened to his record. And listened. As soon as I dropped a phonograph needle on his record, his music would transport me to a jazz club in Chicago or New York (depending on songs). I would be wearing this Gatsby-esque dress, small hat, and smoking a very skinny cigarette. I thought I could hear people chattering, foot taping on the wood floor, cocktail glasses clinking. I wanted to be inside of his records. And I still do.

I started to listen to other clarinetists (what a great word. clarinetist) and enjoyed them all, however to me, no one could replace Artie Shaw (what a wonderful name…Artie Shaw). Tender, beautiful, humorous, quiet, playful, classy, sexy, introverted and romantic sound of clarinet.

Side note. He must have had a great ear because he hired Billie Holiday (my hero) to sing with his band. The world’s tightest pair in the music history. Thanks to my music teacher to make me realize this not-so-flashy woodwind instrument could turn my world upside down.

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I will tell you all about it: Uni Ikura Donburi

January 6, 2015by have you eaten?1 Comment

How does this look like to you? Gross? Weird? To me, this looks just gorgeous.

If you let Japanese mom or grandma cook, you’d be surprised how much they do NOT waste ingredients. For example, let’s talk about chicken. They cook thigh, breast, wings, inner-fillet, liver, heart, tale, gizzard, feet, (we eat some parts raw…I know. But they are delicious!), and bones and neck for soup stock. Fish, same thing. They will use everything even fish roes.

So, in this photo, red pearl-ish looking thing is Ikura, salmon roes. Yellow slimy looking thing is Uni, sea urchin. You put these 2 things on a bed of rice, Donburi, then add little amount of Shoyu (good quality soy sauce, I recommend Ohsawa Brand. You can buy it natural food stores or online http://shop.goldminenaturalfoods.com/Nama-Shoyu/products/58/), you would feel like you are in heaven.

I don’t believe many sushi restaurants have this dish on the menu in the U.S. but if you order by saying “hey, I’d like to order Uni Ikura Donburi” in Japanese, you would impress the hell out of sushi chef. I guarantee it.

NYC, restaurant

Best Restaurant ever (?): Lovely little place in NYC

January 5, 2015January 5, 2015by have you eaten?2 Comments

I have one co-worker, and let’s call her Kathy. Kathy is a very cheerful and fun person to work with. She also is a foodie and has many recommendations where to dine and what to eat. I love hearing what she has to offer. When she gets excited about food and/or restaurants she likes, she uses this phrase “the best EVER” and “the greatest EVER.” I was born and raised in Japan and immigrated to the States 14 years ago, and as English being as my second language, I find her expression is very interesting. I did not think I had my “best EVER” place to eat until December 27th, 2014.

New York City is my favorite place to be, especially lower Manhattan. There are so many places I traveled and I love, but NYC is always No.1 on my list. Yes, it is busy, crowded, expensive, dirty, and crazy however, there is something very romantic about that place just to override those negative impressions. Old brick buildings, basketball courts, small parks throughout the city, coffee shops, 100-year old delis, tourists walking, tiny alleys, unique characteristics on each borough. Gorgeous bridges, small restaurants, bicycles, gigantic buildings, dressed up people, dressed down people, bookstores, theaters, music, cocktails, and food. My list will go on about 5 pages if you let me. Anyways, today I want to talk about this restaurant called Joseph Leonard in West Village.

I saw this photo on Tumblr about 6 months ago. It is a photo taken outside of this place and the glass window is steamed up. It must have taken one cold winter day. I could read “Joseph Leonard” on the window and see a few people inside. I did not know what the place was and I have not heard of the name before either but I had a hunch (or I wanted this place to be a restaurant in NYC so badly) so I Googled. Of course, it was a restaurant in the City (smile). 6 months later, we were there at Joseph Leonard at 9am sharp on 12/27/2014.

The place was even better than I imagined. When I reached out to the door, this friendly guy opened the door and said, “hey, come in!” We entered then my heart got filled with pure joy and expectations. The place only has 8 tables and one small bar in the middle. Old wooden floor and unmatched tables/chairs/benches. We got seated where people were sitting in that photo. Fast forward, my kale salad was arrived. Oh my God, it was the best kale salad EVER! Did I just use those words? Best EVER? And it was. Right amount of kale, dressing, sourness, sweetness, pickled red onion, perfectly cooked boiled eggs, cheese…And care and love. Plus, Stumptown Coffee roasts beans only for Joseph Leonard and it’s called “Happy Cooking Roast.” The coffee and our dish were perfectly complimenting each other.

After I talked to our wait staff, Michael B with much enthusiasm about this place and food, he serviced us a big slice of carrot cake (restaurant owner’s wedding cake) and another pot of Happy Cooking Roast, which we did not even ordered. I told him, “You guys rock. I don’t use this word too easily but your place and food are the best ever.” Seeing his smile after my comment was priceless. Combination of me being NYC, great food, perfect location, lovely atmosphere, and wonderful staff made this magic. Oh, I cannot forget to mention. When I came in “London Calling” was playing and Clash was being played whole time we were there.

This place is best restaurant EVER until I find another best EVER.

http://josephleonard.com/

personal view

What the hell is water? : my introduction to the new world

January 4, 2015January 4, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

I LOVE books. I am kind of obsessed with books and reading. My favorite place from age 6 to age 16 was the library, then after 17, it got switched to bookstores. I love everything about books. Smell, ink, fonts, covers, the feel of the pages, insights, stories, emotions, feelings, metaphor…and vulnerability. Book is a powerful thing because it can give you all different kind of perspectives. I grew up trying to get inside of authors’ head. I was (am) a book-nerd. I was raised by TONS of books and Billie Holiday.

A few years ago, I learned a little bit about David Foster Wallace. His masterpiece is called “Infinite Jest” and it is a 981-page book. It sounds intimidating. Then, my best friend introduced his commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005. My ears had never heard greater thing than that. The first time I heard it, my eyes welled up. He did not say to be a go-getter or be a fearless, mindless, unkind leader of corporate America. His entire message was just this. “Awareness.”

So, here is why I decided to start my blog. As being a book-nerd, I have always wanted to write since I was five but I never tried. Writing my own stuff in this space is new to me. This is quite scary and vulnerable. But I want to get out my comfort zone and routine, then I want to be conscious about my life. His speech starts with this one old fish asks two young fish, “how’s the water?” as he passes them by. Then those two young fish look at each other, then say, “What the hell is water?” I am that young fish in the blogging world. I want to see what’s out there. Not only discovering what’s out there, I want to be aware what’s happening in my world by writing in this space. I just want to know what the hell water is.

curry, rice

Japanese (mom’s) curry? Yeah, I think so.

January 4, 2015by have you eaten?6 Comments

What is Japanese curry (kare-raisu: curry and rice) anyways? It is a little bit thicker, more like stew-ish texture than Indian curry. I heard that curry and rice was introduced to Japan in late 1800’s for the first time from England. But does it matter? Not really. Most importantly, I know this thing is delicious and that’s actually all that matters. It is one of Japanese soul foods if you ask me “what the hell is Japanese curry?” Today I used sweet onion, carrots, potatoes, cauliflower, mushrooms, tomato sauce, cumin, curry power, cinnamon, Theo chocolate (85% dark) and super finely ground Starbucks Kenya coffee beans. I think chocolate and coffee add rich body to the curry.

Every time I make Japanese style curry and rice, vivid memory of my mom cooking curry flashes back in my head. Cold and windy day in Tokyo, I come home from school, and as soon as I open the door, this warm, spicy and familiar smell drifts out from the kitchen. I love any kind of curry, Indian, Thai, Malaysian, Pakistani, Java, Indonesian…but my mom’s curry is simply the best.

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Tomato…so cheerful

January 3, 2015by have you eaten?Leave a Comment

I am hungry. Actually I am starving. After spending 10 hours or so at work, I want to eat fast. My choices are 1) to suck it up and cook 2) to go straight to the couch. OK, I choose 1) tonight but it needs to quick and delicious. It cannot be one those ready-made crap. No. It MUST have my love in it and be yummy in my tummy. On cold and gloomy night in Seattle, I thought tomato red would cheer my heart up and my stomach up. One big can of San Marzano and dried spaghetti box in my pantry. Ok. One Walla Walla sweet onion and brown mushroom in my veggie bin. Cool, I don’t have to go to store. In my Staub, I start cooking chopped onion with Lorenzo No.1 olive oil then add some mushroom, then whole can of tomato and Eden sea Salt. Shimmer while I take shower.

Then above becomes this with accompaniment.

Baby, it’s cold outside. Let’s eat spaghetti with simple tomato sauce so this will take us to under Italian sun and cold night blues are done immediately.