Food Glorious Food

After spending an afternoon at a Japanese cooking class, I have come to a realization. I really don't like Japanese food. I eat it and enjoy most of what I eat, but not enough to take the time involved to actually prepare an entire meal.

Part of the problem is finding the ingredients you need. The teacher will show us a bag of something and everyone will pull out their cameras to take a picture of it, but if that brand isn't sold in your local store, you may never find that store's equivalent. I have tried to write out the kanji, but sometimes there is so much writing on the label, I can't find the word that spells out the actual contents.

The labels on fish are truly confusing. Written down is everything from where the fish came from to how to cook it. I have a little cheat sheet and still I can't figure out what I have. I routinely answer the question "what are we having for dinner?" with "possibly tuna" or " some sort of white fish". Baba san has gotten used to it. The only major error was buying the saltiest of salmon (salmon comes in 4 different ways - unsalted, lightly salted, medium salted and mouth puckering salt with a little bit of salmon). Up until then, I didn't know this and afterhaving to swear up and down that I didn't put too much salt on the fish, we went 6 months without salmon at all, least I risk having to go through that experience again.

I can do better with Miso as I actually know what that looks like in the store, but then again, there are something like 17 different kinds, so I'm not sure exactly which kind I am buying. I found out on Saturday that there is actually "chunky" miso - just like peanut butter. Which is exactly what it looks like on the shelf. And yes, I will make miso soup, if only because you need a cute little gadget to make it.

The cooking tools are great though. Skimmers and knives and pans and other gadgets that anyone who gets "called" to that section of the store will appreciate. Little graters just for ginger or Daikon, strainers used exclusively for making miso soup and rectangular pans used for making the sweet omelets that are found in every bento box. - these are all on my wish list.

Next week I have a trip to Kappabashi planned with some of the moms from school. Kappabashi is actually one long street filled on each side with stores catering to people who like to buy kitchen gadgets. A former wholesale area for restaurants, it is now basically a place for people like me, who get a thrill from seeing store after store filled with bowls and plates and cookie cutters and knives (there is one store devoted to nothing but) and a bunch of things that I don't know, but feel certain I will need. Which is why I am happy to be visiting with some of the Japanese moms, who will be able to explain these enticing little items. Of course, they don't actually shop there, finding out long ago that it is far more convenient to do one's shopping on line.