The other day, I found a very interesting article called, for the lack of a better name, The Miracle Fruit. What this fruit does is that it rewires the taste buds completely that sour foods taste sweet. Lemons, for example would taste like candy with a citrusy flavor but without the sour bite to it.
Some guy in New York is having a Miracle Fruit party and had most of his guests rampaging through his personal fridge and downing condiments to experience the incredible sensation on their tongues, after foods offered were trialed and tested. The down part to this is that each fruit costs $3 and while that may not be so bad the company that sells it only sells it on a minimum order of 30 fruits, which would amount to $90 bucks + $30 for shipping. Pretty steep for 30minutes of taste rewiring.
But here’s the great thing, someone at ThinkGeek found the Miracle Fruit in pill form and are selling them at $19.99 for a box with two tabs. It is a sensation everyone should try and YOU must get some!
The sticky and gooey by nutritious food that is rich in protein and is originally Japanese. You can never find anything like natto anywhere else in the world. A big reason why is the way natto looks, very sticky and very gooey, not at all appetizing and a very pungent smell. But who are we to judge if we eat moldy cheese like Roquefort?
You can make your own natto in your own home. You just need a few simple ingredients and a very clean vessel for the process of fermentation of the soybeans.
Here’s a simple natto recipe you can try at home. You will need to purchase some dried rice straws, which you can find in any asian grocery stores.
Have you ever eaten hamo? May it be cooked into a rich broth or barbequed, it is not food for the squeamish.
Hamo is essentially pike eel to the Western world. In Japan, hamo is a delicacy that is popular around the Kansai region, particularly Kyoto. To prepare hamo, you need a chef that is skilled at eels for the this slippery sea creature. Do not mistaken hamo for the common unagi, as hamo is smaller and slender and is prepared either broiled, deep-fried or in soups.
Do you have an eel recipe you would like to share?
I am sure you’ve had some very delicious Japanese food with Octopus? You can buy octupus pre-prepared and cooked in any Japanese store. However, preparing it yourself maybe a little daunting. Where do I make the incision is the most frequently asked question. This video has the answer to your Tako preparations :)
Please ignore that George Micheal background music, it’s ….inappropriate but god knows why they put it there. Otherwise the video is a helpful one :)
Shiokara (塩辛, Shiokara?) is a food in Japanese cuisine made from various marine animals that consists of small pieces of the animal’s meat in a brown viscous paste of the animal’s heavily salted, fermented viscera. The raw viscera are mixed with about 10% salt, 30% malted rice, packed in a closed container, and fermented for up to a month. Shiokara is sold in glass or plastic containers.
The flavor is quite strong and is considered something of an acquired taste even for the native Japanese palate. The taste of shiokara lingers in the mouth. One method of enjoying it is to consume the serving at one gulp and to follow it with a shot of straight whisky. Some bars in Japan specialize in shiokara.
In Korean cuisine, Jeotgal (젓갈) or Jeot (젓) is similar to shiokara but ingredients and amounts of salt are differently used. A small amount of Jeotgal made from anchovies or shrimps is often used in the making of kimchi.
Check out this thread on how to make your own: Squid Shiokara
Watching them making mochi the traditional way is entertaining and educational. It looks hard but that’s how Japanese ancestors have been making mochi to celebrate the new year for hundreds of years. And as always mochi = happy faces :)
You remember those days when you wake up and you’re 15 minutes to start work and you’re less than ready? All you want to do is put on a shirt and some decent pants and run out of your apartment to catch a cab to work because it’s the 3rd time this month that you’re almost late because you’re hooked on your XBox 360. So you run down, hail a cab and realize that you almost knocked the cab driver with your wonderful morning breathe :P
Nevermind help is here for those mornings, and these gums are only available in Japan. The No Time Gum is a gum that contains tiny scrubs that cleans your teeth as you chew while imparting a peppermint freshness to your breath :)
I get quite upset when I see this but it is a part (albeit small) of the Japanese culture and their diet. However, I feel that this inhumane and barbaric activity must be stopped for good. The inhumane slaughtering of dolphins and whales in Japan showed very little consideration on Japan’s part to preserve these animals and our environment - it will not be long before they go extinct. And even if they do not, regulations and methods of killing the animal for consumption should be regulated in a very strict manner. Who the fuck eat dolphins anyway? These genteel and intelligent creatures do not deserve to be treated like this - they are not categorized as fish, morons.
To stop this we must act by boycotting whale and dolphin meat and products. Their hides are also used to make leather jackets, belts, wallets and bags. So Stop buying and eating them and the demand for these animals will stop.
Watch this gruesome but honest video for your own good. Because the truth is ugly when it comes to matters like these. Turning away does not make this inhumane killings go away.
Yeah, I know this is not exactly a food post but it is related to the things Japanese people eat. I am not jumping on my moral high horse here at all - I eat meat too. But the question here is not whether I should “turn vegetarian or shut the hell up”, the question here is whether it’s necessary to eat whales and dolphins?
IS IT NECESSARY?
Frankly, letting the dolphins flap around in convulsions after cutting their throats is most barbaric and inhumane - grossly lacking in compassion and respect for living things. After watching that video, and crying my eyes out, I just want to take my machete and cut those fishermen’s throats - let them flap around gasping for air like the dolphins while I laughed at them. What? Am I the cold blooded one now? $%#!$!$#$!!*&^%$-ers.
I have stumbled upon a very interesting and quite disturbing way of eating out from this blog. I mean, there are many weird ways to eat in Japan, much thanks to the innovation of some Japanese chefs. I am sure some of you know what Nyotaimori (literally translates to female body plate) where you eat sushi off a female body. The trend did become quite popular internationally as well in places where it is allowed.
But there is another interesting way of eating where a life human size “body” is made of food and placed on an operating table. This is one of those theme restaurants that imitates a hospital. The “body” is made from edible materials and is stuff with organs that are edible as well. Of course, it’s just replicas but it’s quite a disturbing sight nevertheless. The body bleeds like a real one when you cut into it and the organs and innards are red just like the REAl thing. Geez.
- 
