"japanese cuisine" news and stories

Photo: norecipes.com.

As a relatively recent convert to all things porcine, I'm positively in awe of this pork shot. Without even having any background info on the dish, one can immediately perceive the succulence of the pork, salivate at its melt-in-your-mouth talents and perhaps -- with a photo this enticing -- even hope for a seasoning that does justice to the tenderness of its vessel.

And norecipe.com's Japanese Chashu -- which indicates merely its component of barbecued or roasted pork -- is worthy of the perfection of its meat. Braised in a combination of soy sauce and miso, it undergoes a rather "unorthodox" approach, as Marc brings his version "full circle back to its Chinese roots, [adding] garlic, ginger, and white pepper, which give the meat some character without overwhelming its porky goodness." Prepared en masse, the pork is equally delicious atop a steamy bowl of ramen, pasta, salads and more.

[Via norecipes.com]

In the small town of Wada, about 60 miles southeast of Tokyo, Japan, a restaurant has come up with a new dish to woo younger customers - whaleburgers.

The restaurant serves fried whale meat on a bun with salad greens and a sauce made of of mayonnaise and ketchup (isnt't that some other fast food burger joint's "secret sauce?"). The restaurant also serves a whale cutlet sandwich. Both the burger and the sandwich are made from Baird's Beaked whales and sell for 300 yen. Another "youth"-friendly dish is the whale hot dog, made from minke whales.

Japan stopped commercial whaling in 1986 in keeping with an international moratorium on whaling. However, certain species such as the minke, are numerous enough for hunting. In fact, the number of whales may have increased to the point that they are damaging the ecosystem by eating too much fish.

Sushi is a hot topic here at Slashfood, whether we're talking about types of fish, my personal distaste for overly creative rolls, ore "reviews" of various sushi bars around the globe. Recently, Dakota asked which place has the best sushi in LA, and the May 2006 issue of Los Angeles Magazine has their top ten choices. Agree? Disagree?

1. The Hump, Santa Monica Airport, 3221 Donald Douglas Loop, Santa Monica, CA (310) 313-0977, www.typhoon-restaurant.com
2. Katsu-Ya, 11680 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA (818) 985-6976
3. Matsuhisa, 129 North La Cienega, Los Angeles, CA (310) 659-9639, www.nobumatsuhisa.com
4. Nishimura, 8684 Melrose Avenue, West Hollywood, CA (310) 659-4770
5. Shibucho, 3114 Beverly Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA (213) 387-8498
6. Sushi Gen, Honda Plaza, 422 East 2nd Street, Los Angeles, CA (213) 617-0552
7. Sushi Tenn, 2004 Sawtelle Boulevard, West Los Angeles, CA (310) 473-2388
8. Tama Sushi, 11920 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City, CA (818) 760-4585
9. Urasawa, Two Rodeo, 218 North Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, CA (310) 247-8939
10. Wa Sushi & Bistro, 1106 North La Cienega Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA (310) 854-7285

Sushi Sasabune is famous in Los Angeles for omakase. The restaurant used to be located in a tiny shack (quite literally, a shack) on Sawtelle Boulevard in West LA, with fluorescent lighting, flimsy tables and chairs, and no atmopshere whatsoever. But night after night, Sasabune was bursting at the seams with devoted fan of the fresh fish.

Sasabune has finally moved to a much larger, cleaner, airier space on Wilshire Boulevard (the space used to be a Todai - thank God it's not there anymore). We went recently to check out Sasabune's new digs, and to see if the sushi in a larger, higher volume operation would be the same.

With a new little niece around, I am becoming more and more aware of what little babies and toddlers eat. Cheerios and goldfish crackers always seem to the be the snack of choice, and dinner-time foods are always finger-foods like chicken nuggets and peas. However, kiddies around the world don't eat the same way. Heck, growing up in a Korean household, I'm quite sure I was wrapping up little balls of rice in nori and spilling soy sauce all over myself. If you've ever wondered what a two-year-old in South Africa is eating, check out this list:

• Japanese toddlers may not be eating sushi, but they do lunch on egg-flavored rice with broiled fish or seafood and miso soup with tofu. It's no wonder that Japan has the longest average lifespan, with the types of foods that are introduced into the diets as such a young age.
• In South Africa, kiddies eat toast thats been spread with a touch of Marmite, a concentrated yeast spread that is a by-product of the beer brewing process.
• If it's Marmite in South Africa, it's Vegemite in Australia, spread on Ryvita crackers
• Danish and Swedish kids eat meatballs and lots of other meat and potatoes. Sweden has the world's highest consumption of ketchup, which kids put on to disguise anything that looks healthy.
• In India, children eat khidchi, a spicy rice and lentils porridge.
• They even list kids in Korea! Korean kids eat lots of kimchi, which is probably how they build up such a tasty tolerance for spicy foods. They also eat gim-bahp and bibimbahp.