Today’s Bad Eng(r)ish

by Matthew Firestone on

Here at Gadling, we try to keep our eyes to the ground in search of amusing English the world over. Truth be told, sometimes we can’t please everyone, but let it be known that our intention is never to offend.

With that said, I would like to bring you this photo advertising a yakiniku (grilled meat, ??????) restaurant that I scoped out this week in Tokyo. As an aspiring vegetarian, I try to avoid eating red meat whenever possible, but I just couldn’t pass this one up.

After all, roast meat does give you more power…

Big in Japan: Swish-Swish Goes the Shabu-Shabu

by Matthew Firestone on

In one of the pivotal scenes in the movie Lost in Translation, Scarlett Johansson and Bill Murray’s characters get together for a lunch that is wrought with sexual tension. While staring blankly at plates of raw meat, and reminiscing about the previous night’s indiscretions, Murray wryly comments, ‘What kind of restaurant makes you cook your own food?’

The answer Bill is simple: shabu-shabu (????????????).

The Japanese onomatopoeic sound for ‘swish-swish,’ shabu-shabu is a type of Japanese hot pot involving plates of thinly sliced raw meat and pots of boiling broth.

Needless to say, the potential for either ingesting uncooked meat or burning your hands beyond recognition are two of the pivotal reasons why shabu-shabu hasn’t caught on outside Japan.

Truth be told, there are a few places in America where you can indulge in this Japanese delicacy (albeit in a closely watched manner), especially in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles and in Chinatown in New York.

Of course, nothing quite equals the actual thing.

Traditionally, shabu-shabu focused on thin slices of raw Japanese beef, though these days Australian beef and increasingly American beef is popping up on the menus. Needless to say, I’m partial to the Kobe variety, but since I’m not rolling in the yen, I’m happy to settle for the cheaper, less marbled meat.

Shabu-shabu is usually served with blocks of hard tofu and a healthy smattering of vegetables. Although these vary depending on the restaurant, the staples are Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, chrysanthemum leaves, seaweed, onions and carrots. It’s also fairly common to be served a side of udon noodles, which are excellent for soaking up the broth and providing a bit of carbs to the feast.

Here comes the fun part!

With your chopsticks in hand, pick up a single slice of meat, and swish it (or better yet shabu it!) around the broth for a few seconds. Depending on the quality of the meat, you’re going to want to leave the middle pink if it’s Kobe, or cook the hell out of it if it’s of unknown origin.

Next, dip the meat in one of the accompanying sauces, which are usually either ponzu (ぽんず), a sweet, citrus sauce, or goma (ごま), a creamy, sesame sauce.

Now that you’ve got the hang of it, you’re going to want to spice up the broth a bit. Although the broth is made by boiling dashi (だし) or flaked bonito, get creative by tossing in a plate of vegetables, tofu and noodles. After a few minutes, the broth will darken in color and thicken in texture, which will make the beef taste even more delicious.

Finally, once all the meat, vegetables and noodles have been eaten, the broth from the pot is customarily combined with a few bowls of rice. After all, you wouldn’t want to waste any food, now would you?

** Special thanks to my fellow restaurant goers, ‘Bakka-sugi’ Will and ‘I’m too cute’ Maho-san ***

Be Respectful or Face a Fine in Venice

by Martha Edwards on

A while back, I wrote about vendors in Venice jacking up the price of goods for rude tourists. Now it appears as if the people of Venice are taking it a step further and implementing fines for tourists who don’t respect the rules of the city. And these fines can range from 25 to 500 euros — ouch! The city is being patrolled by t-shirted stewards who will alert police if the rules are broken. So far, 100 tourists have been fined.

Punishable crimes include laying out food, walking about bare-chested or treating the Grand Canal like a beach, and implementing fines is the city’s effort to uphold its image as a mecca of fine art and sophistication. Still, I don’t see what’s wrong with having an innocent picnic every now and then …

Big in Japan: An Ode to Ramen (Part IV)

by Matthew Firestone on

This week, Big in Japan will be bringing you a four-part series on the most perfect of foods. Part I of the series aimed to debunk the myth of ramen as being mere instant noodles. Part II of the series traced the hundreds of years of history behind this savory snack. Part III of the series broke down the different varieties of ramen noodles and stock. Today’s column will highlight several regional specialties, and will teach you how to make some great ramen at home.

I really, really, really love ramen.

There’s no shortage of great ramen shops in Tokyo. From the 300 yen (US$2.50) early-morning, after-clubbing special to the 1200 yen (US$10) special night-out affair, ramen is as varied as it is delicious. To really appreciate the different manifestations of Nature’s most perfect food however, you’re going to have to leave the capital and explore the countryside.

There’s a world of great ramen out there. Let’s explore some of the highlights.

Hokkaidō ramen (北海道ラーメン) With long, snowy winters and sub-zero chills, the northern island of Hokkaidō is famous for its comfort food, and their homegrown ramen is no different. With a thick, rich base of miso paste and local butter, and topped with fresh seafood and sweet corn, a hot, steaming bowl of Hokkaidō ramen is the perfect accompaniment to a cold, blistery day.

Hakata ramen (博多ラーメン) Originating from the city of Fukuoka, this hearty ramen features thin, curly noodles floating in a creamy, white broth of boiled and crushed pork bone. The dish is distinctive for its unusual toppings, which include pickled ginger, crushed sesame and fresh greens.

Kitakata ramen (喜多方ラーメン) The city of Kitakata in northern Honshū has the highest per-capita number of ramen shops in the country. Not surprisingly, their local variant of ramen is delicious, and features thick, curly noodles that are served in a medium-hued broth of pork and tuna stock.

Tōkyō ramen (東京ラーメン) Although it’s possible to sample just about every type of ramen in the capital, the original Tōkyō ramen consists of thin, curly noodles in a light, soy-flavored broth that is typically dressed up with seasonal vegetables, a boiled egg and slices of pork.

Ie-kei ramen (家系ラーメン) Originating from Yokohama, one of ramen’s original ports of entry into Japan from China, this increasingly popular dish is identical to Tōkyō ramen with the exception of its thick, straight noodles.

Unfortunately, if you don’t live in Japan, it’s near impossible to hunt down authentic ramen, though that doesn’t mean you can’t experiment in your own kitchen. Although I’ve tried to emphasize that instant noodles are not real ramen, that doesn’t mean you can’t dress them up and approximate the real thing.

So here’s what you do.

Boil some instant noodles in a big pot of water, and then add them to a soup of your own making. You can flavor the broth to your liking with the addition of chicken and beef stock, though don’t be afraid to get creative. A fresh egg and some mirin (Japanese cooking wine, みりん) goes a long way, though I’m partial to fresh lime juice and a few slices of habanero chilies. For toppings, don’t be afraid to add fresh vegetables such as bean sprouts, wild mushrooms and baby corn, and definitely go heavy on the minced garlic and onions.

Go wild in the kitchen, and feel free to post some recipes here.

Getting Hungry? Check out our delicious photo gallery of Japanese food. %Gallery-6477%

** Special thanks for Flickr users pepewk (Hard at Work), Carl Johan (Tasty!) and LeeBrimeLow (Chopped Ingredients) **

Big in Japan: An Ode to Ramen (Part II)

by Matthew Firestone on

This week, Big in Japan will be bringing you a four-part series on the most perfect of foods. Part I of the series aimed to debunk the myth of ramen as being mere instant noodles. Today’s column will trace the hundreds of years of history behind this savory snack.

I really love ramen.

I mean, how many other foods out there are the products of centuries of culinary revision? How many other foods out there crossed oceans of antiquity on multiple occasions? How many other foods out there have been adapted and re-adapted to local tastes time and again?

Bananas may have colonized the New World, coffee may have catapulted itself out of Arabia and salt may have built empires. But, none of these foods hits the spot quite like a steaming bowl of miso ramen topped with minced garlic and fresh bean sprouts.

The history and lore behind Nature’s most perfect food is worthy of textbooks.

Originating in China, scholars debate exactly when this hardiest of noodles was first introduced to Japan. Although it may have crossed over at several times during the history of Japan, the first recorded record of ramen-eating was in the late 17th century by the shogunate of the Tokugawa.

Needless to say, the Tokugawa dynasty was the first to unify Japan, so I think the connection between ramen noodles and empire-building is obvious.

Of course, ramen was not introduced to the Japanese masses until the Meiji era when the country first opened its doors to foreign interests. For most of Japan’s history, the diet consisted simply of steamed rice, vegetables and seafood, which is partly to explain why the country suddenly became incessant gourmands in the late 19th century.

During the Meiji era, American and European cuisine became the height of fashion, which sparked a large cattle- and pork-rearing industry in Japan. However, the real culinary revolution of the late 19th century was taking place in the Chinatowns of Kobe and Yokohama, where Chinese immigrants opened up food stalls in the busy ports. Here, along with gyōza (dumplings, ギョーザ), another one of my favourite dishes, Japanese commoners tasted their first bowls of sweet, delicious ramen.

As history will have it, World War II put something of a damper on the Japanese obsession with eating gourmet, though the food industry was quick to bounce back. In the 1950s, cheap US flour imports flooded the Japanese market, while ex-soldiers who had previously been in China proceeded to set up ramen shops across the country. In a few short years, ramen shops took Japan by storm, becoming something of a neighborhood landmark.

Much like McDonald’s in 1950s America, a family trip to the ramen shop was good eating.

The 1950s also brought about the invention of the instant noodle at the hands of the late Momofuku Ando, founder and chairman of Nissin Foods. Now, I don’t want to diminish the accomplishments of what has been regarded as one of the greatest Japanese inventions of the 20th century. After all, it’s Ando’s noodles that swept the world and the made ramen a household name. But, as I’ve no doubt tried my hardest to explain to you the reader, instant noodles are not ramen.

Still don’t believe me? In Part III, I discuss the varieties and flavors of ramen that you can find in Japan. In Part IV, I’ll highlight a few regional specialties, and share some of my own ramen recipes.

Getting Hungry? Check out our delicious photo gallery of Japanese food. %Gallery-6477%

** Special thanks to Flickr users kk+ (Noodle Chef) and Joey-Tigger (Cup o’Noodles) **