Japanese cuisine

Japan

rice

trivia

raw food

unagi

donburi rice bowl

earthquake

sushi

one-liner

my wife left me

fruitcake

natto

is evocative of seasonal changes, or of one's childhood, or of a storm at sea.

At its best, [Japanese cooking] is inextricably meshed with aesthetics, with religion, with tradition and history. It is evocative of seasonal changes, or of one's childhood, or of a storm at sea.

is prepared in front of the diner because it is important to consecrate by spectacle the death of what is being honored.

This Rawness, we know, is rhe rutelary divinity of Japan­ ese food: to it everything is dedicared, and if Japanese cooking is always performed in front üf rhe eventual diner (a fundamental feature of this cuisine), this is probably be­ cause it is important to consecrare by spectacle the death of what is being honored.

is rarely cooked, ; the only operation they have actually undergone is to be cut up) than on the shifting and somehow inspired assemblage of elements whose order of selection is fixed by no protocol (you can alternate a sip of soup, a mouthful of rice, a pinch of vegetables).

eating remains stampcd wirh a kind uf work or play 'Nhich bears less on thc transformation of the primary sub­ stallcc (an objecr proper to the kitchen and co cuisine; but ]apanese food is rarely cooked, the foodstuffs arrive in their natural state on the tray; the only operation they have acrually undergone is to be cut up) than on the shifting and somehow inspired assemblage of elements whose order of sclection is fixed by no prorocol (you can alternate a sip of soup, a mouthEul oE rice, a pinch of vegetables): the entire praxis oE alimentation being in the composition. by compos­ ing your choices, you yourself make what it iö you eat; the dish is no longer a reified product, whose preparatiun is, among us, modestly distanced in time and in space (meals elaborated in advance behind the partition oE a kitchen, secret room whcrc: eveiytbing is permitted, providcd the product emerges from ie al[ the more cumposeJ, embcllished, embalmed, shellacked).

's tutelary divinity is rawness; to it everything is dedicated.

This Rawness, we know, is rhe rutelary divinity of Japan­ ese food: to it everything is dedicared, and if Japanese cooking is always performed in front üf rhe eventual diner (a fundamental feature of this cuisine), this is probably be­ cause it is important to consecrare by spectacle the death of what is being honored. Whar is bcing honored in what the French call cmdite or rawness (a term we use, oddly enough, in the singular to denore the sexuality of language and in the plural to name the external, abnormal, and somewhar taboo part of our menus) is apparendy not, as wirh us, an inner essence of the foodsruff, the sangllinary plethora (blood being the symbol of strength and dearh) by which we assim ilare vital energy by rransmigration (for us, rawness is a strong state of food, as is metonymically shown by the intensive seasoning we impose on our steak tartare).

cooking

raw - cooked

is always partly a visual feast—colorfully laid out on lacquer ware or multicolored plates, and, if fresh, visibly prepared by knife-wielding chefs with warrior-like precision and speed.

Like sushi, most Japanese cuisine is partly a visual feast—colorfully laid out on lacquer ware or multicolored plates, and, if fresh, visibly prepared by knife-wielding chefs with warriorlike precision and speed.

is consciously oriented around the fact that Japan straddles four climate zones, with most of its landmass enjoying distinct temperate seasons.

Japan straddles four climate zones, with most of its landmass enjoying distinct temperate seasons. Hokkaido as well as northern and eastern Honshu have a cold temperate climate with heavy snowfall for over half of the year, beginning as early as October and only melting in April.

is oriented around three geographical features: river valleys, mountains, and the sea.

The food culture of the Japanese is much constrained by three geographical features: river valleys, mountains, and the sea.

is arranged on the plate in any of a number of formally recognized patterns, usually in ones, threes, or fives of the same kind, to indicate incompleteness or a striving toward completion.

Food can be arranged on a plate in any of a number of formally recognized patterns, usually in ones, threes, or fives of the same kind. One general rule is that not all items must be visible from a single vantage point: there should always be something hidden from the eye. Another rule is that if at all possible, food should reflect the season, for example, reds and golds (autumn), whites (winter), and pinks (spring).

japanese cuisine, n.Trivia

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