The most peaceful season in Japan While some people might think the rainy season evokes feelings of gloom, it actually carries my most peaceful and quiet memories. The popular travel destinations are much less crowded, and the streets are less rowdy — a grace period after cherry blossom season and before the onset of summer […]
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Friends Described as Fruits
A poem about a strange fruit basket We make up a pretty strange fruit basket. Different colors. Different backgrounds. Different interests. Different tastes. Well at least we’re all fruits. Blueberry is easily likeable. She’s vegan, but only sometimes. Maybe 70% of the time? She’s adventurous, and many of my favorite memories were her ideas. She […]
The Japanese Way of Eating Less Meat
It’s not about going vegan, it’s actually much simpler It’s not that I don’t want to go vegan — thinking about the environmental impact of meat consumption and the health benefits of eating plant-based, it seems like an ideal lifestyle choice that would fall in line with my values. But it can also be hard […]
Why Bento Boxes Are So Popular
They’re healthy, easy to make, and easy to eat I was on the phone with my friend, and she was talking about how she was struggling with her extra weight and the latest diet she’d been undertaking to lose it. She was growing fearful, as it wasn’t just about self-confidence anymore, but also about the […]
Use Miso to Introduce Umami to Your Dishes
One ingredient, three ways It was late at night and I had stopped by the supermarket to buy some salmon filets but hadn’t really thought about how to cook them. When I got home, I looked in the kitchen to see what I could use for seasoning and found the cabinets sparse. Another night of […]
The Perfect Side Dish to Pork Cutlet Is… Cabbage?
Why katsu is paired with shredded cabbage in Japan I was at the train station on my way home when my mom sent me a text about dinner — everyone else was out, and it seemed like it was just going to be the two of us. What are you in the mood for? We […]
Lessons from Ghibli: What I Learned From a Cartoon Cucumber
Japanese vegetables helped me pick better ones in the U.S. When I was young and lived in the U.S., I really disliked vegetables. I thought they were either bitter, sour, or bland, and compared their consumption to taking medicine. I would always force them down by covering them in ranch, or refusing them unless they […]
How to Make the Softest, Most Comforting Oyakodon
Cooking through my first year away from home When I moved from Japan to go to college in the U.S., I was excited to start my new adventure and to meet new people. Going to orientation and participating in events, somewhere I thought I would quickly find a group of friends and feel instantly at […]
A Japanese Style of Snacking That Diverts Cravings for Oreos
Prevent mindless munching with sanji no oyatsu It seems that time at home has led to more people purchasing unhealthy processed foods: Mondelez, the maker of Oreos, announced that cookie and cracker sales shot up nearly 30% in the first quarter of 2020. And lots of people are concerned about the repercussions of easier access to a junk-stocked […]
Why I Love Cooking With Tofu
Illustrations by Kaki Okumura Tofu isn’t a meat replacement, even in this Japanese version of a burger I meet a lot of people who aren’t the biggest fans of tofu, even when they want to add it into their diet. Tofu is high in protein and low in calories and fat, and much more environmentally friendly […]
