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 […]
Nourish
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 […]
What Can the Rest of the World Learn from Japanese Food Culture?
Illustrations by Kaki Okumura Keep it simple and focus on quality The menu is a wooden board hanging out in front of the restaurant, with just three options scrawled in black marker: a) Seared tuna donburi b) Minced toro with grated yam donburi c) Grilled salmon teishoku As I stood there thinking about what I […]
When It’s Too Hot to Think About Dinner
Illustrations by Kaki Okumura Consider a soba salad with cucumber, carrots, hijiki, and greens It’s getting very hot and sunny in Tokyo, and my walks outside are beginning to feel like afternoons by the poolside. On days like this, I feel a bit drowsy, and thinking about dinner becomes a chore that my brain isn’t […]
What is the Most Consumed Vegetable in Japan?
Photo: Digipub/Moment/Getty Images It’s not what you might have guessed My dad brought up the question at the dinner table: “What do you think is the most consumed vegetable in Japan?” My sister chimed in: “Onions? Or potatoes maybe?” “I think it could be cabbage. They use them in salads all the time.” “Do soybeans […]
Don’t Forget to Eat Your Sea Vegetables
Illustrations: Kaki Okumura A friendly introduction to adding Japanese sea vegetables into your diet I sometimes forget that not a lot of people were raised like me, eating sea vegetables. To some, the idea of using seaweed in food can seem intimidating, foreign, and frankly sometimes unappealing. I first made this realization when I was […]
The Psychology Behind Why Japanese People Are So Healthy
Visit a McDonald’s in Japan and you’ll understand why Whenever I talk to someone who has visited Japan, an ex-pat who has lived there or a tourist just passing by, they will more often than not mention something about the fast-food chains there. “If they tried to pull the same stunt in the United States, […]
