Category Archives: Uncategorized

Shizuoka Sake Tasting: Fuji-Takasago Brewery/Takasago Yamahai Junmai Hiyaoroshi

It’s been some time since I tasted a sake from Fuji-Takasago Brewery in Fujinomiya City.
Since September is the time to taste the Hiyaoroshi sake/sake taht has been sterelized only once, it is such an embarrssment of choices, but I opted for this brewery as it is slightly unusual in Shizuoka refecture.

The real title for this particular sake is “Takasago Yamahai Shikomi Junmai Shu Hiyaoroshi Namatsume”!
Meaning: Takasago (main name) Yamahai Shikomi (old style brewing) Junmai Shu (Junmai=no alcohol added) Hitaoroshi Namatsume (bottled without a second sterilization.
On top of this it is a genshu/no water added!

Fuji-Takasago Brewery/Takasago Yamahai Junmai Hiyaoroshi

Rice: Yamada Nishiki 100% (Hyogo Prefecture)
Riced milled down to 55% (extravagant!)
Alcohol: 16~17 degrees (genshu)
Dryness: -3 (sweet for Shizuoka)
Bottled in September 2010

Clarity: very clear
Colour: Faint golden hue
Aroma: Strong, very fruity: bananas, vanilla, sweet ornages
Body: Fluid
Taste: Strong attack with a lot of junmai “petillant”, sweetish.
Complex: Macadamia nuts, bananas, oranges, vanilla.
Warms back of the palate for some time. Lingers for a while with very dry almonds backed up by oranges and vanilla.
Sweet by Shizuoka standards at first approach but dries up quickly.

Overall: A sake that can be greatly enjoyed chilled or at room temperature.
Great as a sweetish aperitif or in lieu of a port wine.
Strikes a great marriage with choclate or blue cheese.
Chilled, can be drunk as a dessert drink! Would do excellently poured over ice-cream!

Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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Please check the new postings at:
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Vegan Sushi at Sushi Ko (2010/09/16)

For once, thatis last Thursday, the heat has somewhat abated.
We even had welcome rain almost all day long.
The Missus and I did not need more encouragement to pay a belated visit to our favourite sushi Restaurant in Shizuoka Cyt, Sushi Ko.
We did have a lot I will describe in the next posting but I thought my vegan and vegetarian friends would like to see a separate article about vegan/vegetarian sushi!

Mr. Oda seved us 5 different types.
The first two are menegi/芽葱 or thin leeks sprouts topped with a little yuzukoshio paste.
The second one is himesoba/姫蕎麦 or buckwheat sprouts secured with a small band of nori/dry seaweed.
Both were serve raw.

The third one was kaiwaredaikon/貝割れ大根 or daikon sprous, boiled and topped with some umeboshi/梅干 pickled Japanese plum paste.
The fourth was raw mitsuba/三つ葉 or Japanese Honeywort secured with a thin band of nori/dry seaweed.

The fifth was mitsuba/三つ葉 or Japanese Honeywort again but slightly boiled and served as gunkan shushi/軍艦寿司 style.

Looking forward to the next visit!

Sushi Ko
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Ryogae-cho. 2-3-1 (Aoba Koen)
Tel.: 054-2512898
Business Hours: 17:00~25:00. 17:00~23:00 (Sundays)
Closed on Wednesdays
Reservations recommended
Credit cards OK
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope; Jacqueline Church; The Foodonymph (in Dubai!); Alchemy, Simple Ingredients, magical Food (in Ireland!); Curious Foodie; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/09/16)

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin
bryan-sayuri.gif

10-Year Commemorative Fall Seasonal Release

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Our ten year business anniversary has provided our brewery added incentive for creative experimentation. Yet another of the fruits of this experimental brewing is being released on Friday, September 17: Berry Big 10-Year Brown Ale.

New Seasonal Release:
*Berry Big 10-Year Brown Ale (ABV 7%):

The idea here is simple: combine the big, rich, luxuriant taste of malt with the piquant, tart flavor of fresh strawberries. A fairly high gravity Brown Ale grist provides the former and hand-picked Shizuoka strawberries from the Nirayama fields of our friends at Serizawa Saketen the latter. A berry-like fruitiness from English East Kent Golding and New Zealand Motueka hops helps to round out the flavor profile.

For more on the brewing of this fabulous ale, please check out our official Brewer’s Blog: http://bairdbeer.com/en/blog_numazu/. Berry Big 10-Year Brown Ale is available both on draught and in bottles (633 ml) through the fine family of Baird Beer retailers in Japan (including our own Taproom pubs). Individual consumers can purchase bottles direct from the brewery via our online E-Shop: http://bairdbeer.com/en/shop/.

Special New Beers on Tap:
Lambics are spontaneously fermented ales terrifically tart and sour in character which are brewed by artisanal breweries in an area of Belgian near Brussels. We have long admired these traditional ales and thanks to the fancy footwork of beer importer Andrew Balmuth, we are featuring several unique varieties on tap at our Nakameguro and Numazu Fishmarket Taprooms.

The Lambics which we are featuring were brewed in Belgian by the noted 3 Fonteinen brewery, then shipped on to Rome, Italy where innovative brewer Alex Liberati of Revelation Cat Craft Beer has dry-hopped them with various European and American hop varieties. We will be serving the following Single Dry-Hopped Lambics over the coming days and weeks:

*Nakameguro Taproom (Hallertau Tradition and Centennial)

*Fishmarket Taproom (Styrian Golding and Amarillo)

You also will not want to miss our latest small-batch, handpump-dispensed Real Ale on tap exclusively at our Taproom pubs: American Dream Red Ale. This is a lovely fall season ale rich in malt character and redolent with American hop flavor and aroma.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE


The Japan Blog List

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Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

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日本語のブログ
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French Dessert: Roasted Figs, Vanilla Ice Cream & Blue Cheese Sauce at Pissenlit

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
no-smoking-logoentirely non-smoking!

We are about to enter the best season to savour figs and there are plenty available in our Prefecture and City as the climate is particularly propitious for grwoing ll kinds of fruit here.

Figs come in many gusise from small and black to enormous and violet (there also green ones here. I mean green and ripe!).

Tooru Arima at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City came up with an interesting concept in this seasonal dessert.

He first siced the large figs chosen amon still a little green spcimen and roasted them.

He served them with a spoon of vanilla sauce and Roquefort Blue Cheese sauce. There werestill small intact pieces of blue chees inside the sauce.
The combination of sweet, sugared, salty, sweet and sour and others was incredible, especially in regards to the apparent simplicty of the dish!
Too many taste and nusaces to describe, but certainly heaven for sweet teeth woorying about one’s health!

PISSENLIT
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 2-3-4
Tel.: 054-270-8768
Fax: 054-627-3868
Business hours: 11:30~14:30; 17:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays and Sunday evening
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope; Jacqueline Church; The Foodonymph (in Dubai!); Alchemy, Simple Ingredients, magical Food (in Ireland!); Curious Foodie; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

French Gastronomy: Pacific Saury and Potato Terrine with Aioli at Pissenlit

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
no-smoking-logoentirely non-smoking!

Pacific Saury. or sanma/秋刀魚 (Atumn Sword Fish in Japanese) is very much in season right now when it is fat and easily prepared.
The Japanese love it as sashimi or grilled directly over a fire.

Tooru Arima at Pissenlit in Shizuoka City came up with a typically French creation: terrine!

The organic potatoes had been first boiled and seasoned and then sieved before being laid and seasoned again with ground black pepper in a kind of almost solid puree intersped with very thin slices of Pacific saury. Cutting/slicing the fish can be done only with the proper Japanes knife and skills.

The terrine was then gently cooked in bain-marie and cooled down completely before being served at room temperature.

A succulent aioli mayonnaise and organic greens from Mishima City completed this simple dish but so beutiful in balance and taste!

PISSENLIT
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 2-3-4
Tel.: 054-270-8768
Fax: 054-627-3868
Business hours: 11:30~14:30; 17:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays and Sunday evening
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope; Jacqueline Church; The Foodonymph (in Dubai!); Alchemy, Simple Ingredients, magical Food (in Ireland!); Curious Foodie; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

French gastronomy with local products: Roasted Pork and Organic Vegetables at Pissenlit

Service: excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable, good value.
Strong points: Interesting wine list. Great use of local products.
no-smoking-logoentirely non-smoking!

The main reason for my choosing a restaurant is whether it serves cuisine made with as many locla products as possible, be they vegetables, meat, fruit or fish. or all of them!

Luckily enough, Shziuoka Prefecture is a mine gold when it comes to local poducts as proved in this latest seasonal creation by Tooru Arima at Pissenlit in Shizuoka city!

The pork is “Yusui Buta/湧水豚” from Fujinomiya City at the foot of Mount Fuji which was served roasted with a dijon seed mustard sauce.

All the vegetables were organic and grown by Mr. Hirooka in Mishima City (also at the foot Mount Fuji!).
The vegetables represented here are from the top: Okra. Shishito pepper, Shikaku Ingen/squre string bean, and Ingen mame/String bean.

The pork lay partly over a slice of roasted white eggplant/aubergine.
The later is topped with okra and its flower!

For a better view of the okra flower!
Succulent!

PISSENLIT
420-0839 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Takajo, 2-3-4
Tel.: 054-270-8768
Fax: 054-627-3868
Business hours: 11:30~14:30; 17:00~22:00
Closed on Tuesdays and Sunday evening
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope; Jacqueline Church; The Foodonymph (in Dubai!); Alchemy, Simple Ingredients, magical Food (in Ireland!); Curious Foodie; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/67): Late Summer Sushi Bento

The summer and the oppressive heat do not want to leave place to a cooler Autumn/Fall and yesterday Shizuoka was the hottest place in Japan with temperatures reaching 37 degrees Celsius in Shimizu!
We are in more need of fluids than calories!

The Missus kept the bento as healthy as possible:
She prepared the usual sushi rice and mixed it vegetables (red and green pimentoes, shimeji and maitake mushrooms and celery leaves) she had previusly fried lemon and herb oil. The juices became a natural seasoning to the rice. she added some lemon slices for effect and additional seasoning.

As for the side dish and dessert she placed sliced olum tomatoes and celey leaves at one end, Japanese-style mimosa eggs in the middle (the yolk is mixed with mayonnaise and chopped Japanese cucumber pickles), and nashi pears wrapped in raw ham with a few white grapes at the other end.

Light and tasty, and artistic, LOL!

Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/66): Back To work Bento

It was back to “normal work” after having spent almost a week on a holiday in Iwate Prefecture and been busy back home with clearing up a backload of work!

My organism needing a rest for all last week’s eating and eating, my beto was comparativeley light.
The Missus prepared plain steamed rice she seasoned with black roasted sesame seeds, sweet umbsohi and home-pickled cucumber and ginger.

That was for the rice.
Now for the accompaniment.

For once I’ll start with eggs.
The Missus prepared this tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette in a novel manner.
She took some okra, slice some of them thin and grated the other.
The sliced okra made for crunchy bits inside the tamagoyaki while providing a nice design. The grated okra gave a fluffy feeling and appearance to the whole.
A very interesting idea!

She then inserted sauteed slices of renkon/lotus roots and goya with a couple of Shizuoka-grown Ameera Rubbins Pearl Tomatoes.
Then she introduced a couple of deep-fried slices of pork fillets interspered with celeri leaves. Good colour and great balance!

To end it up I was given some beans salad added with hijiki/sweet seaweed and some leafy sprouts.

White (they are green, actually!) grapes and sliced nashi pear for dessert.

Plenty and tasty for the day!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:

Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK); Bento Bird

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

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Iwate Prefecture Specialties 3: Spiny Lobster

As previously mentioned, I’ve just spent a nice holiday away from it all in Iwate Prefecture in the North/Tohoku Part of Japan, in Morioka more precisley!

Although Iwate Prefecture does not have as long a seashore as in Shizuoka, it’s nonetheless noted for its fish and crustaceans, especially spiny lobsters/Ise Ebi/伊勢海老!

The above sashimi dish was served to us for dinner at our hotel in Shizukuishi, a noted area for skiing and hotsprings.

The spiny lobster is estremely fresh of course and its raw meat is very sweet, a real morsel here in Japan.
The fish are maguro/tuna toro and sanma/Pacific Saury.

A great extravagant combination!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope; Jacqueline Church; The Foodonymph (in Dubai!); Alchemy, Simple Ingredients, magical Food (in Ireland!); Curious Foodie; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Iwate Prefecture Specialties 2: Sanma/Pacific Saury

Sanma O-tsukuri: plate of Pacific Saury sashimi

As previously mentioned, I’ve just spent a nice holiday away from it all in Iwate Prefecture in the North/Tohoku Part of Japan, in Morioka more precisley!

Although Iwate Prefecture does not have as long a seashore as in Shizuoka, it’s nonetheless noted for its fisheries, especially sanma/Pacific saury!

As it comes absolutely fresh in that Prefecture, it is best savored raw in season (right now) when it is “fat”.
We ate the above in a great little izakaya in Morioka City.
The fish was cut in almost paper-thin slices and served with lime, grated ginger, momijioroshi/grated daikon with chili pepper and finely chopped thin leeks to be dipped into soy sauce.
A must for sashimi officionados!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope; Jacqueline Church; The Foodonymph (in Dubai!); Alchemy, Simple Ingredients, magical Food (in Ireland!); Curious Foodie; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Medicinal Plants, The Ones That Really Work 1: Ginseng

Some time ago I posted an article on food supplements, Food Supplements: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly that did attract some controversial reactions ( for which I’m still not ready to apologize! LOL). I though it would be only fair to complement it with a series of articles on medicinal plants that could do well, or even better, to replace the said supplements.

In Europe more than 200 of them are referred to as such and registered as entering the composition of more than 600 medicines.

Actually half of occidental medicines contain vegetals, marine products or micro organisms of natural origin.
One has to be wary of bad products though as announced by the Afssaps in France, The European Medicines Agency in Europe, and the Commission E in Germany.

Here are the ones that have been proven as efficient by all above agencies.
Bear in mind that the same medical plants might have an adverse results on people with special problems as noted below:

1) GINSENG

Best employed to combat STRESS.

Origin: China, Kore and Canada.

Action: its roots contain ginsenosides which help the human body fight stress and recover its proper equilibrium/balance. It also contributes to improvement of physical and mental capacities when tired, suffereing fro great fatigue or concentration trouble. It also helps people recoverung from illness.

Directions for use/Posology: Can be acquired under the form of dried root powder, tablets or whole roots (the latte best used as tea after leaving it hot water for 10~15 minutes).
Take 0.5~2 g of dried roots every morning (to avoid insomnia).
Phytotherapy products are consumed at 200 mg three times a day.
The treatment should not exceed three months to avoid human organism overwork.

Contraindications and interactions: People suffering from insomnia or nervous trouble should be very careful about using ginseng.
People suffering from diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular/heart disease should never use it without a doctor’s authrorization. The same apply if you use an anticoagulant.
During treatment avoid caffeine (coffee, tea, chocolate,…) to avoid irritabilty, insomnia or palpitations.

Also: Eleutherocoque (Eleutherrococcus senticosus)
Eleutherocoque or Russian ginseng is also called “bush of the devil”. Small thorn-bush from 2 to 3 cm in height, it has sheets webbed and lengthily petiolate. It produces black and fleshy fruits. Many scientific studies showed that the plant behaved like one revitalizing exceptional, able to appreciably increase the athletic and intellectual performances as well as the resistance of the body to the environmental stresses.

To be consumed as herbal tea, 2~4 g for 1500 cc of water.

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope; Jacqueline Church; The Foodonymph (in Dubai!); Alchemy, Simple Ingredients, magical Food (in Ireland!); Curious Foodie; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Iwate Prefecture Specialties 1: Noodles and Soba

Jaja Men

I’ve just spent a nice holiday away from it all in Iwate Prefecture in the North/Tohoku Part of Japan, in Morioka more precisley!

Whenever you mention Morioka City in this country, the Japanese will firts say noodles, ramen, Ja Ja Men and so on!
A paradise for the Missus who is a me, vermicelli, udon, soba and pasts addict!

The picture above shows the Ja Ja Men, maybe its most famous morsel in taht field (I will write a more detailed report on my visit as soon as I more time!)

Yasai Soba Salad

Soba are next and this particular cold soba served with loads of finely chopped carrot and cucumber and katsuo bushi/dry bonito havings was simple and tasty!
The Missus certainly enjoyed them!

As for me, I had sake soba!

The small flask at the right contains cold sake. I poured it over the two-tier soba dishes. The sake will drip into the bttom dish (thrid one) and will be added tothe suace later. Served with mushrooms and grated daikon.
Now, that was a beauty!

Tororo Soba

Tororo means grated yama imo/yam. Another Missus’ favorite (I mean another “favorite”, not another “Missus”).
We ate that in Hiraizumi on top of a mountain!

Cold tomato Spaghetti salad.

I had this in the same restaurant, It was made with local products only!

Local Korean restaurants serve their own variety of “Re men/cold ramen”!
Very tasty indeed and always serve dwith a slice of fruit in it!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope; Jacqueline Church; The Foodonymph (in Dubai!); Alchemy, Simple Ingredients, magical Food (in Ireland!); Curious Foodie; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/09/02)

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin
bryan-sayuri.gif

First Ever Seasonal Releases

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

Beer, as you know, is our passion. We enjoy drinking it everyday and in some quantity. Our aim is pleasure from flavor enjoyment, though, not inebriation. To this end, we are great fans of flavorful beers that sport a moderate to low alcohol content. Today we are releasing two first time seasonal brews that pack powerful flavor without undo alcohol strength.

New Seasonal Beer Releases:
Eastern Wind Session Ale (ABV 4.8%): Session Ales are moderate to low alcohol content beers that enjoy full flavor and are meant for imbibing the duration of the social session. Eastern Wind is brewed with a variety of wheat malts, rye malt and floor-malted barley. It delivers moderate hop bitterness but tons of hop flavor and aroma from generous late hopping with equal portions of three aromatic varieties (Tettnanger, Santiam, Saaz). It then is fermented with a Belgian yeast strain which lends a wonderfully tart and fruity character. Eastern Wind Session Ale is available on draught and in bottles (633 ml) through the fine family of Baird Beer retailers in Japan. Consumers can purchase direct from the brewery through our online E-Shop.
NZ Cascade Single Hop Ale (ABV 5.0%): We love to experiment with different hop varieties. In this single-hopped version of an English-style Pale Ale, we employ the New Zealand varietal version of a classic American hop — Cascade. While the aromatics tend to be somewhat restrained, the bitterness is firm and clean and the hop flavor has great depth in its piquant fruitiness. NZ Cascade Single Hop Ale is available only on draught and exclusively at our own Taproom pubs.
If you are planning a session drinking outing to one of our Taprooms soon, you also will find one additional beer gem: Hop Burst Brown Porter. We are serving the lowish gravity English-style Brown Porter as Real Ale on hand pump. Generally, Brown Porters tend to be low in hop character but this is not so with Hop Burst, which enjoys terrific hop flavor and aroma with restrained bitterness. “Hop bursting” is our practice of making only late flavor and aroma hop additions and forgoing early bittering additions. Come in for a pint and see for yourself what that tastes like.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE


The Japan Blog List

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Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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Erecting the Kakashi/Scarecrow at Ryunan Primary School Rice Paddy

Ryunan Primary School has been organizing a traditional Festival for the last 40 years: Scarecrow Erecting!

This Festival takes place on the first morning of the second semester of the scholar year.
As I had been invite to attend (I coach cricket there, too) I found myself meeting the kids at 10:40 a.m. in blinding heat!

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The school was founded 46 years and is still a large one by Shizuoka City standards in spite of the declining population.

I told you it was really hot (33 degrees celsius) and the teachers (and I) were wearing bandanas! As for the kids caps are compulsory!

But some kids managed to forget them, which shows that Japanese society is not that much different! LOL

For once I was allowed to take pictures of the kids as this was a public event, and the kids loved the attention (all those V signs!)!

The kids were divided into 21 groups of 5th graders looking after 2nd graders.

The kids who had forgotten their caps were already having second thoughts!

The school rice paddy is located behind the school at a distance and across a wide street.

It is a large rice paddy, by scholl paddies standards, and thekids could walk across it thanks to elevated narrow paths.

That “kakashi/scarecrow” is about to get a sun-tan (or sunstroke!)!

The kids plant their own rice in May.
Until two years ago they used Asahi no Yume/朝日の夢/Morning Sun Dream variety. But they have switcged to Hi no Hikari/ヒノヒカリ/Day’s Sunshine.

I must say were very disciplined and were waiting for their turn to bring their kakashi into the rice paddies with a smile!

Each group went to a preordained spot and waited for their teachers to give a hand (and a hammer) to ercet their charges.

Some kakashi wer cute!
Incidentally, the teacher is not a scarecrow!

This one might scare the crows (loads of them here!) but not the kids!

I’m afraid this one will be eaten by the birds!

Now, what are those red eggs?
The teachers explained that they use only a minimum of fertilizer and pesticide so as not to interfere with the ecology.

-“The eggs of a jumbo Ta Mushi!” as repied one of the kids, taking one of them out to admire…
Big slug!
Actually the paddy is full of life, and the kids have no qualms chasing them!

Smiles everywhere!

The kakashi will stay there for people to admire and birds to avoid until October when the kids will harvest the rice and cook it themselves for school lunch!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:
Warren Bobrow, Bread + Butter, Zoy Zhang, Hungry Neko, Think Twice, Frank Fariello, Mangantayon, Hapabento, Elinluv Tidbit Corner, Tokyo Terrace, Maison de Christina, Chrys Niles,Lexi, Culinary Musings, Wheeling Gourmet, Comestiblog, Chronicles Of A Curious Cook, Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Palate To Pen, Yellin Yakimono Gallery, Tokyo Terrace, Hilah Cooking, More than a Mount Full, Arkonite Bento, Happy Little Bento; 5 Star Foodie; Jefferson’s Table; Oyster Culture; Gourmet Fury; Island Vittles; Good Beer & Country Boys; Rubber Slippers In Italy; Color Food daidokoro/Osaka;/a; The Witchy Kitchen; Citron Et Vanille, Lunsj Med Buffet/Estonian Gastronomy (English), Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat, Chrisoscope; Jacqueline Church; The Foodonymph (in Dubai!); Alchemy, Simple Ingredients, magical Food (in Ireland!); Curious Foodie; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/65): Birthday Sushi Bento

Today is my birthday, but I will have to wait 7 more years before someone can arrest me for indecent age!LOL
Incidentally, that makes me a Virgo for whatever it means!

Today’s sushi is of the chirashi/チラシ寿司/decoration-style sushi. It is comparatively light and almost fit for a lady!
Love the colours!

The Missus steamed the rice with konbu/seaweed and mixed with thinly sliced pickled vegetables and boiled renkon/lotus roots. Instead of adding vinegar to the rice she used the pickles brine. Made for extra taste!
She topped it slices of boiled renkon, boiled shrimps, lemon and violet kawaire daikon sprouts. Very healthy!

The salad and dessert box made for an interesting colour combo. Certainly makes you feel better in that heat!

Plain tamagoyaki/Japanese omelete, Shizuoka-grownAmeera Rubbins pearl tomatoes, grapes and blueberries.

More white grapes and blueberries with cress and lettuce.
The figs are grown in Shizuoka and brought to me by Lojol. In spite of their green skin they are ripe. Actually they are a green cultivar. Makes for even more colours!

Very healthy, cheerful and tasty!

RECOMMENDED RELATED SITES:

Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

Please check the new postings at:
sake, shochu and sushi

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