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Sashimi and Beyond...
Life after Raw Fish: Cooking & Vegetarianism
Beth Sundberg, ALT
Hanamaki City, 1994-96 &
Jane Hughes, ALT
Kamaishi, 1994-96
Cooking
(Beth)
I have to admit that before
I came to Japan, I was very nervous about the whole food situation over
here in the land of sushi and sashimi. But, DON'T PANIC!!!
If you have yet to cultivate a taste for raw fish and miso soup, YOU
ARE NOT GOING TO STARVE! However, if you love Japanese food,
then you will be in heaven. Either way, as another AET said, "The
Japanese food experience is unusual, different, thrilling, delicious,
terrifying, disgusting, wonderful and enlightening."
I have really enjoyed cooking in Japan. I've enjoyed having the time to experiment in the kitchen; however, it requires some patience, serious scrounging and yen. It is a great way to make friends and to share your culture with the Japanese. Having teachers over for a spaghetti dinner or baking cookies for your office will ingratiate you with your colleagues. You may even be asked to teach a cooking class in your community.
If you want to cook and eat Western style, it is completely possible, but be prepared for the high prices. Initially, you may be horrified at the outrageous prices of food, in particular fruits, vegetables and meat. Realize that you are being paid VERY WELL and can afford to eat well. The range of fresh produce is very good, if a little intriguing, and the size and shape sometimes bemusing. Have someone explain how to prepare and cook the more unusual items. Seafood abounds, it is very fresh and reasonable in price. The variety allows you to be daring, but some of it might appear quiet weird. Again, advice on preparation and cooking is a good idea.
Most towns have a local supermarket that carry some Western foods, like cream cheese (sorry, I've yet to find real bagels), some cheeses (if you are a cheese lover, you will be sadly disappointed -- cheese is a relatively new addition to the Japanese diet and there is a limited selection), spaghetti sauce, pasta and a plethora of junk food like Pringles and Oreo cookies.
What also might come as a shock to you is the size of your kitchen. Many are about the size of a closet and lack some of the comforts of your kitchen at home. The typical Japanese kitchen will have a small refrigerator and a gas range with two gas burners. Most do not have ovens. Microwave ovens (some of which are combination microwave/convection/toaster ovens!) can be easily purchased either from your predecessor or at the local electrical shop for about US $300; look out for the sales.
One way to avoid extensive legwork once here in the quest to find an exotic herb (say, sage for example!) is to put together a box before you leave your home country and send it by slow boat to Japan. The following is a comprehensive list of items that you might want to send ahead. Exactly what you should pack depends very much upon how serious a cook you are, but plan on packing the basics.
- Kitchen Gadgets:
non-metric measuring cups and spoons (US), scales (UK), cheese grater
(the ones here grate your food into mush), garlic press, a good knife,
can opener, vegetable peeler, wooden spoons (for baking).
- Cookbooks!! Send
ahead your favorite cookbooks. My own personal favorites are Mollie
Katzen's Moosewood
books. I have had very little trouble finding the ingredients here.
- Spices: basil, oregano,
thyme, cumin, turmeric, sage, bay leaves, chili powder, curry powder,
tarragon, seeds, nuts (i.e., pine), cayenne, cloves, etc.; also stock
cubes (especially vegetable). If you enjoy cooking a specific cuisine,
e.g., Thai, Middle Eastern, Carribean, which calls for specific indgredients,
ship them. Most of the spices listed are available in large stores,
though at high prices, but it it's exotic at home, it may be very
difficult to find here.
- Beans: Great basics,
especially for soups, chili and curries. Lentils, kidneys, pintos (great
for refried beans), chick peas, black beans, etc.
- Grains: If you like
wholewheat flour, bran, rye, bulgur wheat, couscous, etc., send some
ahead. You will quickly learn that the Japanese do not have a high fiber
diet. Pasta is readily available and relatively inexpensive here. You
can also buy brown rice, but people will think you're strange for eating
it!
- Mixes: Like for
tabouli, falafel, fajitas, tacos, enchilada, etc. If you like Mexican
food, send ahead your favorite spices, canned green chillies, tortilla
chips, etc. (You can buy some taco fixin's in Morioka, but they're relatively
expensive.)
- Baking Goods: baking
soda, yeast, chocolate chips (your office or school will love you for
making cookies), flavorings, mixed peel, candy peel, cookie cutters,
etc.
- Teas & Coffees:
Good tea is hard to come by, so a box of "PG tips" might be
worth packing; specialty teas, i.e., Earl Grey and fruit teas, are expensive
to buy but cheap and light to send. Good coffee is an antithesis in
Japan; bring it with you to keep it fresh.
- Oh, and you could put in the kitchen sink, as well!
One resource for finding your favorites from home, once you're here, are the mail order companies Tengu Foods and the Foreign Buyers' Club. The latter has just about everything, but you have to buy in bulk. Getting together with like-minded friends means avoiding having a whole case of 24 boxes of cereal in your kitchen. Also, in big cities -- like Sendai, not Morioka -- there is Meidi-ya, a chain of foreign food supermarkets. Meidi-ya stocks a comprehensive range of food and drink from around the globe.
Of course if you get sick of slaving over a hot gas burner, you can always eat out...but that's another story altogether!!
Vegetarianism
(Jane)
Being vegetarian in itself
is a complex topic, from demi-veggies to PVC-shod vegans, with fish eaters,
fruitarians, macrobiotics and a whole host of others in between. It's
a veritable dietary minefield in our own countries. How to manage in a
place a zillion miles away from the nearest health food shop? How to explain
in faltering Japanese about your objections to factory farming, growth
hormones, battery hens, inhuman abattoirs or a plain dislike of meat?
With most Japanese oblivious to the practical implications and moral grounds
of being a vegetarian, it can be hard. BUT NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
People will be very interested in why you're a vegetarian and will expect some kind of explanation or reason. With this in mind, it's important to know where you stand in the great debate. Sticking to your guns when openly challenged (it doesn't happen often) will do a lot to improve people's understanding of, and respect for, your beliefs. Don't lie (as we were told to do at a Tokyo Orientation workshop) and say it's due to religious beliefs or an allergy (unless, of course, it is). Tell the truth and make your position quite clear about what you will and won't eat. Be willing to compromise, but don't compromise your values.
Surviving the Food Challenge
Amidst the whole furor of preparing
to leave for Japan, I have to admit that wholewheat flour and agar agar
were not at the top of my packing list. However, depending upon how keen
a cook you are, home cooked meals may be the key to your survival. Cooking
in Japan isn't a chore (well, depending upon the size your kitchen and
range of your local supermarket) and most foodstuffs are readily
available -- as outlined in Beth's bit. A little advance planning from
home can make life as a vegetarian easier once you're here. Do send things
ahead. Everything Beth mentioned is applicable to a veggie. You might
also include specialist goods (TVP, soya products, agar agar, etc.) and
those for specific dietary requirements. Plus, you may want to include
any personal veggie favourites -- Provomel, Realeat, mixes, etc. If you
take dietary/vitamin supplements, send those, too. The ones here are pricey
and probably not vegetarian-friendly.
As even the most inspired cook gets tired with their retinue after awhile, a few comprehensive recipe books are a useful addition. The Moosewood series (US pub.), Rose Elliot's books (UK pub.) and the Cranks' book (UK pub) all contain inspired, practical, adaptable and delicious recipes. The BBC Good Food Vegetarian Magazine (UK pub.) has a subscription service and is reasonably priced. Issued monthly, it contains original recipes, dietary information, interesting articles, and is easily transported around the prefecture. Put it on your Christmas list now!
Eating Out
This is the one area in which
the vegetarian faces the most difficulty in Japan. Most restaurants tend
to offer little in the way of vegetarian food, and if you can't read the
menu in the first place, it can be a nightmare. Office or school enkai's
(parties) and school meals are another potential minefield. How you deal
with these situations is very much an "individual" thing. It
depends upon your starting point. Do you eat fish (albeit, usually cooked)?
Can you pick out offending items and still eat what remains? Does the
idea of pork stock for your ramen (noodles) make you balk? Are you vegan?
With the right vocabulary, most restaurants will leave out the actual
meat in a dish when possible, and it also enables you to inquire about
the contents of a certain meal. Even "niku dame" (lit., meat
is not good) will get you somewhere if repeated enough. Tempura is always
a safe bet as you will be served with vegetables, as well as fish, deep
fried in batter. Asking Japanese friends for help works wonders, too.
As for enkai's and school lunches (unappetizing to even the most ardent carnivour, I expect), tact, diplomacy and information go a long way. If you are invited to an enkai (and as sure as eggs is eggs you will be), find out who is the organizer and remind them of your dietary restrictions. Get around school lunches by making a bento (boxed lunch) from day one, as well as of course explaining that school lunches contain meat and therefore you can't eat them. On my first day at school, natto (smelly fermented soy beans) was the star attraction on the menu. So, my teachers were visibly relieved that they didn't have to ask me to eat it! Also, the students are immensely interested in the contents of your lunch box, especially if you have the same thing five days in a row!
Well, I hope that this helps to ease your mind a little and offers some useful advice on life after raw fish. Look for the Vegetarian Guide, which was published by an ALT from Iwate and a couple of friends. Ask Iwate AJET about it when you arrive. It will contain lots more important information on life as a vegetarian in Japan.
Good luck and happy cooking!