もちもち (mochimochi): springy (texture) Back in my language-school days at Midd, a New-Yorker foodie friend got on my case for eating the dining-hall bagels, telling me, “That’s not a bagel. That’s a piece of bread shaped like a bagel.” It’s probably for the best that he doesn’t find out what sort of things pass for…
Recipes Revisited
What’s nice about making some recipes over and over is that, not only can I make it myself, but I can make it better. I’m updating some of the articles on this blog, so I thought it might be helpful for readers if I noted these changes. Read more for updates on homemade yogurt, chocolate…
Travel Checklist: Local Foods in Hida-Takayama, Part 2
Submitted to the November 2011 J. Festa “Dining in Japan,” hosted at Japingu. Part 1 is here. To recap– In September, a friend and I traveled to Takayama, about 3 hours from Kanazawa. Located in Gifu near the border of Nagano, the old towns of Hida (飛騨） and Takayama (高山）are a food tourist’s paradise….
Travel Checklist: Local Foods in Hida-Takayama, Part 1
Submitted to the November 2011 J. Festa “Dining in Japan,” hosted at Japingu. Part 2 is here. In September, a friend and I traveled to Takayama, about 3 hours from Kanazawa. Located in Gifu near the border of Nagano, the old towns of Hida (飛騨） and Takayama (高山）are a food tourist’s paradise. Since the town…
Apple “Hunting” in Kurouchi Orchard Fruit Park, Hida-Takayama
This article is featured in the J. Festa October 2011 edition: “Entertainment in Japan,” hosted at japingu. The second three-day weekend of “Silver Week,” the week in mid-September with both the national holidays of the Autumnal Equinox (shûbun no hi, 秋分の日) and Respect for the Aged Day (keirô no hi, 敬老の日), found me and a…
Mini Okara Gateaux Chocolat
デコレーションケーキ (dekorêshon kêki): a decorated cake; a fancy cake. Gateau is one of those non-Japanese foods that I never had till I came here, but defining what gateaux are is a bit hard. To me, a gateau is a dense flourless chocolate cake made with cream and almond flour. To other Americans, gateaux seem to…
Aka-Zuiki Quick Pickles (Red-Taro-Stem Vinegar Pickles)
Quick pickles of a favorite Kaga yasai.
Mastering the Art of Cooking in Japan
Reposted courtesy of The Ishikawa JET Blog. What I wish I had owned when I moved to Japan: a cookbook made for foreigners. Not an English cookbook, not a cookbook about Japanese cooking, even, but a cookbook with metrics, names of ingredients in Japanese, notes on where to find things and how to use one’s…
A Love Letter to Omicho Market
Submitted to the Japan Blog Matsuri for Sept. 2011, “Reasons to Visit Japan,” hosted by A Modern Girl. I didn’t truly understand the charm of shopping in downtown Kanazawa until I relocated to the city. Before I moved here, Omicho Market* (近江町市場) was usually the first stop on my walking tour of Kanazawa for visiting…
Okara Ice Cream, Healthy Lab, Kanazawa
Featured in the August 2011 Japan Blog Matsuri “Summer Lovin’.” I pass by or through Kanazawa’s bustling Ômicho Market (近江町市場) at least once a day on my commute. I love looking at all the fruit for sale, shopping at the import store, and traveling underground to the M’Za デパ地下 (depachika, basement-level department store grocery and…
Okara Burgers, Two Ways
I’m back! After a few weeks’ hiatus for moving, I have regular internet access again at my lovely new home in Kanazawa, which means I can stop watching cooking shows on my phone and get back to writing. Japan doesn’t really have much in the way of pre-made veggie burgers, so I’ve taken to making…
Partyland (Yogurtland), Osaka
There’s a significant gap in my Osaka restaurant knowledge because I tend to eat in Kyoto, Takarazuka, or with my former host family, who make excellent Osakan okonomiyaki, whenever I’m in Kansai. On my last trip to Osaka, however, my husband and I were exploring Namba when he mentioned that he had discovered a pay-by-weight…
I'll Make It Myself! 
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