113

Bundle 113: Meiji Era: Fusion Food

Westernizing in the Meiji era (1868–1912) changed the way the Japanese drank and ate, as this bundle reflects. Importing British machinery enabled people to mass-produce shochu. Western confections flowed into Japan, and the arrival of ice cream inspired a green tea flavor. Before 1868, the Japanese didn't eat beef, believing cows to be exclusively for physical labor. Buddhism also drove a disdain for consuming quadrupeds. But with westernization the Japanese suddenly viewed beef consumption　as enlightened. Out of discomfort, though, they did name some meat dishes with flowery euphemisms (e.g., peonies and cherry blossoms).
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桜
cherry tree
JOK: 1036
Discover what cherry blossoms have meant to the Japanese. See how the blossoms connect to war, learning what "You and I are cherry blossoms that bloomed in the same year" means. Find out ways of consuming the blossoms for real or euphemistically. And learn to say, "The cherry blossoms fluttered down whenever the wind blew" and "The cherry blossoms were at their best."
菓
candy
JOK: 1047
Japan produces desserts from the world over, but its traditional confections offer the most surprises. Find out how a Japanese "sweet" may not be sweet at all and how even a fried vegetable could qualify! Also learn about the connection between 菓 and the tea ceremony, a recurring confection fair in Japan, gift cakes and gift horses, and what gods in Japan like to eat and drink.
酎
sake
JOK: 2066
Learn how to drink shochu, how to make it, and how to classify it. See how a love of shochu made 16th-century carpenters resentful. Discover what shochu has to do with Marlon Brando, Napoleon, sweet potato shortages, and longevity. Learn when tastelessness is a virtue in a drink. And find out how moonshine inspired a term used to denigrate certain literature.
丼
bowl of food
JOK: 2083
Do you primarily associate “donburi” with food? This essay initially punctures that misconception, then plunges into the world of topped rice bowls. Find out what’s in a “viper” rice bowl, a “strangers” rice bowl, and a “civilization” rice bowl. Also see what a “mother-daughter“ rice bowl represents. And learn what a “big serving of the head” means if you order a rice bowl.
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