Japanese food culture, BENTO 弁当

This video Introduce us to Japanese food culture, especially Bento. Bento means lunch box .And many Japanese mothers makes Bento for their children and husband early in the morning. Recently Chara BEN is very popular in Japan. Chara BEN is the BENTO which is decorated with characters.( for example, Hello kitty,Mickey mouse, Minnie mouse and so on) Before I watched this video, I never thought Bento is unique habit, but in other countries, it is rare to bring homemade lunch box. When I heard the story, I was so surprised. Then I want to know about lunch box in other countrieies.

Second Harvest Japan

Before  I took this class, I didn't know about Second Harvest Japan. But this time, thanks to the site about Second Harvest Japan, I could know about it.   

The news that every day in Japan, 6000 tons o food are thrown away made me shocked so much. However I have felt that when I work at cafe restaurant which is my part-time job. So I want to know about Japanese food waste very much. I am really looking forward to listening his lecture.

Steve Gardener's Concert

I have never seen the blues concert, so I enjoyed his music very much. It seemed to  all foreigner teachers that his music reminds them of their hometown. So this concert was so precious opportunity for both foreign teachers and students. And after the concert, he taught us about detailed American food culture. He was so quite familiar with American food culture. I could know about the American food culture and I am really interested in American food culture more than ever.

After reading the book...

In this time, the author tells us about her husband, Billy.
The author had been back to Tokyo many times over the years , both on business and to visit her family, but when she was in Japan she usually stayed at hotels. However, at that time, author's parents insisted on she and her husband being with them, so she and her husband chose not to stay in a hotel. Thanks to this choice, Billy could encounter completely new, and healthy Japanese home-cooked food.  

Before that trip, author and Billy relied heavily on takeout,frozen dinners, and eating out because author and Billy were too busy to cook dinner. For author, "COOKING" means buying prewashedb salad mix from a supermarket, putting in it a pretty bowl, and serving it with dressing.  

But after that week at her parents' house, author and her husband started to prepare Japanese-style meals  at home more and more. Her mother's dishes led them into more healthier. She said " The most surprising thing was that the more Japanese home cooking we ate, the lener, more energetic,and more productive we became, while at the same time feeling completely satisfied after every meal."

 

In this part, I could see Billy and author's change. Thanks to that, I could know how influence of Japanese home cooking are strong and wonderful.

After reading my book...

One day, the author's mother sent e-mail to the author. She wants to know the author and the author's husband are doing. The author's mother―Chizuko is a self-taught natural master of Japanese home cooking who never refer to a cookbook. The author thinks Chizuko's cooking is not only just as a sign of love but also as the perfect symbol of why Japanese women are living longer and healthier than everyone else on Earth, and why they and their husband have the lowest obesity rates in the developed world.


Thanks to this book, I was able to realize how important everyday diets are. And I think that I am vary happy to be born in this country. This book is really interesting for me!

After reading the book

In this chapter, author pointed out the Japanese are not just living longest, they are living healthiest.
 According to a recent article in the Washington Post, "Japanese are nor only the longest-lived but statistically the healthiest seniors in the world. The typical Japanese senior now enjoys at least seventy-five years of relative good health. "
 I didn't know that, so I was very surprised at that.
And author said Japanese spend their money less on health care. Japan is the  living longest country in the world, but health care spending per person per year is the lowest in the industrialized world!! The reason is DIET!!!
 I think many elderly people go to hospital, so i thought that health care spending in Japan is very expensive. But is was wrong. I am very happy to know the fact.
This book made me new knowledge about Japan and Japanese diet so I really enjoy reading this book.

Latin American Food Culture

This video focuses on the Latin American food culture.
Dr.Michael Blake,who is an archaeologist in the department of anthropology, told that Latin America is famous for its domestication history.
And he explained domestication and transformation. The domestication is a domesticated plants needs human intervention to reproduce and it means the transformation how the plant or the animal from its wild state. The transformation is happened on a state where the plant or the animal has undergone genetic changes. And then transformation usually makes it more productive for humans who have been interested in the plant or the animal.
And he claimed that it is important for us to know where food comes from because we wouldn't be able to exist and we couldn't live if people don't work producing food. He said that most of us today don't produce enough food, and the food comes from somewhere and it was produced by people who are doing an absolutely essential part. Maybe he thought we must appreciate people    who produce food more.

Then, I want to ask you "Do you know where the food you eat comes from?"



http://www.youtube.com/v/o9FOjFwmMQc?autohide=1&version=3&showinfo=1&attribution_tag=rwI3yy0IBzcGMt4yyDimbA&autoplay=1&autohide=1&feature=share

Culture and rituals of eating

This video introduce us a few rituals about foods.
For example, there are different rules using implements in Europe. In Germany, Poland and Central and Eastern Europe, people never cut their potatoes with  knives. They use only forks.
　And there are another rules about numbers. For example, In Christian countries,thirteen is unlucky number because it replicates the last supper. And then, in Japan and China, four is bad number because the pronunciation of  four is "shi"―which means death. So people don't like that number.
By the way, this video also tells us that eating food together make solidarity and alliances. Before I watched this video, I have never thought  so. BUT now I really think so.
I think that the eating foods together cements our relationship more tight!




This is the URL of the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyVPfFKp7SI

The first impression of my book

I chose the book―Japanese　Women Don't Get Old or Fat. But this is the first time foe me to read a non-fiction English book.
I was interested in this book because the author of this book is Japanese woman-Naomi MORIYAMA. For long time, I am interested in Japanese food culture and Japanese diet very much. Naomi wrote about Japanese diet in this book, so I chose this book.And Amazon's review also attracted my interest so much.
On the introduction, this book explains why Japanese women have the lowest obesity rate in the developed world 3% versus 11% for French women and 34% for American women, Japanese women are the world champions of longevity-and healthy longevity and the American Dietetic Association calls Japanese style eating a "passport to health" and suggests we " take a lesson today from the Japanese table". Those are very interesting for me and those attracts me so much. So I really look forward to reading this book!!

Food aphorisms

This time, I  introduce two food aphorisms which I agree with and disagree with.

"Food is symbolic of love when words are inadequate."
―Alan D. Wolfelt
 
I agree with this aphorism because I have experienced like this. When I was a child, I was often scolded by my mother. I am very very obstinate person, so I couldn't apologize to her though I understood I was wrong. Then I often had a quarrel with my mother. The chance of reconciliation between us is always the time when we have a meal. My mother understands my character and she realizes that I want to be reconciled with her. At that time, she serves a meal. My mother and I shore the dishes and we became friendly than before we ate them. When I looked this aphorism, these things reminds me.

On the other hand I couldn't agree with this aphorism.

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."
―Kate　Moss

I know about her because she is very famous fashion model. I like her but I could't agree with this aphorism. She is a fashion model so she must keep her skinny and perfect style. So I think she said like this. But I love eating foods.In my opinion,Whenever we eat something, we become happy. I think eating is living. But this aphorism denies that. So I disagree with this aphorism.

Picnic at Yoyogi Park

 On 4th October, we went on a picnic at Yoyogi park! This is the second time for me to go to Yoyogi park. And this is the first time to go on a picnic with my friends and my teacher. So I was very very looking forward to going on a picnic. And it was very fun and we could spend wonderful time!!
For this picnic, students made and brought their own cooking. There are Nori-maki, Inarizushi and so on. I cooked ground meat rolled in cabbage. I asked my mother to tell recipe the day before this picnic and I got up early and made it. It was very easy than I expected, so I recommend you to try to cook it! I can teach you. I was very happy to hear the words― "Delicious!" "Did YOU cook it by yourself?" Thanks to this picnic, I realized the pleasure of making dishes by hand. 
By the way, unfortunately, it was rainy on that day... But we could enjoy this picnic. It was the first time for me to go on a picnic on rainy day, so this picnic was so fresh for me! And then Mr.Dias taught us how to juggle some balls ans pins. I didn't know Mr.Dias could juggle them, I was surprised at that sight.
I felt that this picnic made us friendlier than before the first class. So I thank Mr.Dias for making this opportunity of going on a picnic.