Defining Japan

When I was recently asked to describe one Japanese item that could possibly define the country, I froze. I wasn't allowed to offer flags or anthems... just a single item that would be uniquely Japanese.

How do I do that?

As a Canadian, it could be ice hockey (though we just call it 'hockey'), maple syrup, Anne of Green Gables, salmon... but a lot of countries have what we have, and most people probably have not read Anne of Green Gables to even mention it as being Canadian. Hmmm... maybe the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police)... our national police force... the Mounties... but would a person in the Ukraine look at a Mountie and say - Canada? Maybe... maybe not.  

The truth is, no one thing can define a country, no matter how hard one tries... though I suppose a cedar tree could describe Lebanon, a bald eagle the U.S., and maybe a beaver for Canada. Everybody loves beaver. But, when I see these beautiful examples of nature, I also realize that it's just nature and don't think country. Though I might think kangaroo and Australia.

There are many things in Japan that fascinate me - hence this blog. Things that on the surface appear to be singular to Japan, but are not: kimono; rice; chopsticks... are still defining elements by the Japanese themselves.

How many times have you heard a Japanese person describe, in English, hashi (chopsticks), as Japanese chopsticks? Japanese rice? Japanese kimono. You might think it's because they want you to know it's a Japanese product and that they are proud of their culture, but there are Korean kimono, Chinese chopsticks and Indian rice.

So... how to best describe Japan?

Geisha, perhaps... everyone seems to know that geisha are all over Japan... but truthfully, I only saw one, maybe two in three years there... while a fine representative, the geisha are hardly widespread enough to be representative of a country. And besides... while people might know what a geisha looks like, they have a misconceived notion of what a geisha is. Read HERE for more information.

Mt. Fuji? Much as I hate to admit it, probably. I never saw the damn so-called symbol of Japan in three whole years of trying. I'm not convinced it even exists. But let's suppose it does... would someone - anyone - in another country look at a photo of Mt. Fuji, and know it was a Japanese mountain? No.

Food! Everybody wants to eat food - especially those that don't have any - but we are able to define things as Italian food, French cuisine, Greek food, Indian food, Chinese food (not the stuff from the take-out joint!), Japanese food et al, right?

Food helps define a country! Some of them, anyways.

While there are many great Canadian foods - Cod Tongue, Poutine, Butter Tarts or Sugar Pie - Most Canadians would be hard-pressed to define them as being Canadian.

Thanks to some great Chevrolet commercials, hot dogs and apple pie are ingrained in the American psyche.I kid, but Americans do know all about how American those foods are - despite the fact that Canadians love'em too.

So, what do you like Japanese food?

Pardon my syntax, but my first year junior high students all learned the English phrase: "What (blank) do you like?", but some of them get the word placement wrong. This is not a knock on my teaching skills, but is a phenomenon known to exist across the whole country. Sometimes they figure it out, and sometimes they do not.

What Japanese food best defines Japan? Sushi, of course!

That's raw fish, right?

Uh, no. There might be raw fish in sushi, but it's not a necessity. It could have egg or vegetables as the focal point of the sushi. Cooked vinegared rice (shari) and other ingredients (neta) are the two defining elements of sushi.    

Here's a blog I wrote back in 2010 describing some of the various styles of sushi: SUSHI

Some people would say rice defines the Japanese way of life for the Japanese - perhaps once upon a time, but that time is long since past. Besides... all Asian nations, I believe, use rice as a staple. China, and India... there's 2.5 billion people right there!

Want more proof? Look at the kanji for rice: 米 (bei)

Now look at the kanji for the U.S of A: 米 (bei)
America is the rice nation? Sounds like a bit of miscommunication occurred during that first meeting of countries. Hardly looks like a Japanese definer.

That's why I am going to say that sushi is the global definer of Japan.  

That's just my own opinion, but I would love to hear yours: What one thing defines Japan?

Other examples could be:
Godzilla (still Japan's biggest international star)
Earthquakes
Tsunami (no one uses the word tidal wave any more because it is incorrect)
Volcanoes
TEPCO (owners of the nuclear plant in Fukushima)
Tokyo (but I'm betting the rest of the country disagrees)
 Mt. Fuji
Getting atomic bombs dropped on them
Manga (comic books)
Anime (animation)
Hentai (sexual artwork)
Umeboshi (sour plum)
Ukuiyo-e (the dreaming world)
Sumo (wrestling)
Gaijin (foreigners)
Shinkansen (bullet train)
The Hokusai wave (36 Views of Mt. Fuji Ukiyo-e - the image at the very top)
Cherry blossoms
Inane television showing people getting hit in the nuts
Sake (fermented Japanese rice wine)
Architecture (roofs, in particular)
Ninja
Samurai
Geisha
Shogun
Automobiles
Electronics
Pottery
Haiku (poetry)
Torii (temple gates)
Jo (castles)
Ji (temples)
Kimono 
The people (Nihonjin)

I know there are more, but I would like to hear what you think.    

Cheers,
Andrew Joseph
PS: And that whole raw fish thing... well, raw fish, heck raw meat, that is the awesome delicacy known as sashimi. It melts in your mouth, and is also delicious!

Menstruation and why women can't...

That title is something, isn't it?

Menstruation and why women can't be... what?

Here's two things women are forbidden to do in Japan: be sumo wrestlers, and sushi chefs.

That whole bleeding thing that women do every few weeks disrupts the Japanese traditional views on purity.

Hunh. Who knew?

I used to watch Iron Chef (Japanese version) and go to sushi restaurants, and always used to wonder why I never saw any female Japanese sushi chefs... who knew it was because they menstruate? I thought it was just some old boy's club that sort of prevented women from the profession. Like being a professional engineer here in Canada and the U.S.... old boy's club from about 30 years ago. Or being a doctor 100 years ago... nursing was fine... but a doctor? Better leave that to the men, dear...  Or being in the armed forces... I'll save you, lady!

Who knew that Japan was sexist?

Of course Japan is sexist. It was when I lived there in the early 90s, and while I am sure there has been some progress since I left, I was always sure that chauvinism was still going to exist in Japan for many a year long after I left.

But blaming it on menstruation? Men-struation... wow. At least there's a proper dignified reason that I am now aware of. That's sarcasm, by the way. It's so difficult to write sarcasm and ensure that everyone reading knows you are being sarcastic...  

Here's a comment from the son of Ono Jiro, a sushi master who owns a three-star Michelin restaurant in Tokyo's Ginza district. His menu starts at Cdn/US $300 and only gets higher. The son's name is Ono Yoshikazu.

So... Mr. Ono-san... why aren't there any female sushi craftsmen (aka shokunin)? 

Says Ono-san: "The reason is because women menstruate. To be a professional means to have a steady taste in your food, but because of the menstrual cycle women have an imbalance in their taste, and that’s why women can’t be sushi chefs."

And this is coming from the son one of the world's best sushi masters, an 86-year-old who also happens to be the subject of “Jiro Dreams of Sushi,” a documentary by American director David Gelb that recently premiered at the Berlinale this week. This son, is the man who will take up the mantle of one of the world's greatest sushi restaurant's, whose family name carries great weight in the world of sushi. 

Ono adds: "I have no children and am also not married. In Japan, work is regarded as the first thing…It might be different somewhere outside Japan where family comes first, but in Japanese tradition work comes first …There’s nothing you can do about it if you can’t see your family because you’re working and you have to trust that when the children grow up they do understand why their father was away. Because my father was trying so hard and working so hard…that’s why our restaurant exists."


Gods... work over family. I'm sure his father must have agreed... let me come home, knock up the wife, get a son, my job at home is done, now I can spend all of my time at my restaurant honing my craft. Sarcasm....

Personally, Japan - It's A Wonderful Rife believes that the menstruation reason is merely a handy excuse for remaining chauvinistic... Because Japan likes to pattern itself on being proper and dignified and following traditional values from the ancient past - back when life was so much better, it makes sense that these institutions remain the bastions of a society looking to remain a world power.

Japan... get your head out of your ass... women are fully capable of being sushi chefs... and doing it with style, verve and aplomb... as well as if not better than any male chef. While they will get their ass handed to them by their male sumo counterparts, there should be nothing to bar them from competing in the sport... but there is... as sumo wrestlers purify the clay ring with salt before battling... but a woman who could bleed from her vagina at any moment... well... it must truly frighten these men who will have no idea how to clean the ring afterwards.

Every time I think Japan is hot stuff, I am reminded that it still has a ways to go... to grow up.

Andrew Joseph

The art of making sushi

By Maggie Crane, WINK News
Story Created: Feb 4, 2008 at 7:56 AM EST

Blu Sushi was born out of boredom. Hong Kong born sushi chef Kevin Mak used to own a chinese restaurant, but thanks to a buddy in the sushi business, Kevin switched careers. Thirteen years and three businesses later, he hasn't looked back.

Sit at the bar at Blu Sushi and watch the sushi chefs at work. They make it look so easy. But is it?

Sushi chef Kevin Mak makes food into edible art, and he's teaching me how to make a roll called "LoyalTV.com." It's named after a good customer."

In the beginning, you have to make sure your hand is a little wet, so the rice will not stick to your fingers," Mak says.

Well it stuck to mine anyway, and it's no wonder --"We use sushi sticky rice from Japan and mix it with a little sugar, a little salt and a little vinegar," Mak says.Next, we add on spicy tuna, cucumber, and tomago, which is egg mixed with a little sugar and vinegar, and then wrap it up in soy paper."

Make sure your fingers hold all of the ingredients in the middle," Mak instructs me.But that's harder than it looks! Mak is an old pro. He wraps nearly 300 rolls every night, and so do his six other chefs. That's a heck of a lot of raw fish! Mak wraps each roll in about a minute.

Mak says shashimi, which is only raw fish -- no rice -- only needs a little soy sauce and wasabi for flavoring.

Most people have heard of wasabi -- that little green glob on the side of your plate. It comes from the root of a plant and packs a serious punch."Some people say 'oh I love spicy,' but, wasabi is a different kind of spicy, they say 'wow! This goes all the way to the top of the head'" Mak says. What you won't see is what goes on behind the scenes. Blu Sushi gets fresh fish from all over the world."We get it from Canada, from Japan, from Brazil -- everywhere," Mak says. "It just depends where I can get the freshest fish.

"Tuna comes in different grades, and an A++ fish will reel in big bucks."Some, maybe a 500 pound fish or a 700 pound fish, can go for like $50,000 for one fish," Mak says.

But that fish often goes to the sushi capital of the world."Like 80% goes to Japan because they pay a really high price," Mak says. "We have a lot of great tuna too -- it just depends on how much you want to pay for it.

"The different knives sushi chefs use are almost as important as the quality of the fish itself.

"You can get a knife for $50 but they run up to $5,000 for one knife," Mak says.

Even the stones used to sharpen the knives can cost hundreds of dollars a piece.

From succulent sushi to sharp skills, Kevin Mak has one goal every day.

"All the time we try to create something for our customers that they cannot eat at another restaurant," Mak says. "Really, they're not my customers. They're my friends -- they're all my friends!"

http://www.winknews.com/news/local/15272506.html

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