Japan to certify cuisine but no 'sushi police'
This is the main point of the story:

"Our objective is to promote Japanese food, not eliminate Japanese restaurants."

The campaign when first announced was mocked by some Western media as a futile effort at a time when Japanese food is growing in popularity across the world.

To qualify for certification, applicants are required to use Japanese rice and seasoning along with traditional ingredients. Restaurants must also show knowledge of Japanese recipes and proper hygiene.

[...]

Japanese officials and tourists have voiced growing alarm at what they see as vile imitations of their cuisine overseas, fearing that Japanese food will go the way of Chinese cuisine in North America and Europe.


Fine, whatever (ps did I ever tell you about that documentary I wanted to see about Chinese restaurants outside China? I still haven't seen it.). People who care will look for the symbol, and people who don't won't be affected.

Here are the two points I am going to comment on, with my comments:

1. The ubiquitous California roll is a case in point. The vegetarian sushi dish, which replaces sushi with avocado or cucumbers and may include cream cheese, is unrecognisable to most Japanese.
My comment is: Most california rolls I have seen seem to include crab or imitation crab or something in addition to the avocado/cuke and so are not vegetarian. Too bad. Or am I wrong?


2. "It's important to share the heart that goes into authentic Japanese food with chefs around the world, but we can't force them," said Yukio Hattori, a board member of the certification body and president of Hattori Nutrition College.
My comment is: Dude! That's the guy from Iron Chef! The expert commentator and sometimes challenger who must douse announcer Kenji Fukui's excited flames of ignorance of with the extinguisher of knowledge and perspective. I can't believe that wasn't mentioned in the article.

Speaking of TV, why is Family Guy on at 6 or 7 when it's supposed to be the Simpsons? Boo.

Labels: food, intercultural interaction, Iron chef, simpsons, tv, yahoo news

- posted by k @ 6:13 PM

 
End of holidays, beginning of semester
Today I

• Put new sheets in my planner (though for some reason I can't find the month page for Feb.)
• Picked up my Feb. transit pass (free...well, $210 for the whole semester, already paid up)
  
• Got my watch battery changed ($12.60)
• Got a bunch of vaccinations so they'll let me back in ($102)
• Paid 1/3 of my spring fees so they'll let me back in ($I dare not say)
• Unpacked both suitcases and put them away
  
• Tidied clothes closet in the process of putting clothes away
• Cleaned off surfaces, so apparently now I have a small table and a desk.
• Updated my google calendar and printed a planner-size sheet.
• One problem is that if I clipped it into my binder, I couldn't see Wednesday.
• Possible solution is to print as 2 portrait PDFs instead of 1 landscape then tell adobe to print 2 pages on 1 page. Hmm.
  
• Nowhere to put tasks. !
  
• Possible solution which I am trying is to put the task list in a spreadsheet in google docs. Hmm. We'll see.

Still need to do laundry, buy snowboots, put pile of papers into file cabinet.


Christmas presents

• Tried the ear covers, but they felt a little snug. Still, if it goes below 20degF again, I may be inclined to try again.
• Still not sure how the black velcro thing is supposed to be warn. Roommate suggested it might be a balaclava to cover the bottom part of my face. Hmm.
• Did I leave my new Manu Chao CD in LA? ??? I wanted to listen to it, but I couldn't find it. :-(
  

- posted by k @ 8:06 PM

 
You might live in the East Bay IF...
I swear to god I am not making this up!

Sikh-Jewish Interfaith Kirtan

- posted by k @ 9:20 PM

 
zomg. Neti's 15 minutes.
Of all things, the humble Neti Pot was a headliner on Yahoo today. With a link to a story in the New York Times. Because it was featured on Oprah. Well, I'll be damned.

The NY Times story isn't too bad, though it's regrettable they chose to end by talking about some jackass who was doing performance art/comedy.

(some excerpts)

Originally part of a millennia-old Indian yogic tradition, the practice of nasal irrigation — jala neti — is performed with a small pot that looks like a cross between Aladdin’s lamp and your grandmother’s gravy boat.

Unfortunately true. I think exactly that when I contemplate it's shape.

Due to a confluence of influences, the neti pot is having what can only be termed a moment, sold in drugstores, health food stores, even at Wal-Mart and Walgreens.
[...]
Neither Whole Foods Market, where neti pots have been sold nationwide for almost a decade, nor the Himalayan Institute, one of the largest retail and wholesale distributors of neti pots in the United States, would disclose sales figures, but representatives of each company said that after the Oprah shows there were sharp spikes in demand.

Whole Foods I expected, but Wal-Mart and Walgreens? Again, I'll be damned. Good news for me though, since I need to find one.

Dr. Bradley Marple, the chairman of the rhinology and paranasal sinus committee for the American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery, said that nasal irrigation is a well-known remedy for various respiratory complaints. “Studies indicate that saline nasal irrigation is a highly effective, minimally invasive intervention for people suffering from nasal issues,” Dr. Marple said. “But it’s just not as sexy to talk about. People want to hear about surgery or antibiotics.”

Good to hear that perspective from someone in the "medical establishment."
- posted by k @ 11:24 AM