What is the favorite food of Japanese people?

If I were to talk about one thing about the foods I ate growing up in Japan, it would be their connection to nature.

Most areas in Japan have four seasons, and there are various seasonal ingredients such as vegetables and fish, some of which are only available in certain areas.

For example, white shrimp (Shira Ebi, white shrimp) is caught in Toyama Bay in summer and, until recently, was only available in its area. (When I went to Toyama in August, I had the chance to taste this delicious sweet and salty shrimp sushi and it was amazing!)

Every region in Japan has such wonderful gifts from Mother Nature .

I remember my mother making pea rice in the spring and chestnut rice in the fall, peeling off the hard skins of the chestnuts one by one (it took her several hours to peel them off with a knife). When I was a kid, I looked forward to eating that dish year-round. Whenever the season ends, I always wish the next dish would come sooner.

Every New Year begins with a traditional meal called Osechi. I think this meal is comparable to the Thanksgiving meal in the United States because it is both a celebration and an important time for family gatherings. time. Therefore, Osechi and Thanksgiving dinner are more than just a meal: they both meet our physical and emotional needs, which are vital to our overall health and well-being. There is a saying in Japan: the depth of a relationship with someone is measured by how many meals you have with them. I think deep down in the heart of every Japanese person is the idea that sharing a meal with others is precious and well worth your time, which turns the act of eating into an experience.

Osechi consists of a carefully designed traditional boxed meal that represents the good things we wish for in all life - celebratory colors such as red and white, good luck in yellow/gold, shrimp, Longevity, hard work The word "man" in black beans rhymes with hard work.

Each layer of the box contains a specific dish, which are stacked together (usually three layers) and placed in the center of the table for everyone to share.

The Japanese believe in "eating with the eyes", so the color combination, decoration, size, portion and shape of the ingredients on the plate, as well as the finished dish, will affect our sensory perception, and ultimately affect how we taste the food. The taste, even before we actually start eating.

My mother spends at least three days preparing sushi every year, starting from buying ingredients, preparing, and cooking.

Since I immigrated to the United States, I have carried on this tradition for many years, spending the same amount of time, if not more, looking for ingredients, shopping at Japanese grocery stores in Los Angeles and cooking ten to fifteen bowls for the box All my Japanese friends gather together to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, traditionally called "Early Spring". (Eager for the early arrival of the warmth of spring in Japan.)

(おせち Cuisine Osechi - Display of lacquerware box called "Bako" is mainly used for Osechi once a year, mainly in three layers. Displayed There are also stacked sake cups. The largest cup is for the head of the family, followed by the wife and children)

There are many vegetables in spring, and my favorite is bamboo shoots.

My grandpa told me how to find fresh bamboo in the backyard. It begins to grow in late March to early April, and timing is critical—you have to dig it up as soon as you see its tips emerging from the ground. (picture below)

By the time they looked like the picture below, it was too late for his standards because the bamboo shoots were too hard, although still edible.

The difference between the first picture and the second picture may be less than a day, or at most one day, so time is important.

When it is fresh, you can eat sashimi with wasabi powder and soy sauce (mostly cooked sashimi, if it is not more than an hour old, you can eat it raw, but this is very rare, very difficult to do).

In the hot summer, cold noodles are like people in ice water, which can relieve the heat. We use glass plates and bowls in the summer because visually they make us feel cooler (maybe glass plates and bowls remind us of ice?) Using glass plates is a very common summer practice throughout Japan .

The Japanese call autumn the "season of appetite" - the season of harvest.

Three horses (pike) are called "autumn fish" and are a symbol of the arrival of autumn. A great way to enjoy Sanma is to grill it.

In the cold winter, there are a lot of vegetables, fish and meat in the hot clay pot. In the fish soup, we share it from one pot, which not only relieves the cold weather, but also is very comfortable. Every time I eat Naboo, it reminds me.