Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

Amakusa Research Project

Friday, September 14th, 2007

Bridge to enter Amakusa, Kumamoto

There has been a push at work to connect better with the local community. The idea is to share ideas for research with those already doing similar work. I joined in on a trip this week to Amakusa, an island area south of Kumamoto connected by bridges and a system of ferries. The photo above is of the first bridge that connects the island of Kyushu to the first large island of Amakusa. The photo below is a view from that bridge.

View from bridge in Amakusa, Kumamoto

We first stopped at a junior high school where there is a group of four or so people who develop and produce foods made from octopus. We learned that they get a supply of 30-40 kgs. a day of octopus, from which they make octopus ‘steak,’ giant ‘takoyaki’ (a kind of savory ball made from dough, vegetables, and seasonings), and other dishes. These products are then sold at the local souvenir shops. We sampled some of the octopus they use, and it was very tasty.

We next went to one of the local offices where the archives of Amakusa are kept. There was a long hallway where photos from various local events of the 20th and 21st centuries were hung on the wall. We then toured some of the rooms where the archives are stored. We did not really get to see any of the materials since they were all in boxes. Another missed opportunity was that the PR materials that were given to us were mainly photos of boxes. I think in the future some examples of the kinds of materials stored there would be enlightening; otherwise, it was a waste of copy paper.

From there we moved to Amakusa Airport where we learned about Amakusa Airlines’ business. Amakusa Airlines has one plane traveling: Amakusa to/from Kumamoto, Amakusa to/from Fukuoka, and Kumamoto to/from Matsuyama. We learned that their business has grown steadily over the years and that most of the passengers are business people.

We then went to Tomioka Castle which was fought over during the Shimabara Rebellion, but was destroyed in 1670 during the Shogunate period. The current site was rebuilt in modern times. The dark rocks below are the original rocks used to build the castle; the lighter ones were shaped for the reconstruction.

Tomioka Castle, Amakusa, Kumamoto

Here is a shot of what they found when they dug out the site. You can see that the castle was rebuilt with new walls.

Original Wall at Tomioka Castle, Amakusa, Kumamoto

I am a big fan of the coast in Amakusa. I would have to guess that I did about 50 dives at Myoken ga Ura (along the west coast of Amakusa) in the period from the summer of 1994 to the summer of 1998. I did not get many chances for a good shot, but this one is typical of the west coast:

We continued south and went to Oe where many Christians lived (and still live) before, during, and after Japan was closed to the West. Nagasaki’s Shimabara and Amakusa are so close that they share a lot of history. Here’s a shot of Oe Catholic Church:

Oe Catholic Church, Amakusa, Kumamoto

and one of Sakitsu Catholic Church:

Sakitsu Catholic Church, Amakusa, Kumamoto Sakitsu Catholic Church, Amakusa, Kumamoto

Both were destroyed during the Shogunate period and were rebuilt in the 20th century.

The day finished up at a nice Japanese Inn where the University members were joined by some of the workers of Amakusa City and Kumamoto Prefecture. I got to meet Mayor Yasuda of Amakusa City, a very friendly person. Amakusa City turns out to be a sister-city with Encinitas in San Diego. What a coincidence! Moonlight beach may just be the beach I have visited the most.

If you are planning a trip to the Kumamoto area, make sure you plan some time for an Amakusa trip. You will be glad that you did.

Tacos de Pollo de Jay de Japón

Saturday, July 21st, 2007

Tacos de Pollo de Jay de Japón

These were dinner tonight. In Japan, it’s not exactly easy to make tacos the way I like them, but I do the best I can. These were made with corn tortillas which were produced in Germany. How weird is that? Tacos made by an American in Japan, using mostly Japanese ingredients, except the corn tortillas which came from Germany. Boy were they tasty. I think the key was the thigh meat I used. The meat I picked out is a local specialty here. It was very tender and juicy, especially after I grilled it on my iron-cast grill from Daiei. Mmmmm…

3rd-Year Students Cook a Healthy Dinner!

Wednesday, July 18th, 2007

For the second time since I arrived, the Food and Health students invited me to a meal. The first time, the second-year students invited me, and it was free. This time it was the third-year students, and they charged ¥300.

There was plate of cold, sliced pork with tomatoes, wakame, and cucumber; a small, but plentiful portion of rice; miso soup; a soy bean dish; and a jelly desert made of oranges. The menu said it was 667 calories. Nice job!

A Cheap Weekend in Kumamoto

Monday, June 11th, 2007

There are a lot of places to escape to from just about anywhere in Kumamoto. One that is up the hill past the airport is called something like Milk Farmland. It costs ¥300 to get in, and there are various animals to watch and pet as your heart desires. There are a couple of small petting zoos and friendly people to answer your questions. There are at least three pigs, formerly known as mini-pigs and pot-bellied pigs (someone forgot to tell them that because they’re huge!), roaming around.

There is also a fully working dairy, and you can often see the machines in action, sucking the white stuff out of the cows patiently waiting their turn. Part of this dairy, obviously, is for raising the little ones. The video above shows one of them frolicking around a bit too much. She was in shock after her fall and didn’t move much at all after that.

The dairy goods are on sale in the form of tasty soft-serve and a whole bunch of products such as cream, milk, butter and cheese. Part of that complex also has a good all-you-can-eat restaurant serving locally grown food (when we were there, it was ¥1,500 for adults and ¥840 for kids). There were all kinds of food to choose from, including drinks and desserts.

or have a cup of coffee from an $11,000 machine!

Wednesday, March 14th, 2007

The content of El Viajero has been split into two blogs. El Viajero will focus on topics related to every day life. The academic material is moving to http://scholar.jklmelton.net.

This post has been moved here:
or-have-a-cup-of-coffee-from-an-11000-machine

Mérida, México

Tuesday, February 27th, 2007

Ah, Mérida… What a great city. I’ve been there three times now: one one-night whirlwind visit in 1985, one slightly longer visit in 1990, and a nine-night stay for the 2006-07 holidays. Friendly people (smiles everywhere), great food (watch out for those habaneros!), lots of places to visit, and an endless number of challenges for travelers. For those of you who like to have a home base for other traveling, Mérida serves as a great staging area to head out to the Mayan sites and other interesting places.

The shot you see above is from the zócalo/centro/plaza (I heard all used) around sunset. It was a beautiful sight with all the colors changing every minute. The building you see is the oldest cathedral in North America. There are lots of sites (try the ones linked here) with information on history, dining, lodging, and places to visit.

I ask one favor. This city sustains some of the nicest people I know. If you visit, treat them with the same respect that they will show you. My greatest fear is that some are going to take advantage of the generosity of these people. A careful reading of the history of the area shows how they’ve been treated over the past several centuries.

Behind the Seeds Tour

Friday, February 23rd, 2007

Walt Disney World’s EPCOT is divided into four major sections, one of which is called The Land. This is a huge building that houses a restaurant, and at least three rides: Soarin’ (the real name should be Soarin’ Over California, which is where it goes and which is the name of the same ride at California Adventure), Circle of Life, and Living with the Land.

This last one consists of a boat ride through some different simulated climate zones with accompanying narration and lighting. Then we are taken into EPCOT’s greenhouses which hold quite a number of plants of different varieties. It is a fascinating ride through agronomy’s world. Towards the end of the ride, the Behind the Seeds Tour is mentioned as a closer look into what goes on in the greenhouses.

For an extra $11 or so, a small group of people (there were seven in our group) is shown around the greenhouse by a guide. Our guide was Matt, a friendly and knowledgeable student who was very enthusiastic about his job and eating the food that is grown there.

The tour starts off with the Center’s work on organic pest removal (infesting leaf-destroying insects with a wasp egg that eats the leaf-eating insects; and raising ladybugs). Then they move on to how they raise plants from seeds (no sunlight is needed because they add a form of sugar to the plants diet.

The first two greenhouses hold the plants grown by hydroponics.

All the plants here are grown without the use of soils—-just water and nutrients. There are flowers and lettuce and others that can benefit from such techniques. We all got a sample of a cucumber grown this way, and it was sweet and delicious!

The next greenhouse uses soil like one would expect, but there was a twist with some of the plants. Some of the plants are actually vines but grown as trees. Here you can see a tomato vine that has been propped up with trellises and works like a tomato tree.

Another version of this “tomato tree” holds the Guinness record for number (more than 32,000!) and weight of the crop (more than 522kg.!)

When we were back in the pest control room, three members of the tour were given vials of cold ladybugs. When we got to the section with the tomatoes and eggplants, those members were asked to deploy their ladybugs.

The critters had plenty of time to warm up, but they were not necessarily ready to get out. It took quite a bit of coaxing to get some out of there.

As we were taking the tour through the greenhouses, the ride was taking people past us. The ride provides some perspective on how big some of the crops are.

Were we told some of the crops are used for the effect they have on the attraction. This is true of the pumpkins shown here. This variety is often used for entering into contests.

The next section is where aquatic life is raised.

There are tilapia, sturgeon, shrimp, alligators, and a few others. Sorry about the lighting; there must be a UV light used to cut down on the bacteria. I didn’t notice until I uploaded the photos in my computer, so I couldn’t ask about it.

The last section of the tour went through the tropical section of the greenhouse.

There are a bunch of different fruits and spices grown in this section. How many can you identify?

You are probably wondering (as I was) what the purpose of such a place is at a Disney park. We learned there are three (in this order):

  • show (remember that it’s a ride/attraction)
  • food (yep, they serve a lot of the food in the restaurants at EPCOT)
  • research (there’s a team working on improving their techniques)
  • The tour was well over an hour and worth every cent. Highly recommended.

    Let’s Hear it for the Chile Pepper!

    Friday, February 16th, 2007

    Today is as good as any to celebrate the chile pepper (free registration to The LA Times may be required to read the article), which some researchers believe is the world’s oldest condiment.

    Book Review: Cooking Rocks

    Monday, February 5th, 2007

    Have kids? Looking to have some fun with them and teach them some important skills at the same time? We picked up Rachael Ray’s Cooking Rocks a couple of weeks ago. To start off, if you answer yes to both of the questions above, then you should check out this book. It has easy-to-understand, practical instructions, with an emphasis on safety, for kids aged 4 and above. I like the fact that all of the recipes (some modifications will be in order as the kids get older) can travel through the lifetime of the cooks. So far we’ve had the Middle Eastern Rice Bowl and one of the pizza recipes modified a bit (for last night’s Super Bowl). Yumm-o!

    Unhappy Meals & Nutritionism

    Friday, February 2nd, 2007

    This is probably the most readable and practical article on nutrition, or more accurately, nutritionism, that I have ever read. Reading it will require free registration, and waiting more than The New York Times’ limited reading time (it’s a week or two) will require a fee. Read it now, and enjoy your balanced meal without gorging yourself. Great job, Michael Pollan!