Lecture 24: Edo, Japan—Samurai Dining and Zen Aesthetics
period that placed so much emphasis on presentation and on the
philosophy that stresses the natural, unaffected, and haphazard. Japanese cuisine is also probably the cuisine that pays more
attention to the size, shape, and color of the bowls food is served on.
In Japanese cuisine, the bowls or serving containers are chosen very
carefully to heighten the tactile and sensory quality of the food, and
it’s perfectly fi ne for them to be different shapes and sizes—unlike
in Western culture. In addition, handmade objects are revered. Food is meticulously arranged on a plate to heighten attention to
the different senses. Visual appeal is perhaps more important than
in any other cuisine. There is careful attention to the color, but also
to the shape of the food and how it sits on the plate. There is careful
attention to the overall design, but also to the texture of the food in
your mouth and to the aroma as it enters your nostrils. Unlike Western cuisines—or even other Asian ones—the Japanese
seem to appreciate single ingredients on their own rather than
complex combinations of fl avor and texture. There is something
very minimalistic about this mindset, which is why this cooking
(and art, for that matter) has been appealing to Westerners. Cooking techniques are also very simple. If cooked at all, food is
cooked for a precise length of time and usually over a stove top.
There’s very little baking or roasting. In addition, food is cut in
small pieces so that it cooks quicker and more evenly and so that
you never need a sharp object at the table. Almost all foods are
either fried, grilled, or steamed. Bento boxes are the quintessential Japanese food. It’s a whole
elegant, miniature lunch in a box. Rice is the core but the box also
contains grilled fi sh, shrimp, little pickles, and cold salads of gobo
root arranged on little shiso leaves. The box also contains fruit.
Every item is presented artfully in its own little compartment so
that the foods don’t get mixed up. It’s meant to be eaten on the go.