Cwiertka, Modern Japanese Cuisine.
Ishige, History and Culture of Japanese Food.
Rath, Food and Fantasy in Early Modern Japan.
Tasting Experiment
A traditional Edo-era restaurant was designed to stimulate all of the senses,
evoke memories, and capture the essence of certain seasons. It essentially
treated the gastronomic experience like poetry. The next time you order
Japanese food to bring home—or, better yet, make yourself—think carefully
about the entire setting. That is, choose traditional music that fi ts the cuisine
(perhaps shakuhachi fl ute music or the shamisen). Put up images that are
evocative, and carefully arrange plants or fragrant fl owers. Use tableware
that will demand careful consideration, such as bowls you can sip from and
Japanese chopsticks. If you have reed mats, eat sitting on the fl oor with the
food on a low table. Think about how the setting changed your awareness
of the food. Did you eat more slowly? Did you taste fl avors and notice
textures that normally would have been lost? Consider what would happen
gastronomically if we paid this much attention to the setting in all of our
meals. Would we become more mindful of food in general?
Suggested Reading
Culinary Activity