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	<title>Oyster Food and Culture &#187; Japan</title>
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	<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com</link>
	<description>a place to exchange ideas and learn about culture through food</description>
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		<title>Seeking the Hidden Treasures &#8211; Sushi Gems in San Francisco</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/07/11/seeking-the-hidden-treasures-sushi-gems-in-san-francisco/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/07/11/seeking-the-hidden-treasures-sushi-gems-in-san-francisco/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Jul 2010 14:49:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[San Francisco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sushi]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=7899</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[These is a certain kind of sushi restaurant that delights in hiding in plain sight.  In San Francisco, they seem to compete on blandness for the most bland exteriors, only to show their true colors to the luck few who&#8217;s patience in out waiting their rivals is rewarded with a tasty repast.  They are typically tiny  with a handful of tables, at most, and the store front is so nondescript that they are almost a speak easy, but I have not heard of any passwords required to seek entry. They&#8217;ve been a topic of conversation on ChowHound and other food sites. Practically every sushi lover that I talk to has their own favorite, a nondescript place that in the light of day, you would walk by and never know that this was a delights of sushi.  But at night, its another story, with the lights on and the lanterns out and lit and the banners hung &#8211; all sushi restaurant accruement telling the diner to be ready for action.  These owners prefer to let their work speak for itself, as clamoring crowds gather up and down the sidewalk resigned to wait their turn.  They seem to pride themselves on making [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/07/11/seeking-the-hidden-treasures-sushi-gems-in-san-francisco/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>27</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Asian Curry &#8211; Japan</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/04/30/asian-curry-japan/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/04/30/asian-curry-japan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Apr 2010 16:16:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Britain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[country]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[curry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[England]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=8320</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Curry has me in its heady grip, and as I was curious to see its permutations as it made its way around the world.  I touched on some of the varieties that could be found in India, how the English stamped their influence on curries by adding a few of their own, such as Balti, and how the addition of curry powder to a dish does not an authentic curry make.   But stopping here is a bit like a television show cliffhanger, what happens after the hero plunges over the waterfall in his barrel?  So many unanswered questions &#8211; does he he survive? Is he reunited with the heroine? One of the intriguing things about curries is that while some ingredients are ubiquitous, each successive culture tweaks the recipes to increase its appeal to their own tastes and account for their available food, so that they are not the same.  Its like a craving for grilled food, if I&#8217;m hankering for a steak, a saté is not going to cut it, and if I&#8217;m craving Panang curry, a batch of steaming hot Chinese curry studded with all sorts of goodies just will not do, and vice versa.  So how did curry get [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/04/30/asian-curry-japan/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>39</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Farmers Market Finds: Greening My Plate</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/04/13/farmers-market-finds-greening-my-plate/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/04/13/farmers-market-finds-greening-my-plate/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:25:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Farmer's Market Finds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bok choy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chinese]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chyrsanthemum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[greens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kai-lan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phillipines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tatsoi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[vegetables]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=7874</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Spring is here, I see color wherever I look, especially at the Farmers Market &#8211; not the color coordinated palettes of winter &#8211; the lush jewel toned browns, greens, and golds, but the clashing vibrant fireworks of blues, reds, pinks, and greens &#8211; mostly greens that harold in the new season. One of my favorite ways to discover new veggies is to sample the goodies at those markets or from my CSA box. One sight guaranteed to bring out the creative side in me, is a luscious, delicate mound of greens that I have not yet tried at home.  Specifically the Asian varieties that were nowhere to be found in the farmers markets of Minnesota when I was growing up.  Bringing home a bag filled with these greens and discovering their unique qualities has proved to be the basis for many a wonderful meal. A few of the greens I&#8217;ve discovered this way include: Bok Choy is an Asian vegetable familiar to most Americans and Europeans, having been introduced in Europe back in the 1800s and gradually spread to Europe.  I cooked with back in college in a small Iowa university town and loved the flavors and textures it imparted. [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/04/13/farmers-market-finds-greening-my-plate/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>24</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hawaiian Chow Time</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/04/01/hawaiian-chow-time/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/04/01/hawaiian-chow-time/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 01 Apr 2010 16:07:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hawaii]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[celebrations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Korea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phillipines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thailand]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=7335</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hawaii, the United States&#8217; backyard paradise, is one of those places that is almost impossible to define in terms of its cuisine and culture.  The indigenous people were devastated by disease and fighting when Captain Cook settled on the islands.  Since then, people from China, Japan, Thailand, Korea, the Philippines and points beyond arrived and contributed their influence to the cuisine and culture.  So much of what is found is probably more than the sum of its parts; this is fusion at its finest. A Bit of History Before Cook The first people to discover these islands were ancient Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands who crossed the Pacific in canoes (Hawaii being over 2,000 miles from its nearest neighbor).  They brought items essential for their survival: pigs, dogs, chickens, taro and sweet potato; the seeds and saplings of coconut, banana, sugar cane, and other edible and medicinal plants.  They arrived in Hawaii around 700 AD, preceeding the Vikings who settled in Iceland by 175 years.  The migration of Polynesian settlers was temporary, and by about 1100 AD they were left to their own devises to develop their own distinctive culture.  That is until the 1700&#8242;s&#8230; After Cook In  1778, Captain James [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/04/01/hawaiian-chow-time/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>28</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Seaweed &#8211; a tasty treat beloved around the world</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/03/04/seaweed-a-tasty-treat-beloved-around-the-world/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/03/04/seaweed-a-tasty-treat-beloved-around-the-world/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:48:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Kingdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[England]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ireland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lavar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seaweed]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=5129</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[If I took one of those psychological word pairing tests and the first word was seaweed, hands down my response as a match would be sushi.  I suspect I am not alone that since my first introduction to eating seaweed involved this wonderful finger food, it would be a life long association.  However I&#8217;ve come to realize through my travels, meeting people and general nosiness of what is on the other person&#8217;s dish that seaweed is found well beyond the confines of sushi restaurants and  I&#8217;ve been selling the versatility of this wonderful foodstuff short, for example, in England &#8211; laver, in Ireland &#8211; dulse, in Latin America &#8211; carola, and karengo in New Zealand.  In fact, its uses like so many ingredients, are limited only by the imagination of the cook, and I felt the need to expand my wings a bit. A bit about seaweed If your idea of seaweed is similar to mine was, that dried sheet that tasted briny, and if you were not careful could stick to the roof of your mouth like glue.  Well there&#8217;s more, many more, to the tune of 7,000 varieties although only 160 are commonly used as food &#8211; with [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/03/04/seaweed-a-tasty-treat-beloved-around-the-world/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>32</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Special Ingredients: Soy Sauce</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/01/17/special-ingredients-soy-sauce/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/01/17/special-ingredients-soy-sauce/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:09:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Special Ingredients]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thailand]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[condiments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hong kong]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish sauce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Korea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sauce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shoyu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[soy sauce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tawain]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterculture.wordpress.com/?p=2548</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The history of soy sauce is a bit like the sauce itself, kind of murky.  What is consistent is that the precursor to soy sauce is something called jiang. Jiang was a method of preservation popular with the prehistoric people of Asia involving preserving meat and fish with salt.  This process produced a bi-product, a salty liquid leeched from the meat that was used to season other foods.  This seasoning was developed in China and originally involved many forms of protein: meat, fish and vegetable.  Here&#8217;s one bit of murkiness, some claim given the difficulty of obtaining meat and fish, vegetable became the predominate protein source and eventually soybeans were selected as the ingredient of choice, and soy sauce was made.  While others place the selection on soy as a result of the increased popularity of Buddhism in the sixth century that added vegetarian restrictions to the diet.  Regardless, the Chinese have relied on soybeans as a food source for at least 5 millennia.  Soy was called Ta Teou, or &#8220;big bean&#8221;, and declared one of the five sacred grains, along with rice, wheat, barley, and millet.  Nutritionally, soybeans provide a healthy and inexpensive source of protein &#8211; two pounds of soy [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/01/17/special-ingredients-soy-sauce/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>34</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Sugar, You Have Aliases I&#8217;ve Yet to Uncover</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/01/11/sugar-you-have-aliases-ive-yet-to-uncover/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/01/11/sugar-you-have-aliases-ive-yet-to-uncover/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:53:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Britain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexico]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sweden]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[black sugar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cassonade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[demerara]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sugar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turbinado]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=6174</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I love to travel and frequently collect cookbooks from my destinations.  However, sometimes I get into trouble when a recipe calls for ingredients and I have no idea of the American equivalent.  Sugar is one ingredient that I&#8217;ve had this problem with frequently, so I decided to investigate the differences. I suspect part of the problem is that in America most sugar names are fairly self-explanatory: dark brown sugar, light brown sugar, and powdered sugar.  Not so with a lot of the sugars specified in recipes- take jaggery for example, what do I use that for, or rapadura &#8211; what the heck is that?  Well you get the idea.  I was befuddled, so I set about identifying as many sugars as I could.   I realize other types and forms of sugar exist such as liquid sugars, but chose to concentrate on the crystal form for this post. Sugar comes from a variety of sources, the most common being sugar cane, but beet sugar and date sugar are a few alternatives.  Along with the variety of sources, there are many different types of granulated sugar.  Some are only used by the food industry and professional bakers and not available in [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2010/01/11/sugar-you-have-aliases-ive-yet-to-uncover/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>32</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Better than a Rabbit&#8217;s Foot, Starting New Years on a High Note</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/12/29/better-than-a-rabbits-foot-starting-new-years-on-a-high-note/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/12/29/better-than-a-rabbits-foot-starting-new-years-on-a-high-note/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:12:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Africa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Britain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[France]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Germany]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Greece]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hungary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ireland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mexico]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Netherlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phillipines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Poland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Portugal]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Kingdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dessert]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[oysters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[religion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[celebrations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Year]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Year's Eve]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Persian New Year]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterfoodandculture.com/?p=6321</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The custom of eating pork on New Year&#8217;s is based on the notion that pigs symbolize progress or prosperity for many cultures &#8211; not a connection that may immediately come to mind. The animal pushes forward, rooting in the ground before moving, symbolizing progress.  In Italy, the fatty meat also symbolizes the fattening of wallets. Roast suckling pig is served for New Year&#8217;s in Cuba, Spain, Portugal, Hungary, and Austria.  Austrians are also known to decorate the table with miniature pigs made of marzipan, and Slovakians hand out pig shaped cookies. Different pork dishes such as pig&#8217;s feet are enjoyed in Sweden while Germans feast on roast pork and sausages.  In the United States, Southerners usually eat ham with the peas, or hog jowls if the previous year had been unlucky. In Italy, sausages such as Cotechino Modena, made from pork, fatback and pork rind, or Zampone Modena, essentially the same filling but stuffed into a pig&#8217;s foot, are served with lentils.  The sausages date to the 16th century when the Modenesi were besieged during a war and had no food.  Cotechino allowed them to both preserve meat and use the less-tender cuts. Yes, pork hogs the table in terms [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/12/29/better-than-a-rabbits-foot-starting-new-years-on-a-high-note/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>24</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Chew on this &#8211; chewing gum or such around the world</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/08/15/chew-on-this-chewing-gum-or-such-around-the-world/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/08/15/chew-on-this-chewing-gum-or-such-around-the-world/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:48:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[India]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phillipines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Singapore]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United Kingdom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[United States]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[candy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[betel leaf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[chewing gum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[paan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterculture.wordpress.com/?p=2443</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I was in Singapore, I had a few encounters that reminded me why I love to travel, finding instances that were not typical for me in the US.  One was finding a ban on chewing gum, coupled with the fact that the sidewalks were blessedly free of those ugly black, sticky spots that freckle our walkways, and are the woe of any nice pair of shoes.  I also tried betel leaf, considered by many as a substitute for chewing gum, but alas, not a bubble producer. I confess I am not much of a gum chewer, and certainly lack the necessary skills to take me to the next level.  I have never mastered talking and having gum in my mouth simultaneously, so by necessity, gum chewing is a solitary activity.  Also, for me, gum chewing serves many purposes; its an alternative to unauthorized snacking, I prefer to chomp on it when I am stressed, and it helps me to focus when I have much to read.  Consequently, I have a tin of Altoid gum on my desk at all times.  When I compared my gum chewing ability to my college roommates, I knew I fell woefully short.  My roommates, literally [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>20</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A little goes a long way &#8211; fish sauces</title>
		<link>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/07/21/a-little-goes-a-long-way-fish-sauces/</link>
		<comments>http://oysterfoodandculture.com/2009/07/21/a-little-goes-a-long-way-fish-sauces/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2009 03:28:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Italy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Japan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Phillipines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thailand]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[condiments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[region]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[England]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish sauce]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Korea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vietnam]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://oysterculture.wordpress.com/?p=3783</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;d been cooking with fish sauce for a while and knew well its potency and pungency, but until I broke a bottle and liberally doused myself and had to suffer through folks quickly backpeddling to give me &#8220;breathing space&#8221; did I really get it &#8211; this stuff is strong &#8211; really, really, strong!  No wonder the Vietnamese say breaking a bottle will bring bad luck, and its been duly noted that the Vietnam Airlines bans this sauce from luggage. This odyssey into the different kinds of  fish sauces started when I was in my local Asian market and staring in bewilderment at the options looking blankly back at me &#8211; no help whatsoever.  Fish sauce from Thailand, the Philippines, Korea and Vietnam.  I started to question: how many types existed?, where were they from?, which was best?  Before I knew it, I was more confounded than ever.  I also knew that in addition to the Asian varieties there was Colatura di Alici from Italy, and Worcestershire Sauce from England.  I wanted to understand what made each sauce unique and how they came to be so popular.  If you&#8217;ve been reading this blog, I&#8217;ve already written of the other versions so that in the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>24</slash:comments>
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