Food Faux Pas... Or Just Faux Parfait?

7th August, 2010 - My family had popped into one of the Aeon shopping centres in Sapporo, and were thinking about having lunch - and that's always a pleasant though at times confusing task. Always so many options - especially when you stand outside a row of shops each with their foods on display. And it got me thinking of why is it that Japan seems to be largely unique in this tradition. And reminds me of when I first came to Japan, in 2003, and didn't have any idea about anything. It's embarrassing, but I didn't know it was all fake. At least most of it is... I can still recall going past one little cafe which had some pasta dishes out... and T-chan was explaining to me that it was all fake. To prove it she stuck her finger in the dish to show it was plastic. It turned out to be real... oops. Now that's embarrassing - a food faux pas? Maybe, but it's also a rare exception.

Most cafes have displays out the front, which are known as shokuhin sanpuru or food samples. They pretty well tell you all there is to know about the dish, and are a god-send for foreigners who are unfamiliar with Japanese (or Japanese food for that matter). Though most make ordering easy, some can also be a little harder to interpret  such as spicy hot (karai) foods.

It always amazed me how much attention to detail there was in these food displays. Most of them literally look good enough to eat. All they need is to invent the perpetual smell, and it would be perfect. But one question kept coming into my head - why? Was this really about making foreigners lives that much easier? Actually, it's quite an interesting tale; which I can't hope to justice - but will try. [Note: the best sources of info I found on the net was from an Asahi Shimbun article by Chisato Yokota, a really good post by Steve Edwards on SeekJapan, a great newsletter from Yoko Howes , and an interesting expose by Japan Times by Yoko Hani - drop us a line if you know of others].

Now the story goes something like this, the practice of creating fake or display foods originally started around 1917 in Tokyo, with the fake foods being created out of wax. By the mid 1920's these wax creations were being used by a restaurant as a means of cooking up some extra business (bad pun I know). Apparently, it worked. Then along comes the manufacturing entrepeneur Ryuzo Iwasaki, who developed a technique for producing fake omuraisu in Osaka in 1932. Strangely he had been initially attracted by the anatomical models that were being made from wax around that time... I'm just wondering how differently things would have turned out if he'd remained fascinated by the anatomical models - choosing doctors by the organs they displayed out the front of their surgeries? Er... food was definitely a good commercial move Ryuzo! Indeed, the popularity of food displays is often attributed to the sudden influx of foreign foods into Japan, and the need for a universal language... the WYSIWYG of the early twentieth century. That may or may not be true, but I don't think that it's something that modern day Japanese would give a second's thought to.

It was a great success, and started the Iwasaki fake food company. From those humble beginnings it turned into an industry worth billions of yen per yer. With cash in pocket, Ryuzo returned to his hometown of Gujo in Gifu prefecture; where a significant gathering of fake food companies have been established. The question remains - why? And more importantly, why don't other cultures use the same methods? According to one Japanese writer, Nose Yasunobum, this comes from a Japanese trait to eat first with the eyes... the reality however is that if you were to ask most Japanese why, they would shrug their shoulders as if you were asking why the sky is blue. Whatever reason, it is now a cultural norm - and one which is convenient for so many travellers to Japan.

It's hard to conceive of just how many of these displays are made - I mean after all, the sheer number of restaurants/cafes in Sapporo alone are countless... then if you consider the main cities of Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya - it's hard not so see how big the industry has become. Yet for all of that, this food is designed to achieve one thing only. To make the shops food look more appetising than anything else you're going to see. I guess it's also somewhat of a status symbol... the nicer the displays, the nicer the impression of the shop. Of course, if the food doesn't taste as good as the advertisement looked...that's a different story. And yes, over-sell definitely occurs in the food-display business as well. But that's a testament to the power of suggestion, and the desire of the normal punter to want to believe in finding the perfect hamubagu, tonkatsu, omuraisu or parfait. Don't we all deep down want that?

Apparently these faux food displays are not only used in shop-fronts, but also in advertising... as they allow a higher degree of photographic freedom and "consistency". They don't melt. Not the best advertisement I would think if people realised that the fake version looked better than the real thing. The thing is, that these fake foods often have to be assembled with the same sorts of skills and techniques as the real things... and often the best makers have strong cooking backgrounds as well.

You can buy fake food displays off-the-shelf (see below), but the best ones are customised in terms of how the shop actually makes it's food, from the dishes, to the ingredients and style employed. This starts with moulds being made of actual dishes produced by the shop... though how this happens without the food turning into indistinguishable mush is a trade secret. We know that silicone is an important step - but the more important part is the artistry in the painting, glazing and especially in the manufacturing of those semi-transparent ingredients. This not only adds to the time taken to develop, but also means that it's harder to change your menu at the drop of a hat. It also means that the displays are going to cost a whole heap more. Indeed a shop can spend many 1000's of dollars on complete menu display.

Now many people that travel to Japan end up wanting to see if they can get their hands on examples of these faux foods - as they tend to make for quirky souvenirs. Now I've not personally done this, but the best place to find these goods is in the area known as Kappabashi-dori, or more commonly Kitchen Town - in Tokyo. This is often said to be accessed from the Asakusa area, but can also be reached from Ueno (see below). But be prepared - whilst I've not been there myself, I understand that it's pretty awesome in a non-eating sense. Not only will you find an almost infinite variety (ok - infinite may be stretching it) of goods/utensils used in the restaurant trade, you'll also find the shokuhin sanpuru. Though it doesn't come cheap - and indeed you might end up paying far more for the sample than you would for a plate of the real food. You can expect to pay around the 800-1000 yen mark for the simplest/smallest of food displays (and here I'm talking key-chain size). For more substantial dishes you could be looking at over 6000yen per dish. If you've still got a hankering, you can check out some very nice images of fake food displays over at TokyoTimes.

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At the end of the day - there's little value in trying too hard to dissect the cultural histories that generated this famous food tradition in Japan. Instead, we should just be thankful that it has held firm against the constant threat of homogeneous globalisation. Indeed, the Japanese are exporting the idea to Korea and China. I wonder how many decades it would take before it reaches the shores of Australia. Hopefully not too many...

If you want to see more, please check out this LuStation YouTube segment on the fake food industry in Japan:

(Source: LuStation, used with permission)

It may take a bit of getting used to - and some might be worried at the faux pas in confusing the fake from the real thing... but for me, it's about making the dining experience as much about engaging both the eyes, mind, tongue into a truly complete experience. And there can be nothing embarrassing or socially awkward about that. Can there?

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This is one of my entries for the August 2010 edition of the JFesta theme-based blog. Whilst it may not be "edible" in terms of food - anyone that has travelled to Japan would know that it an essential part of the Japanese eating experience. Stay tuned however, as I'm also about to post on a typical supermarket experience (in Sapporo at least)... another important part of any food experience.

Fireworks are a Family Affair

August 6th, 2010 - Summer, in Japan is a time for fireworks (as I've mentioned before). And coming from Australia, where fireworks are typically not a home-based experience, we made the most of it. L-kun loved them... and was always wanting to go out to light a few more of an evening.

I guess that whilst fireworks are synonymous with summer, family is just as important a connection. There may be a good many years, and a great many kilometres separating them most of the year; but it's great to see Okaasan and L-kun sharing these important moments of Japanese family culture together.

Of course, always take care when using fireworks.... but enjoy them while you can!

New Discovery...Summer = Kakigōri

26th June, 2010 - L-kun discovered a new treat... the slushy. Actually, the ice shaver dated from when T-chan was a little girl, and it still worked perfectly. As they say - they don't make things like this anymore. It's such as simple design, and yet characteristically cute.  Just add ice and turn the handle... and out pops beautifully shaved ice; called kakigōri (かき氷).

Just add some handy syrup (Calpis syrup is lovely for this, and comes in a variety of flavours). Calpis is also the name of a popular drink in Japan - which is always a source of giggles amongst newly arrived foreigners for it's phonetic similarity to a certain bovine waste by-product. For the record, it tastes very nice, and it's always nice when you tell friends back home that you downed a whole bottle of calpis. Those crazy Japanese.

Shaved ice, kakigōri, is an age-old symbol of summer in Japan... and I have to say that L-kun wasn't the only one to enjoy. This is a great idea - and I don't know why in the west we seem to be obsessed with overly processed goods (ok I don't know how processed calpis syrup is) when with a little bit of effort you can make delicious desserts that are perfect for a Japanese hot summer. We actually brought one of these back with us to Adelaide - but are still looking for a local syrup substitute (although condensed milk is an easy alternative). Yumm-o!

A last comment - Sapporo is renowned for it's cold winters... but over the last few years, the summers (which are generally quite mild) have been heating up. 2010 proved to be a particularly hot Sapporo summer. Also surprisingly humid. However, as I hadn't arrived there yet (remember these are all from T-chan), I was still a little dis-believing that it could be that bad.

A Touch of Kawaii... and Separation Blues

Just to re-cap for those who may come across this blog for the first time... first off, Happy New Year. Second of all - here's a quick re-cap. This blog really is just a series of memories of our family's trips to Japan, focusing on Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido. The last trip I just finished writing about actually took place in 2008... and was my fifth trip to Japan with my wife T-chan. It was also the first trip with our 1 year old son, L-kun (no... this isn't their real names).

This trip was very different from others before it... as it was almost entirely centred on us spending time with T-chan's family, and them spending time with L-kun. As I mentioned in the last post... our family thing is that T-chan will often stay longer in Sapporo whilst I return to Adelaide, Australia (our every-other-day-home). This trip was no exception. I left T-chan and L-kun in Sapporo.... feeling rather weird to be saying bye-bye to my son for almost 2 months....

Saying good-bye to my just-turned-1-yo-son in New Chitose Airport, Hokkaido

One of the things that is a tradition in Japan these days is the custom of taking your child down to get photographed... especially on big occasions like 100days, 1, 3, 5 and 7 years etc etc (basically just enough to ensure a comfortable existence for studio photographers in Japan). T-chan followed through with this age-old (well, it's actually a recent thing) tradition... and before you know it, L-kun was being whisked into and out of costumes faster than you could say "bum-fluff". It took a couple of hours all up, and cost... well... cost enough.

T-chan (and her family) went the traditional look... ok - apart from the bear (kuma) look above.

Nothing like having a photography festival... and at that age, just about anything looks super cute... or kawaii in Japanese.

Having said that, I'm not entirely sure that L-kun was as cooperative as the photos make out. From all accounts, he decided that he got photographed enough from his parents (thank you very much Mum and Dad) and took a lot of coaxing.

The Japanese (huge generalisation here) love cute. They live, eat and breath cute. And that's not just the girls either (though the men have to be a little more discreet about it... and will get their fix vicariously through their partners). It's a little strange sometimes to see grown-adults go soft-at-the-knees at something cute. I wonder if this isn't a case of finding a little slice of "kawaii-paradise"... an escapism into a cuter, more innocent world that doesn't have the same pressures and expectations placed upon it. Children photos are the perfect opportunity for parents to live out their wildest kawaii-fantasies....

For me, a very practical minded Australian male... well... sitting all the way back here in Australia.... well... I guess, I don't mind a little cute too... ... but of course, I have my limits too.

Then again... L-kun was not exactly neglecting a broader education either... and had actually taken up sitting with obaachan (Japanese grandma) to perform her morning prayers to her family ancestors. I guess he just liked spending time with obaachan, but it was nice to see him having some quiet time nonetheless.

I hope that Daddy was in his thoughts during these moments of quiet.

But all of the time he was just being good ol' L-kun. And I would be surviving on crappy wireless broadband (and I mean CRAPPY...) that barely could do any video skyping.... that and a steady stream of digital photos (thanks Picasa... you saved the day) to remind me of all those moments that I was missing. 

I guess it sounds like I was a bit sad about the whole thing. And in truth I was a little. I suppose you don't realise until you're apart just how much you need both partners and children. Part of me actually enjoyed the peace and quiet of not having a 1 yo around the house... but it was a very small part of me. Most of me was feeling at a loss. Nearly 2 months out of 14 months of his life we were separated...

And nothing made me feel it as much as when we finally were re-united at Adelaide Airport, and L-kun was visibly nervous (partly because of the whole air-travel, arriving at a new airport thing, but mostly at the sudden disorientation of seeing Daddy again). 

Re-united at Adelaide Airport - about 7 weeks later

It took a whole 10 minutes (in the car on the way home) before he suddenly smiled at me, and my heart finally relaxed, and I knew everything would be alright. Having a family that travels wide and far can be a very, very difficult thing... it brings me almost 100% joy, but also occasional moments of sheer heart-ache. I guess in this modern, complex world, most of us have something complicated about our families...whether it's geography, religion, wealth, sexuality, language, health problems, family difficulties, separations/divorces or just plain old finding-quality-time to spend with family as well as do work.

In this New Year, I guess I tip my metaphorical hat to all families out there - especially with lots of children - and I wish that you find your own little spot of kawaii-paradise in 2011.

Birthdays and Issho Mochi... Hopefully You Won't See This Dish on Iron Chef.

24th May, 2008 - It was a big day... actually, this was my last day in Japan for this my fifth trip, and it was L-kun's 1st birthday to boot. Whilst I was about to leave Japan, T-chan and L-kun would stay on a few more weeks to spend quality time with her parents. It was a somewhat bittersweet birthday celebration.

But let's talk about a particular Japanese tradition that's related to first birthdays; known as issho mochi. The first thing to know is that it involves mochi (see exhibit A below)... for those that don't know mochi is a very traditional rice cake made by pounding a glutinous rice down to an even more glutinous paste which is formed into a large flat cake shapes. In this particular (somewhat bizarre) tradition, the issho mochi weighs around 2 kg in total. Now what, pray tell would one do with 2 kg of rice cakes?

Well... first birthdays were very important in Japanese culture, and hence worthy of special attention. Now issho means 1 shō, where shō is an old volume metric equalling 1.8 litres (approximately). Stick with me here, as you never know when that will come in handy - say if you end up going back in time to feudal Japan, for instance, or if you're buying sake, which still comes in measurements of shō to this day. For that matter, the common rice-cooker cup size is 1 gō, where 10 gō equals 1 shō. Sayonara Metric System. When you convert volumes of mochi to weight, it comes out to 1 shō weighs about 2 kg. I didn't say this was going to be easy, did I...

   Now 1 shō is pronounced issho; and it's just that ishho also sounds like (drum roll) "a whole lifetime" in Japanese (by that I mean they are homophones... two different words that have the same sound). Now how the Japanese managed to link all of these things together to come up with a first birthday tradition really beats me. I suspect however that it came down to a very industrious young mochi seller somewhere that had a good sense of occasion. Still, however it happened, the Japanese have linked the 2kg chunk of mochi to wishing their children to have a life time of good luck; a lifetime of never having to go hungry.

So... how does this relate to the tradition? Well, clearly when you combine a 1year old baby with 1 shō of mochi you equal lots of laughs, some tears, and lots of happy mochi sellers. And the best way of combining them is by getting your child to carry the mochi. Yes. Carry. 2kg of processed rice. Ok... they may need some help... enter the bib... this used to be a wrapping cloth (furoshiki) in olden times, but you can't say that they Japanese don't move with the times.

Wearing the appropriate clothing (and disregarding any apparent OH&S implications) the child is weighted down front and back with the huge rice cakes. Ganbatte L-kun (good luck)!

Somewhat surprisingly, L-kun took it all in his stead... and didn't cry at all. He even managed a few steps (but considering this is all he could managed even without the mochi this was quite an achievement)... before retiring to a more sensible posture. Sitting on his bottom.

And the end result was 1 slightly bewildered child, 2 very happy grandparents, and about 2kg of mochi that was not going to get any tastier the longer L-kun wore it. Having said that the mochi was edible (of course), and was indeed eaten. As this was my last full day in Japan however, my contribution to the whole eating thing was sadly limited to a very nice breakfast the following day.

L-kun did eventually succumb to the effects of mochi exertion, and retired for a small nap. I wonder what he was dreaming of? Most probably about all the ways that he could pay back Mum and Dad when he gets into a retirement home.

With the formalities over however, the last night party started. In typical fashion, our last meal was a sushi and sashimi... and even my favourite yakitori. There was also a liberal supply of Australian wine involved as well. It's always difficult leaving Japan... not least because my stomach is normally about 2-3 kg heavier. And that's just from the meal on the last night.

L-kun eventually awoke from his late afternoon nap to enjoy (somewhat sleepily) his own special baby cake. Yes, it's a cake designed to be able to be eaten by babies. Now... I have to admit that the decoration most probably could have been improved a little... and I suspect it looks like something I had decorated. (unfortunately as T-chan and I get to a ripe old age, our food will start to progressively resemble the same sort of thing).

But it apparently hit the spot... going by his smiles. Perhaps because there was no mochi in sight. We had a great night, and L-kun discovered just what a good idea it was to have birthdays in Japan. Lots of presents to be had, and lots of spoiling. And why not... Happy Birthday L-kun!

And a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you reading this in 2010!

A Date with Death - Meeting Ancestors For Lunch

18th May, 2008 - We took L-kun up to visit Otousan's father... in Takino Reien... an enormous cemetery to the south of Sapporo (which I've posted about before here and here). We normally visit this cemetery every trip back to Sapporo, and it's an important part of our family time. Plus, it's also a very nice drive.

I thought it might be a good time to talk a little more about Japanese burial. According to a 2007 census, 99+% of Japanese are cremated... not sure how they managed to have a census of the dead though. Scary thought really. Cremation was brought to Japan with Buddhism in the 7th century... I had assumed that cremation had always been a part of Japanese culture, however, it was only 27% in 1896 and 54% in 1955. These surprisingly low rates may have somewhat to do with the status of Buddhism through the early years of the Meiji Restoration, and the growth of a State-Shinto religion. As the cost of burial spaces has sky-rocketed I guess the relative efficiency of cremated family graves became more popular once again. Whilst it is not illegal to be buried (rather than cremated) in Japan, local restrictions often effectively deny it as an option. Apparently having your ashes fired into space is the new thing. This may have some appeal to me... nothing like momentarily transforming into a fireworks display as gravity (and Earth's atmosphere) finally wins over our own hopes of a heavenly eternity.

The Japanese typically believe that the spirit takes 49 days (in Buddhism... in Shinto it's 50 days) to depart the  body. This represents a common length of the official wake period - however it should be noted that there are as many belief systems in death as in life in Japan. There are a number of special services on the first, third, seventh and finally 33rd year anniversary - depending on the particular faith of the family.

T-chan's family grave (er... slightly modified)

For T-chan's family, the grave visits typically involve the cleaning (washing with buckets provided), placement of flowers, the offerings of food, and finally a prayer. Food offerings are always provided, as they are often at the family's shrine in their home. However, unlike previous times, these days the offerings are often taken away to avoid promoting vermin and crows congregating around the cemetery.

The Japanese have always had a somewhat unusual relationship between the afterlives of Chinese-influenced Buddhism and native Japanese belief. Whilst you might think that these visits are all quite sombre, they need not necessarily be so. In our case, we often bring up lunch which we eat at nearby tables. It is a serious occasion, but it is also a time to bring people - including those family members who have moved on - together. Life (even in death) moves ever onwards.

It's an odd thing however, as a foreigner... to be included in this most intimate of Japanese things. And yes, I say hello and take a moment to pray... both for them, for my parents and T-chan's, and of course for my son. It's nice to have a moment's peace, even on holidays, when your thoughts can go beyond the now.

The Trials and Tribulations... Toddler Adventures

16th May 2008 - The good and bad thing about babies (or toddlers) is that you never know what's going to happen... even in the relative safety of the company of family and friends. L-kun was having a great time in Japan, and all was going well.... I think you know where this is going...

Anyhow on the 16th May, we visited Auntie-S who has a nice place in Sapporo... but also, has unexpected NEW things (like furniture, walls, electrical devices). As a new(ish) parent, you always approach every new environment with a slight degree of trepidation, and there's usually a 10 second inspection+review of what could (possibly) go wrong after stepping through the doorway of any new home or building. 

After establishing that the ceilings were more-or-less safe, we decided to relax a little. We were, after all, visiting relatives. However, as is often the way with parenting... it's when you think you're safe that accidents happen. Whether it's your own home, or 1000's of km away... and whilst most parents are sub-consciously aware of this principle, there's nothing that can be done. Nothing. Let's just say babies+gravity+coffee table are not a good combination... and generally this equation ends up equalling tears. There is however an almost  inevitable attraction between these three things.

That night L-kun discovered another great thing about Japan... home remedies. Apparently prune juice (and by juice I reallly mean thick, inedible concoction that most probably doubles as paint-stripper... it's known as MIKI Prune Extract) is considered at least by Okaasan+S-Auntie as being pretty well good for everything that childhood can dish up. Including contusions and general wear and tear. It also has an added benefit of looking worse than it actually is...

As a naive Aussie husband, I could only look on with wonder. By that, I mean I really wonder at the science of what my wife was doing. Hold on... prune juice. And that's supposed to do what now?

Hmmm... you quickly learn that cultural differences do not stop with language, but extend to just about every facet of our daily life experience. You can either struggle against it, or shrug your shoulders and pose the age-old-question... what's the harm in trying?

Did it work?... well it certainly helped out the parents (especially T-chan), and if that increased relaxation is picked up by your child, then I guess it's not a bad thing.

In hindsight, I wonder why I never once had any compunction to taste L-kun's head to see if he tasted like prune... perhaps because T-chan's family always kept me well fed.

Boys Festival... Happy Birthday Otousan!

5th May, 2008 - Well this is a bit of a strange post, as it's first and foremost a post about our trip back in 2008 - but the 7th of November... today... is also T-chan's father's (otousan) birthday.

As I said in the previous post, Golden Week is a strange conjunction of public holidays that give the Japanese at least the illusion of a week's worth of holidays... and one of the important holidays in that week is the 5th of May, the Boy's Festival... tango no sekku. Actually this festival started out as a rice-planting festival, and as the main protagonists of this activity were in fact women, the festival strangely enough was more associated with a girls festival...Now, how did this become to be a boys festival I hear you ask? For this I am using: Japan - How we breathe & How our Hearts beat.... which is not a bad resource on the why's and how's of Japanese tradition.

Now the 5th month was associated with the horse (uma) which was phonetically similar to the Chinese for 5, the 5th of May was seen as being particularly auspicious. The day was established as an Imperial tradition when it transferred across the seas from it's source in China. This eventually underwent a metamorphosis into something that resembled todays tango no sekku. The most obvious display that occurs these days is the flying of koinobori (or carp pennants or kites)... although we weren't going to display ours until we got back to Adelaide. I'll show more later on... or you can pop over to my other blog that shows an example.

In the end, we had a yummy dinner waiting for us... with special red rice (sekihan) espcially for L-kun. This sticky rice is cooked with azuki beans, that give it the distinctive red colouring. It is traditionally given at a  time of celebration and happiness. L-kun's first tango no sekku was such a time. It's a shame that of the food that okaasan had prepared tonight, L-kun was too young to eat most of it.

And it wouldn't be an occasion without a cake... Japanese love their occasions, and they celebrate occasions with beautifully decorated cakes. This one is fairly modest in comparison to some that you see in the shops... but it was delicious. Japanese cakes definitely aren't as rich as the ones we have in Australia, but they're much more tastier (IMHO). As I said however, L-kun was just a little to young to enjoy cake anyhow. Mum and Dad would have to help out. The message at the top, kodomonohi, means Children's Day. It is somewhat interesting to me that Children's Day (a public holiday) is associated solely with the Boys Festival. Girls have their own day, hinamatsuri, that is celebrated on March 3.

Children's Day Cake.

And a special gift for L-kun from otousan and okaasan... L-kun's very own kabuto, or samurai's armoured helmet... Now the kabuto hark back the origins of the boy's festival when samurai would display their armour out the front of their houses. The samurai helmet is now synonymous with the tradition of the boys festival. Together with the koinobori, they are signs of a strong boy. It's a special gift for any boy, and one that goes back into the centuries of Japanese tradition.

Otousan, L-kun, Okaasan stand in front of kabuto.

So, on otousan's birthday, we thank you very much... from a long way away. O'tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu! Happy Birthday!