A renewed love affair with japanese food.

Having spent so much time in hospital of late I find myself at a bit of a loose end on occasions LOL. Afterall, what is there to do in hospital? Not a lot is all I can say!

Luckily I have internet access. If it were not for this I swear I would have gone totally loopy before now. Maybe I already have and this is all a dream!!!! Somebody please wake me up and remove this straight jacket.

Anyway, due to my love of food (well not according to my doctors and family, but that's another story) I have been writing lists of recipes I would like to try when I get back into my kitchen. For some odd reason Japanese food is topping the list.

Strangely, this is Barry's favourite cuisine and I have made sushi on many occasions in the past, but not since starting this blog! Plus I don't actually remember the last time I prepared a japanese meal. Watch out kitchen, here I come!!!!

In the meantime, by blog is suffering along, with my readers as I cannot offer any new posts due to being stuck in hospital and not my kitchen. So, for starters (excuse the pun), I've written this little post about Japanese food until I can offer you some delicious new recipes.

Enjoy.

Sushi

Sushi is a typical Japanese food with over a thousand years of history and tradition. It has become perhaps the most visible example of Japanese cuisine in other countries. Consists of cold cooked rice dressed with vinegar that is shaped into bite-sized pieces and topped with raw or cooked fish, or formed into a roll with fish, egg, or vegetables and wrapped in seaweed or stuffed in a small tofu pouch.

continue reading about Sushi here, via About Sushi

Bento box

Bento (written 弁当), or obento (お弁当) to use the honorific term, is the Japanese word for a meal served in a box. Beyond that basic definition though, just about anything goes as to what kind of box or container is used, as well as what is put inside that box.

continue reading about Bento here...

Nyotaimori, also known as ‘Body Sushi’, is a type of sushi or sashimi that is served on the body of a women, typically naked women body. This kind of serving is rarely found in some parts of the world. This is an obscure Japanese practice, which had attracted immense media attention when it was first introduced.

The women that lies down on the table, without moving is trained for several hours every day to finally be ready to be served upon. She must be able to lie there untill the guests have eaten all the food served on her body. Ideally, she is supposed to have a bath with non-fragrance soap, and later a bath with cold water to cool off the body. However, in many parts of the world, it is essential to have a layer of plastic or other transparent sheet between the body and the food.

Many people, including the ones who participate and the ones who eat, refer to Nyotaimori as an art. However, many feminists are against such art, and firmly believe it should not be a part of any tradition. Some are against it due to improper use of the women’s body, while some countries like China are against it due to hygiene issues. However, the tradition still exists and will continue to be an art in some parts of the world.

There have been several reference to Nyotaimori in movies, books, TV series and shows in the last few years. In Sex and the City, Samantha covered her body with sushi as a Valentine’s gift.