food

Kogi’s Roy Choi is quitting? Yes, he might have single handedly created a new food truck craze which then led to another restaurant craze which then led to millions of overnight food critics on Yelp. The foodista movement began and in it’s wake destroyed as much as it began. Healthy food, no, much of the food trucks out there is rich, oily, buttery and is shit  you wouldn’t make or eat at home. Maybe that’s what most people want, but not if you knew how it was made, and maybe not if you ate better versions of it that’s been around much longer.

Yes, I’ve interviewed Roy early on for Giant Robot. He is great at what he does. Yet him wanting to not cook, not eat beef, and this is big news? C’mon. It’s a dietary and lifestyle change. His shits will be different, his tastes will be different, and it’s just his own evolution. His commentary on the riot look back? As much as he’s a great guy and does make a point of what’s important today as well – the current youth, it’s a look back at a tragedy. As much as 9.11 was covered again, so is the LA Riots by LA papers. Why not let LA papers re look at the riots? It’s the web, it’s writing and it’s important. If you think he makes sense, then let’s transpose The LA Dodgers? The kids are more important than them as well. (Huffington Post – Roy Choi)

Today is the last day in Los Angeles. Yes, it played over the weekend and it looks to be an interesting film. Fishing in the concentration camps? It’s yet another angle to tell a story. There’s a hefty and detailed write up in the Rafu Shimpo. (Rafu – Manzanar Fishing Club)

Elvers! Yes, they’re fetching up to $2000 a pound in Maine. When is the last time you’ve seen eel on a menu when it’s not at a Japanese restaurant? Eel is scarce and may some day get on the endangered list. They net them and a typical fisherman might haul two pounds a day. Last year it was at $891 a pound. Time to start an eel farm?

What’s for breakfast? How about eggs cooked in piss? In Dongyang, China, that’s what’s special. Virgin boys under the age of 10 pee into buckets and those get used to cook the eggs. Yes, the eggs crack after cooking and then more piss is added. Want to prevent head stroke? Then eat these eggs. It takes a day to make them and it sounds like something that can be made anywhere.

Asians have eaten jellyfish as an ingredient for ages, but for Georgian fisherman, this is a huge crop. It’s technically not an animal, according to some vegans since they have no nervous system. They’re like floating plants, but the word “fish” persists which keeps many away. It has a crunch, a flavor that tastes simple yet offers a strange experience. Add soy sauce, it’ll taste like soy sauce. After you get over it, it becomes a staple. No big deal, but gladly it’s an alternative food source. (VOA news – Jellyfish)

GR interviewed David Gelb a while back about this film. You can read the interview here. Imagine a person who strives for perfection. It doesn’t have to be in food, it could be anything. Searching for it and finding it is a rare thing, and Jiro has done that. The film is stunning, seriously, and it’s opening up nation wide now! Here’s a link to the page. For anyone local in LA, it begins today at the Nuart.

All you have to do is watch the video. Hopefully the ramen tastes good.

Does the guy still have hair on his arm?

Fujiya Market which has always looked out of place on Virgil was once in an area of Japanese Americans called J-Flats. No. I’ve never heard of that, and this market at 80 years is still there. The proprietors aren’t the originals, but the space looks classic and great. I made a comment recently about Granada Market on Sawtelle which shares a similar type vibe. It’s old, classic, strange and you hope it won’t close, but it probably will. No kid wants to take over an old market as much as they’d want to own a taco truck. For spots like these, I’d wish there were grants, rent subsidies and so on just to keep them open as historical locations. They do matter in the history of a city. (LA Weekly – Fujiya Market) For more photos, take a look at this flickr page by Guzzleandnosh.

Roy Nelson, MMA Fighter who’s known as Big Country is in Japan reporting. It’s amazing that the UFC would send this guy of all people to Japan. On the verge of maybe getting cut from the promotion, he’s getting airtime and is doing an ESPN video blog. He eats blowfish balls, goes to a temple, and checks into a capsule hotel. Yeah right, he’s staying there and it’s sort of Japan 101, but at the same time, he’s perfect to do this, and he’s not even fighting. (ESPN – Roy Nelson)

Filipino food isn’t what New York is known for at all. Among the many cuisines, the Sinigang isn’t given much props. But here’s a guide that highlights different spots around town. This makes us hungry, and in LA? Someone needs to make a list like this. (asianjournal - Filipino food guide)

You are going to die. There isn’t much more to say about a person who’s going to put their body to the test. This is worth a film ala Super Size Me. (MSNBC - Chinese Take Out)

Digging the headline! Who would put a slash in the name of a restaurant? Oh yeah, we would. (Grub Street – gr/eats)

Some closure love in the LA Weekly. Here’s a link to an older piece about GR and gr/eats from Mr Jonathan Gold. The article is at bottom. His words flow like sugar water.

Yes there’s a special priced menu. The food is yummy and it’s time to say goodbye! Visit before we close!

The obsession of some Japanese folks have been noted by many and this article in the WSJ explains just a few more examples in length. How far does authentic need to go? Does it need to match the roots of the product or project? Does it match a hybrid that’s current? In Japan, it seems to need to find the best time or era of the item, if not, it needs to be as obsessive as possible to satisfy the perfectionist. It ranges from clothing, food, and more. Made in Japan means something to many and that stamp is something that’s sought after. Even the toy companies like Gargamel proudly lives with that stamp on their figures. In the (WSJ- Made Better in Japan) read a bit more about how far people go for that perfect something.

McDonald’s VS Wendy’s in Japan. We reported on Wendy’s Foie Gras Burger, and McDonald’s is now doing their specials. Less gourmet, and more themed on the US, these burgers look fair, if you’re a junk food eater and they’re all limited. January is the Las Vegas, Feb is the Broadway, and March is the Beverly Hills. The December that’s now over was the Grand Canyon Burger. If you want more details on the contents, click on the link below. (Inventorspot – Big America Burgers)

It’s January 1st or “oshogatsu”. Thanksgiving, Christmas and even birthdays have nothing on this day for Japanese families. My photos are of food, but know that the annual feast that’s cooked mainly by my mother but also my aunt and uncle, is for a family get together. We don’t have a shrine to visit as many do in Japan, so we have a special meal that we don’t forget for the rest of the year.

Like any special day, whatever it may be, one would hope it wouldn’t take a date on a calendar to make it come back. I know life can’t be Disneyland everyday, but once a year isn’t often enough. Twice would be nicer, right? Then you have to think: work is maybe 5 days a week, for almost every week and a special day is just one day. It doesn’t make much sense. Hopefully we’ll all figure out how to make this happen one day soon and value things that are really important.

Hope you enjoy the photos. Happy New Year. There are additional photos at the end in the set.

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That’s ozoni which is mochi in a soup, but the story by NPR talks about mochi, making it and how it’s done in one person’s family today. It’s something done for New Year’s Day.

Scenes from my parents New Years Day 2010. The photos are spectacular. It’s not always like this, or is it? The big day is coming and the food will be  just like this. (GR – New Years Day 2010)

Indonesia produces the third most cocoa in the world, but they hardly consume it. Belgian chocolate maker simply thought why not, and opened a chocolate company using local cocoa and making high end product. The bad thing is that now the chocolatier intends to triple consumption which has to mean worse teeth, bigger waist lines, and as some people believe, pimples. Jokes aside, there’s a lot to the chocolate industry in Asia, and if you like chocolate, you’ll enjoy what you read. It’s rising in consumption all over Asia including India with their 600 air conditioned malls, but where there’s production problems in terms of bad weather, the government is kicking in. Doesn’t the Monggo Chocolate look good? (Reuters – Monggo)