Group+Three+-+Food

__** Food, Chefs, Knives And Philosophy **__  __**Introduction **__ Food is one aspect that plays a vital role in the make up of a culture. Traditional Japanese cuisine is dominated by white rice, and few meals would be complete without it. Anything else served during a meal: fish, meat, vegetables, pickles, is considered a side dish. However, Rice still remains one of the few symbols of traditional Japanese cuisine (Masumoto 141). Side dishes are served to enhance the taste of the rice. Traditional Japanese meals are given their names all depending the number of side dishes that accompany the rice and soup that are almost always served as part of a traditional meal (KnowledgeRush). Some popular dishes to be discussed are sushi and Donburi. Secondly Japanese chef Masaharu Morimoto will be highlighted in our event, as he provides a history, philosophy, and demonstration of japanese knives, along with a hands on activity of making your own sushi.

**__<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Food __** <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">To begin with, food is a part of every culture that adds to the community. Sushi has a very interesting origin that has lasted for centuries and continues to be a very popular food source today. According to Mas Masumoto, Sushi is made with a combination of shellfish, cooked or raw fish, vegetables, and seasoned rice. Although Sushi is most commonly linked to the Japanese heritage, it actually began in China during the 7th Century (Masumoto 142). <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">At that time, any fish caught had to be preserved. The only method possible was by fermentation. Raw fish was cleaned, filleted, and then pressed between layers of heavy salt and usually weighted down with some type of stone (Masumoto 142). The fish would remain this way for weeks at which the stone would be removed and then replaced with some type of light cover. The fish would stay in the salt layers for a couple of months until the fermentation process was complete (Masumoto 142). Who would have thought so much time would have to be put into the preparation of something so small, yet amazingly great tasting? <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">However, over time, a discovery was made that by rolling the fish in rice that had been soaked in vinegar, the fish would ferment in a matter of days rather than months. The rice would then be tossed out and the fish eaten. However, with drought and a food shortage, the people began consuming the rice as well as th <span style="color: rgb(8,7,7);"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">e fish. That is how sushi as we know it today was born (Masumoto 142).

A second dish that is also popular is called Donburi; which also uses rice. Donburi, which directly translates to bowl, is a Japanese rice bowl dish that usually has fish, meat, vegetables, or other ingredients that are brought together and served on rice (Wikipedia). One popular way to serve donburi is to serve it with eel, also known as unagi. The whole dish (eel and donburi) together is called unadon. One reason that this dish is particularly interesting to me, has to do with how fresh the eel is. Below is a video that demonstrates how fresh the eel that is used in certain dishes is. Many of these dishes are exciting to eat, but much more exciting to make.

<span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">__
 * media type="youtube" key="OugdmMgcFLc" height="344" width="700"

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">    Chefs **

__   <span style="font-size: 90%; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Persons who are responsible for producing such fine cuisine are referred to as chefs. Chefs can be found all over the world; however, one well known Japanese chef is Masaharu Morimoto. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Iron Chef Japanese Masaharu Morimoto trained in a sushi restaurant before moving to the U.S. in 1985 at the age of 30. After working in several restaurants, he joined the highly acclaimed Nobu restaurant in New York City (Food Network). <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Morimoto polished his craft in New York's melting pot and became a state-of-the-art world chef. His cutting-edge cuisine attracted the attention of //Iron Chef// producers, who invited him to become a Japanese Iron Chef (Food Network). <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">" <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">Cooking is entertainment," proclaims Morimoto, whose attitude is evident in his dishes, which retain a sense of fun and a bit of spice (Food Network). This particular chef, Morimoto, is going to be offering some knife demonstrations within our fair, as well as a demonstration allowing viewers to get involved in making their own sushi. <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"><span style="font-size: 140%; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__**<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> Knives    **__   <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">There are two methods of forging traditional Japanese knives: Honyaki and Kasumi. The class is based on the method and material used in forging the knife. Honyaki are true-forged knives, made entirely of one material; high-carbon steel. Kasumi are made from two materials, like samurai swords of old; high-carbon steel and soft iron forged together (known as //san mai// blades), with the steel forming the blade's edge and the iron forming the blade's body and spine (Wikipedia). Unlike Western knives, Japanese knives are often single ground, i.e. sharpened in such a way that only one side holds the cutting edge. It was originally believed that a blade angled only on one side makes better and cleaner cuts, although requiring more skill in its use than a blade with a double-beveled edge (Masumoto 153). Professional Japanese cooks usually own their personal set of knives, which are not used by other cooks. Some cooks own two sets of knives, which they use on alternate days. After sharpening a carbon-steel knife in the evening after use, the user normally lets the knife 'rest' for a day to restore its patina and remove any metallic odor or taste that might otherwise be passed on to the food (Masumoto 154). These knifes are treated as something precious and private by many chefs.

<span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;"> <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__ Conclusion __**     <span style="font-size: 120%; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">

<span style="font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">This is some insight into the Japanese culture. In light of the recent cultural festival, this is just one aspect, of several, that highlights Japan's uniqueness. Food has played a vital role in this culture, and because of the huge influence of food in the UK, I think it important to bring out the history of the food, and requirements it takes to make the food, and this up coming festival will prove to be a perfect opportunity to highlight the unique and creative culture of the Japanese community, not only within Japan, but throughout the world.

<span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif;">**__Works Cited__** __Food Network__. 2008. 2 Dec. 2008 <www.foodnetwork.com/masaharu-morimoto/index.html >. __KnowledgeRush__. 2008. 28 Nov. 2008 <http://knowledgerush.com/>. Masumoto, Mas. "Brown Rice, Sushi, and Knives." __Western Folklore__ 42.2 (1983): 140-56. __Wikipedia__. 2 Dec. 2008 <www.wikipedia.org>.

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