Good Food is Everybody's Business
Summer for me brings back fond memories of living in Tokyo and discovering new foods to enjoy to beat off the muggy summer heat of such a massive city. Chief among my favorites was shiso. Shiso also known as Perilla, Beef Steak Leaf, or Japanese Basil, is actually a member of the mint family.
Tsukiji Fish Market is a dizzying place offering over 400 unique types of seafood and sea vegetation every day. Any plant or animal from any body of water in the world that could be even remotely considered edible (puffer fish, stone fish etc.) is available. And for the right amount of money it can be yours!
One of the things most often noted about Japanese cuisine, is how exquisite it looks. Everything looks so impossibly perfect; small mounds of food look as if they have been sculpted rather than just prepared.
Japanese cuisine… what images do those words bring up? Typically when I speak to people about traditional Japanese food, sushi is the first thing they bring up, then teriyaki and, occasionally, instant ramen.
People also seem to have a sense that the Japanese naturally have better eating habits and are healthier than we are here in the West. What is the truth? In a nutshell?
Even in a short time – just the last few years – the shellfish industry in Washington State has deteriorated because of bad management and pollution. We can’t afford to let this gross negligence continue.
There was a time before Liberia’s civil wars when agriculture was an integral part of the education system. Ten years after the end of the wars, the majority of Liberians live in poverty, depend on agriculture as a livelihoods, and grow their own food for survival. That’s changing.
