Comments on: A Turn Toward the East

By: Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 10:34:28 +0000

“Once I get the technique down, I plan on writing about how to properly sharpen a Japanese knife.”

I’m waiting for this. I have a Japanese knife that needs to be sharpened.

Right now my best knife is a German one (Wusthof) because it can be sharpened much more easily.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 14:08:38 +0000

That’s a brilliant book: one of my all-time favourites. I simply don’t know where to start absorbing its brilliance… a lifetime isn’t long enough.

By: Heather

Heather — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 04:26:58 +0000

You are totally speaking my language. My quick tsukemono of unripe watermelon was delicious but much less laborious than your masterpiece.

The Japanese love that mucilaginous, slimy texture of okra (and natto, and mountain yam). Not my favorite mouthfeel either.

By: Audrey

Audrey — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 03:48:15 +0000

What great ingredients and experiments! I’ll have to check out tosa soy … that cucumber salad is beautiful and sounds delicious. And we’ve got a dozen cukes in the garden right now.

By: hank

hank — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 15:11:03 +0000

Ryan: Glad you like the okra! It is a Texas variety, Hill Country Red…

Charlotte: My current favorite sushi place is also in a strip mall, here in Orangevale. It’s called Blue Nami.

By: Charlotte

Charlotte — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 01:48:53 +0000

Hands down, the best meal I’ve ever eaten in my life was at Nazawa in LA — Studio City, strip mall, genius sushi chef. You sit at the sushi bar. You bow a little because it’s clear you’re in someplace very special. And then Nazawa-san hands you delicious, simple, beautiful things to eat for as long as you can stand it. The rice is warm. The fish is gorgeous. It is all perfectly simple, and perfect. A beautiful, clean, astonishing cuisine.

By: Ryan

Ryan — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:40:28 +0000

You can’t see it over the Internet, but I’m blushing something fierce.

I have a deeply rooted love of Japanese food. The first time I had real, honest to goodness sushi, I got a little teary eyed. Sushi to this day is one of my most favorite things to eat.

Also, okra is lovely. That’s coming from a Texas boy though, so I suppose I’m a bit biased. The picture at the top is just phenomenal, and I’ll have to go buy some fresh okra tomorrow. If I had a nickle for every time a picture on your blog made me hungry…

By: KAB

KAB — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 01:30:57 +0000

The title of the book rang a bell, I went to the shelf and found the 1980 edition of this book! It’s sitting next to me waiting for me to open it (it’s been a shamefully long time) and read the intro. Thanks for the reminder!