Butter my arse
Written by: adekun on 30 May, 2008 10:06 pm - Filed under: blog — 2 Comments »
Towards the end of March notices appeared above the empty butter shelves. The general theme was an apology from the supermarket manager saying they are unsure when the next delivery will be. Although it hasn’t been the most fervent of searches, Monday brought an end to over a month without any respite. I spotted a few blocks. They must have just had a delivery and I was in the right place at the right time. A steal I thought at ¥368 for a scant 200 g. Along with the ridiculously priced apples and flour, pie making will have to wait (probably indefinitely). I also spotted seven cherries for ¥298.
There have been many stories covering this phenomenon. Hashimoto an official at the Ministry of Agriculture was quoted “Drought in Australia which pushed up the cost of cattle feed and bulging demand for butter elsewhere in Asia are making butter imports more expensive and shoppers are turning to made in Japan butter. The bottom line is, however, butter is not our staple food. Personally, I can happily switch to margarine.” Continue reading
Elephant garlic scapes
Written by: adekun on 29 May, 2008 6:00 pm - Filed under: blog — No Comments »
The rain was very heavy last night and I wondered if it might be an early start of tsuyu (rain season), despite it only just finishing down in Okinawa. It should be a good few weeks off which I hope will be long enough for the overdue onions and garlic. The latter had sprouted a few fantastically gangly scapes, reaching over four feet in height. I think I’m going to have them for breakfast tomorrow.
Iwami ginzan
Written by: adekun on 27 May, 2008 11:15 pm - Filed under: shimane — 4 Comments »
Niō A
Niō UN
If you want to see a couple of sights in Japan it usually works out cheaper to sign up to a package tour. The downside is they run a tight schedule to allow plenty of shopping time at the numerous ‘gift’ stops. We got a call the previous evening to say the visit at the most interesting point on the itinerary was cancelled. There was still Iwami Ginzan a significant silver mine that operated during the 16th and 17th centuries. Continue reading
Miho Air Base Fiftieth
Written by: adekun on 25 May, 2008 5:12 pm - Filed under: blog — No Comments »
Held today was the annual air show at nearby Miho Air Base. The airbase celebrating its fiftieth year also doubles as a civil airport and is collectively known as Miho-Yonago Airport. This year, due to the continuing upward trend across the oil markets, a more economical and environmental approach was taken.
Most of the air displays were cancelled due to the weather being oddly overcast. There was however the chance to meet the pilots of Blue Impulse, Japan’s aerobatic display team. What I found overly funny was that instead of queues of children, it was middle aged men getting autographs and their photo taken along side their idols.
The sweetest thing
Written by: adekun on 15 May, 2008 5:15 pm - Filed under: blog — 3 Comments »
With the warmer weather and turnings with the new fork, the compost’s stench of ammonia has given way to the scent of geranium. Quite a bit of the putrefying stuff got dug in prior to the potatoes, beans and peas. With the bulk of it gone, it was easier to arrange layers of green and brown. Perhaps more importantly, separate the slimy fibrous masses and get some air in. It’s cooler than it was a couple of weeks ago and there has been quite a bit of rain. On Tuesday there was a surprise thunderstorm bringing hyou (hail) as large as ice cubes. It really came down heavy and it’s looks like the summer veg has had too much water. I expect I’ll soon be moaning about the lack of it.
On the way back from our trip to Mitokusan Sanbutsuji we saw the rice paddies flooded up in the mountains. It started down here last week. The odd early bird farmer in-between spells planting out rice.
Nine out of ten Japanese prefer pasta
Written by: adekun on 11 May, 2008 7:21 pm - Filed under: blog — 3 Comments »
Price rise announcements are now a common precursor to each month. Earlier in the year there were reports of Japan’s WPI being at a 27 year high and CPI being hitting decade highs. In a country where the economy is as stagnant as the wages, cost-driven inflation is really spanner in the works. Being so hideously short on natural resources you would think it prudent that the country not to be reliant on something that can be grown at home.* Japan’s food self sufficiency has fallen to a meagre 39%. Despite this there is still a surplus of the tightly controlled rice. Rather than relay my own thoughts and experiences this article sums it up much better and offers an insight as to what the government is cooking up (skip cynical typo). I think it’s worth adding however, when asking students what their favourite food is, they almost always respond with pasta or spaghetti.
What I am yet to understand is flour cost increases are met regular tax increases levied upon the millers. I can only surmise as I don’t have an understanding of how things work here. Nor do any Japanese I speak to. In fact there is so little interest in the subject it is little wonder things go awry or politicians get repeatedly caught with their hands in the till. On a more positive note there are plans to increase the self sufficiency rate; with a coffer that no doubt needs to be filled.
This month was greeted with a McPrice Hike. An example given was because of cheese and flour cost increases the ¥100 hamburger will now cost between ¥20 and ¥30 extra depending on the region. The last part made me laugh. Undoubtedly the forbearing Japanese will swallow the latest price rise.
* herein lies a little of the problem
Rye bread
Written by: adekun on 7 May, 2008 5:19 am - Filed under: baking — 2 Comments »
How to make simple rye bread:
- a third rye flour
- two thirds plain flour
It’s not very creative and will have to do for the meantime. Substitute a third of the flour from the plain bread recipe with rye flour. Resist the temptation to add extra flour early on when kneading. Stick with it and it should soon be easier to work with.
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