Modern Japanese Cuisine Food, Power and National Identity KatarzynaJ.Cwiertka Modern Japanese Cuisine Modern Japanese Cuisine Food, Power and National Identity KatarzynaJ.Cwiertka   ToPiotrandNiek PublishedbyReaktionBooksLtd GreatSuttonStreet London, www.reaktionbooks.co.uk Firstpublished Copyright©KatarzynaJ.Cwiertka, Allrightsreserved Nopartof thispublicationmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem, ortransmitted,inanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying, recordingorotherwise,withoutthepriorpermissionof thepublishers. PrintedandboundinGreatBritainby CromwellPress,Trowbridge,Wiltshire BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData Cwiertka,KatarzynaJoanna,– ModernJapanesecuisine:food,powerandnationalidentity .Foodhabits–Japan .Cookery,Japanese .Japan–Civilization I.Title .’ -: -: Contents Introduction  1 WesternFood,PoliticsandFashion  2 TheRoadtoMulticulturalGastronomy  3 StrengtheningtheMilitary  4 ReformingHomeMeals  5 WartimeMobilizationandFoodRationing  6 TheCulinaryConsequencesof JapaneseImperialism  7 MultipleCircuitsofAffluence  Conclusion:TheMakingofaNationalCuisine  Postscript:JapaneseCuisineGoesGlobal  References  Glossary  Acknowledgements  PhotoAcknowledgements  Index  Introduction Multiculturalismisthedefiningfeatureof theculinarysceneincontempor- aryJapan.Itisreflectedinthedailyfoodchoicesof everyJapanese.An averagedaymaybeginwithaWestern-stylebreakfastof toast,coffeeand friedeggs,oraJapanese-stylebreakfast of rice, misosoup, pickles and grilledfish.LunchmaybeeitheraJapanese-styleobento¯(aboxedmealof rice and several small side dishes), prepared at home or purchased at specializedobento¯kiosks,oraquickbiteatoneof theubiquitousfast-food restaurants,noodleshopsoranarrayof otherlunchestablishments.Many factoriesandschoolsoperatetheirowncanteensinwhichindigenousfare prevails,butwithstronglypronouncedChineseandWesterninfluences. Adinnermaybetakenathomeorenjoyedinoneof manyrestaurants. In practically every town, a selection of Japanese, Chinese and Korean eatingplaces,alongwithAmericanrestaurantchainssuchasSkylarkand Denny’s – commonly labelled ‘family restaurants’ (famirii resutoran or famiresu for short) – cater to diners of every age, sex and degree of affluence. Moreover, larger urban centres also offer a choice of fancy FrenchandItalianbistrosandavarietyof ‘ethnic’(esunikku)eateriesthat claimtoservefoodfromsuchexoticplacesasIndia,Vietnam,Malaysia, AfghanistanandEthiopia. At home, a Japanese-style dinner centred on white boiled rice accompaniedbysoupandsidedishes,allservedatthesametime,stillpre- vails.Itis,however,bynomeansfreefromforeigninfluences.In,on theoccasionof thefortiethanniversaryof itslaunch,theleadingtelevision cookingshowKyo¯noryo¯ri(‘DishesforToday’)conductedasurveyamong , of its regular viewers asking them to list their most favourite side dishes appropriate to be served at a Japanese-style dinner. The top ten included (in ascending order) hamburger, fried gyo¯za dumplings, miso soupwithto¯fuandseaweed(wakame),soy-stewedchickenwithvegetables  Acontemporaryhomemeal. (Chikuzenni),ricecurry,to¯fuandmincedmeatinspicysauce(mabo¯do¯fu), Japanese apricot pickle (umeboshi), sugar-simmered black beans (kuro- mame),home-stylesushi(chirashizushi)and,asnumberone,soy-simmered beef,potatoesandonions(nikujaga).Half of thedishesinthisselection areof foreignoriginandbegantoenterJapanesecuisineaftertheturnof thetwentiethcentury.Otherforeign-inspiredmainstaysinJapanesehome dinners include breaded deep-fried fish (furai), breaded deep-fried pork cutlets(tonkatsu)andstir-friedvegetables. Despitetheforeignoriginsof thesesidedishes,theJapanesecharac- terof theentiremealissecuredbyits‘rice,soupandsidedishes’structure. Moreover, the side dishes are often ‘Japanized’ by the addition of soy sauce (sho¯yu), the most important flavouring in contemporary Japanese cooking.Soysauceisconsideredsuchavitalcondimentthatmanufactur- ers have produced conveniently packaged travel-size bottles and sachets, sothatJapanesetravellerscanventureforthintotheworld‘armedwith slippersandsoysauce’. Some scholars seek the explanation for the strongly multicultural character of modern Japanese diet in the Japanese tendency to borrow 