The growing pains of using a Japanese kitchen

Moving to Japan has been such an eye opener.  Meaning, and I'm generalizing here, that we as Americans have way too much stuff in our life - space, possessions, clothes, etc.. and while that is not always a bad thing, do we really appreciate it or need all it? I have always wanted a big beautiful kitchen, you know the one with the stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, a kitchen bar with rustic, yet trendy stools that your friends and family can sit at while you're cooking a meal...*sigh*.. yeah, not happening here!

I have always enjoyed cooking and baking, but my greatest challenge was that it was just me.  If I tried all those scrumptious recipes who would eat them?  Me? I'd have and had a freezer full of leftovers. You see, I don't do cooking small portions well.  Living by myself and cooking for one was always easy.  I enjoy cooking and baking I also don't mind living off of chicken, rice, and green beans for dinner every night.  I'd simply change up my seasonings and vegetable.  Voila, a different dinner!

I grew up helping my mother cook for a family of six, or seven when my gram stayed with us during the winter months. It is ingrained in my mind that I must cook large meals.  Having been recently married, I must now cook for two,.  This has been a challenge because my husband is a meat and potatoes man.  He could eat some type of roast every night.  I don't mind that but my challenge was leftovers...it got very boring.

Before moving into our new house the kitchen consisted of a tiny counter top with sink, and a three- burner stove top with a fish oven.  What is a fish oven you ask?  It is an 8x12 inch broiler that sits under the stove top, that's it.  No big stainless steel oven for me!  Prior to moving in, David was able to procure a convection oven that is, in reality - a very fancy microwave!  It has the capabilities to bake, convect, and microwave all in one.  Sadly, it so small that I am unable to use my regular size pans for baking leaving me to use it for it's microwave capabilities.  This past Christmas I had the bright idea of making three different type of cookies - sugar cookies, peanut butter chocolate chip and, of course our family favorite, cinnamon stars.  Like a silly girl, falling back onto old habits, I doubled my recipes only to realize that my cookie sheets were too long and I had to rely on my pampered chef stoneware - bar plate.  Needless, to say I spent all weekend baking four to six cookies at a time.  Did I mention that I doubled my recipes?! 

How do I make those roasts that my husband adores so much?!  Two words - Crock. Pot.  It has been my life saver.  I have now mastered a roasted chicken with thyme and rosemary, beef roast, pork roast, chili, and bean soup.  In fact, I had two and gave one to a friend who is learning how to use hers as well.   What about the fish oven? Well, while I like eating fish, I'm not fond of cooking it. The fish oven  now acts as my own personal grill.  When David does not want to stand out in the cold and rain, he'll ask me to use my grill.  I can grill up a pretty mean pork chop, steak, and Italian sausage, not to mention roasting vegetables tossed with olive oil and garlic. And on occasion, toast.

I'm almost broken of cooking large portions as I am unable to house a freezer of meals or vegetables in my small refrigerator.  All leftovers are sent with David the next day for his lunch.  The lesson I can take away from moving here is take what you'll use, not what you think you'll need.  Although I've downsized and have a complete kitchen stored somewhere in permanent storage heaven, I now realize that I'm quite capable of cooking a very scrumptious meal with a crock pot, an iron skillet, a griddle, a saucepan and a fish oven. I challenge you to try that and let me know how it works out!

January 1, 2011

 This New Year's David and I did not ring in the new year.  Instead, we chose to rise early. Skip and Rei (Pronounced Leigh) invited David and I to go on a mystery bus tour with them. We were promised five stops to various tourist attractions around Japan.

Five a.m. came way too early, we caught the 6:40 train to meet our bus in Tachikawa at 7:30.  Our drive to the first stop took us along the Pacific coast, the view was gorgeous.  Unfortunately, the sun was coming up and I was unable to get a clear shot of the ocean, but it was a spectacular view.  David said it reminded him of taking Highway 1 along the California coast.  As we neared our destination we came to a town that was embedded into the coast with surfers catching their first surf of the new year.

Our bus stopped at the top of a hill in the Izu prefecture (compared to a state in the US) where we were to climb up 170 steps to the Shirahama Shrine,  famous for ensuring a long and everlasting love in your relationship!  There are actually 600 steps  that start at the coast...!
  

 Japanese, for the most part, do not celebrate Christmas.  They celebrate New Year's and it is a big production, one of their big traditions is to go to temple (a shrine) and pray for health and happiness for the new year.  Here is just a picture of the shrine. I hope that the link provided works, it also inclues more pictures from our trip. 

I'll not bore you with details of stops two through five. Rei explained that the japanese love their souvenirs, they feel compelled to buy a little trinket for all their loved ones when traveling about.  Along with shopping for souvenirs, Japanese also love food!  This was a definite factor when the tour company planned our trip.  Stop two was an all you can eat buffet where you can gorge yourself on every type of japanese food imaginable.  I must say, it was well thought out and thoroughly organized.  They have to make a killing, at any given time there were about 10 tour buses in the parking lot with about 40 people per bus, with the buses rolling in and out like an assembly line. Afterwards, you are invited to peruse their food and souvenir section.

Our first stop was the only significant attraction on this trip...stop 2 was lunch.  Stop 3 was a wasabi factory with a huge grocery store inside.  Stop 4 was a natural cold spring with, of course, a place to shop for souvenirs...by this time the four us we're just silly..because we realized  that this was just a shopping tour..Stop 5 was...a grocery store!  No really, it was! Here is where I thought this was interesting,we found a wasabi flavored Kit Kat.  I was not, however, ready to lay down $10 to try this tasty treat!

Overall, this day was not a bust.  I was hoping for Mt Fuji, even though I know it's closed this time of year. There are lakes there where one can visit during the winter.  The reason I was hoping was that each stop took us closer and closer to Mt Fuji...the view was almost surreal.  We seemed so close, but still far. In the end we had a wonderful time just riding, laughing and chatting with one another and I really cannot think of a better way to spend a day!