Different Cultures

Before I was enrolled in the class of Anthropology of Food I had no idea what a bento box was and what it consisted of. After reading the article by Anne Allison, I was able to learn about the Japanese culture and compare it to American society. In Japan, mothers create bento boxes for their children that are entering nursery school. These boxes can consist of anything such as rice, fish, cucumbers, fruits, vegetables, and other traditional Japanese foods. Bento boxes are very important to the Japanese culture because they believe that nursery school is what shapes the person as they become older in life. Children have to completely finish their bento box and it is recommended to finish it in a timely matter. Japanese mothers will spend hours before the child will go off to school to make the bento boxes ornate and beautiful. There is competition between the mothers of the children of who can make the best bento box and the mother and the child are judged and evaluated upon the beauty and design of the bento box. There are even magazines and books written about bento boxes to help make the process a little less intimating to Japanese mothers.
This Japanese tradition compared to American society shows how different the world is. When a child is sent to nursery school in America the child is judged on what child has the best chips and the best cookie. One is judged differently if they do not have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and if a child does not want to eat their chips they are not looked down upon it. Mothers in America throw a sandwich, a bag of chips, and maybe a Chips-Ahoy chocolate chip cookie into a brown bag and then send the child off to school. A mother and child are not judged in America of who can cut off the sandwich crust the best. I think that a bento box is very interesting and it is something unique to the Japanese culture and I was happy that I was able to learn something new in class.


This is a picture of the bento box that I made in class.

Dorm Food

When I wake up in the morning I roll out of bed, do my hair and makeup, use the elevator to travel down eight flights of stairs, and then stand in a line just to get a meal. This is dorm life. When I was living in my cozy house in Sacramento, California I would just roll out of bed in my pajamas, run to the kitchen to grab breakfast, sit down at the table, and read the newspaper. I would not have to wait in a long line or care about my appearance. Most importantly, I would be eating a meal that I knew its nutritious value. Growing up I have always been conscious of my weight – I guess you could say I have always had to fight the battle. At home I was able to keep track of my calories and I knew exactly what was going in my body because I was preparing it. But on the campus of University of Washington I have no idea what kind of ingredients are in the Chicken Parmesan or the Pepperoni Pizza. Do not get my wrong, the food here is amazing but at the same time I am not able to enjoy the food because I know how processed the foods are that they are serving.
I never thought that I would say that I would miss my mom’s cooking or miss making dinner for the family but I do. I miss sitting down at the kitchen table with my family and eating a home cooked meal prepared by mom. I guess eating in a dorm is just another adventure of college living and going home will make that more enjoyable!

Paradise

I can just picture in my head an image of me sitting in a lounge chair watching the sun set, the ocean breeze whipping across my face and then realizing I am in paradise. Every Spring break my family and I venture off to the Hawaiian Islands to a spot that memories are made and stories are shared in Wailea, Maui. As some families plan their vacations beforehand with activities that include a scuba dive, a tour of the island, or maybe even a bike ride throughout the rainforest, my family’s main focus is food. We have dinner reservations scheduled for each night of our vacation before we get on the plane to come to the Islands. If you do not know already, food is a key ingredient that makes my family come together and helps us bond.
After going to Hawaii for so many years, my family and I have become fond and not so fond of some of the restaurants on the Island. Restaurants may vary on quality of taste and service but there is one restatement that will always remain a five star quality - Spago’s owned by Wolfgang Puck. You can pick anything on the menu and you cannot go wrong but, there is one item on the menu that if you have not tasted it then I do not know if one has lived a full life - The Macadamia Crusted Red Snapper with Maui Onion Salsa. This entrée just melts in your mouth with its tender and flaky fish that makes you forget about all of your worries. The Salsa is a perfect combination with the fish and the macadamia nuts add a nice cover to the fish that is not too overwhelming. Not only does food bring a family together but also memories are created at the dinner table. This restaurant is amazing with the gorgeous view of the Pacific Ocean and its friendly atmosphere. I only wish that I could have this entrée every night rather then once a year!

Recipe for The Macadamia Crusted Red Snapper with Maui Onion Salsa

Maui Onion Salsa:
1 Maui onion or other sweet onion, finely diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon chopped Japanese pickled ginger
1 tablespoon ginger vinegar from pickled ginger
1/4 teaspoon prepared wasabi (Japanese green horseradish) paste
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 shiso leaves (available in Japanese markets), cut into thin julienne strips, or 1 dash of ground cumin
2 tablespoons ogo seaweed (available in Japanese markets), or julienned cucumber
1 teaspoon hijiki seaweed (available in Japanese markets), hydrated in cold water until tender, or 1 tablespoon julienned cucumber
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper


Ginger Butter:
1 pound unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh ginger
Pinch salt
Pinch sugar


Macadamia-Crusted Red Snapper:
1 cup chopped unsalted macadamia nuts
4 (6-ounce) snapper or yellowtail fillets
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 whole shiso leaves or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
(Recipe can be found at http://www.wolfgangpuck.com/recipes/recipedetail_wp.php?Alias=RE_WP3083)