Reuse your chopsticks. Avoid disposable waribashi!
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Reuse your chopsticks. Avoid disposable waribashi! |
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Herbivorous and happy in Japan?
By Tracey Delaney (March 2000 Saitama News)
Imagine a country where the consumption of fish, fowl and flesh is prohibited by an ordinance enacted by the powers that be. That would be a (vegetarian's) paradise; no need to try and try again to communicate your dietary restrictions. Now imagine that country is Japan. Impossible!? No, not if this was Japan between 676 and 737 when the country was under a vegetarian ordinance declared by Emperor Temmu, a devout Buddhist, during his reign (672-686). However, these idyllic (for vegetarians) conditions did not last forever. Even though Buddhism, known for its strict vegetarian dietary principles, had become the official state religion, Emperor Shomu (724-749) allowed the consumption of fish and shellfish in 737. The fall from this pure vegetarian's paradise occurred very gradually during the ensuing 1,130 years. However, Japan was essentially a nation of vegetarians supporting the "pesco" prefix every now and again on special occasions. It was not until the beginning of the Meiji Era (1868-1912) when the dietary delights of the Western world arrived, that Japan started to slide down the slippery slope of carnivorousness and landed in vegetarian purgatory, slightly closer to hell than heaven.
Japanese essentially has two words that mean vegetarian: bejitarian and saishokushugisha. Saishokushugisha is written in Chinese characters and literally means "a person of vegetable eating principles". This word came into use slightly prior to the beginning of the Meiji Era when English words ending in ism connoting an ideological concept, as in vegetarianism, were translated en masse by the Japanese intelligentsia to create a modern Japanese vocabulary. Bejitarian, written in katakana, Is a direct loan word from the English "vegetarian" and came into popular use after the 1960s. A bejitarian is defined as being a saishokushugisha in Japanese dictionaries. Perhaps this narrow definition of a vegetarian as being someone who consumes a diet of vegetables (only) is the reason why occasionally Japanese people have asked me whether a bejitarian can eat tofu or beans. As with any generalized label, nothing can be left to be assumed that it is understood.
An integral part of experiencing a foreign culture is enjoying the nourishment provided by the hosts of the culture. However, it seems that this is the excruciating part of the vegetarian's experience in Japan due to language, differing cultural conceptions of vegetarianism, and the fish flaky nature of even the most seemingly innocuous food like miso soup, generally made with a fish stock base. But, as I said, this is a purgatory and not a hell: saving graces can be found with a little communication and explanation.
Shojin Ryori: Vegetarians will be delighted to find that one of the most traditional and exquisite Japanese cuisines is shojin ryori (a vegetarian meal, also known as temple cuisine). The word shojin means devotion (but also non-meat eating) since it is used to describe the meals of devout Buddhist monks. The cuisine was established by Dogen, the 13th century monk also credited with founding the Soto sect of Zen Buddhism. However, a shojin ryori meal tends to be difficult to find and finance. Temple towns like Kamakura and Kyoto offer a relatively wide selection and price range. Remember though that in these temples, shojin ryori is part of the meditation and remains a religious rite.
The Sushi Bar: For vegetarians, the sushi restaurant may seem like a torture session, but there are numerous selections for a painless palate. Inari-zushi: rice wrapped in sweet tofu skin; Kappa-maki: cucumber roll; Kampo-maki: dried gourd shaving roll; Natto-maki: fermented bean roll; Oshinko-maki: yellow pickled daikon roll.
The Tempura Restaurant: Tempura is fish or vegetables battered or fried in sesame or vegetable oil. Tentsuyu, the generic name for the dipping sauce, contains fish flakes. An option to the dipping sauce is lemon extract sauce. Vegans should be aware that sometimes the batter contains eggs.
The Izakaya: The izakaya, or Japanese-style pub, offers various vegetarian victuals form the familiar fried potatoes to tomato salad and traditional Japanese pub snacks. A word for the wise: Always ask them to hold the fish flakes ("katsuo nashi de onegaishimasu!") on the salads and agedashi-dofu (dried tofu).
A selection: Daikon sarada: raddish salad; Edamame: boiled soy beans; Osembei: rice crackers; Tofu sarada: Tofu salad; Umeboshi onigiri: riceball with pickled plum; Yaki onigiri: fried riceball; Yu-dofu: boiled tofu, seaweed stock soup.
The Japanese Vegetarian Society (JPVS) at www.jpvs.org provides information on vegetarians in Japan and JPVS events, such as lectures and cooking classes. This site is a great springboard to other information and recipe and restaurant pages of interest to vegetarians. (in English and Japanese).
The Tokyo Food Page at www.bento.com provides a comprehensive section in English and Japanese on vegetarian restaurant in Tokyo.
The Low Fat Vegetarian Archive at
Tengu, the natural foods shop in Saitama Prefecture, has a website at www.tengufoods.com and mail order catalogue stocked with vegetarian items. To receive a catalogue, call 0429-85-8751.
The International Vegetarian Union offers a comprehensive site with recipes, information on famous vegetarians, advice, all sorts of really useful and interesting stuff and great links etc. It is well worth bookmarking it: http://www.ivu.org/
Try:
Guide to being (and remaining) a vegetarian in Japan, by Karen Brown and [ex JET and original BEE cyclist] Joel Krentz. For the often challenged vegetarian! An AJET publication, available from usual AJET places as well as Tengu Natural Foods. Tengu also offers a selection of books about cooking, sustainable living, gardening, etc.
If you want to travel, don't speak 38 languages but want to stick to your principles you might want to obtain a copy of the very excellent Vegan Passport. It has 38 translations covering 90% of the world s population. Contact The Vegan Society, Donald Watson House, 7 Battle Road, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN37 7AA, UK (Tel: 44 1424 427393). Or else try the vegetarian phrases in different languages from the International Vegetarian Union: http://www.ivu.org/
A Guide to Food Buying in Japan by Carolyn Krouse, comes highly recommended.
The JET General Handbook has some pages on "The Vegetarian JET".
There are many vegetarian food pages on the internet, just search for "vegetarian". A simple Yahoo search revealed this list.
Some tips for eating out: always carry your own washable, reusable chopsticks to avoid using disposable waribashi. If you are planning an outdoor excursion, consider packing food from home in reusable containers to avoid indirectly buying lots of plastic.
delicious recipes roadtested by JETs
 please email us! Want to recommend a good vegetarian recipe or restaurant in Japan? Wefd like to compile an ongoing list of roadtested recipes and eateries. Please contact our web coordinator with your findings. |
Black beans (Karen Conley)
These are the best thing since sliced bread for sore throat, phlegm, allergies, asthma, diabetes, kidney ailments, anemia, high blood pressure and constipation. They also increase physical and sexual vigor, stimulate the appetite, promote healthy skin and rid the system of toxins and impurities.
Black bean rice
half cup black beans, 2 cups brown rice, 3 and a half cups water, sesame salt for seasoning
Put the black beans in a frying pan and lightly roast them, taking care not to burn them, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes until fragrant. Place the brown rice and roasted beans in a pressure cooker and add the water. Place over high heat until pressurized, then lower the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow ro depressurize. Serve, sprinkled with sesame salt.
Black beans with grated apple
half cup boiled baked beans; half an apple, grated; 1 tablespoon vinegar; 1 teaspoon salt
Dress the boiled beans with the apple, vinegar, salt and serve.
.....
Dick's lentil and tomato soup
Cut up an onion and two cloves of garlic put it in a pot with about 1.5
l of water and bring to the boil. Add tin of diced tomatoes and 3/4 cup of
red lentils. Cook 5 mins (very easy and low fat and satisfying!)
.....
Jran's Agedashi Tofu
Drain tofu for two hours. Cut into 5cm square cubes and coat in cornflour.
Lightly shallow fry till golden brown. (Japanese) Fine grate daikon, ginger and finely slice leek. Make sauce half soya sauce and half lemon juice.
Serve with rice. The tofu cubes should be cut with chopsticks, the ragged surface allows the tofu to absorb more of the sauce. Add desired amount of leek, gingerand daikon.
.....
(Abridged from Saitama News June 1997, Issue 56) by Trella Davis
Nutritionists recommend that about half the vegetables we eat each day should be raw. Uncooked vegetables are higher in fibre and nutrients than their cooked counterparts. Here are some delicious suggestions:
Pink potato salad
Ingredients: 4 large potatoes, skins on, diced; 1 small can of diced beets, drained; 1/2 large bell pepper, diced; 1/2 cup plain, non-fat yoghurt; 3 tablespoons of reduced calorie mayonnaise; 2 hard-boiled eggs, diced; salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, and paprika to taste
Boil potatoes until tender. Drain. Combine remaining ingredients and chill before serving.
Serves 8; 155 cal, 5.5g fat per serving
Spinach salad parmesan
5 cups freshly washed and trimmed spinach; 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced; 1 pint cherry tomatoes; 1 pint fresh mushrooms, sliced; 1/2 cup of radish, thinly sliced; 1 tablespoon parmesan cheese; salt, pepper, garlic to taste
Toss all ingredients with your favourite non-fat dressing
Serves 6: 36 cal, 1g fat per serving
(this info derived from an echo article by Natasha Free, 1999)
Have been trying to find out if there is a national organization of organic farming that can tell you where your local supplier is. I guess Dr Takatsuki or Chuya Hashimoto would be good people to ask. In my ken there are many producers or organic bread products (strangely more available than organic rice). In some cities there are branches of the chain Anew. They sell organic vegetables (limited range) and other food and health products. They gave us vegetables for Earth Day Ishikawa. A recommended place for organic vegetables especially if you live in the middle of nowhere and cannot get organic vegetables is Warabe-mura (address below).They have vegetable box sets which they send out each week. Gifu-ken grown, seasonal organic vegetables. Good way to learn Japanese cooking too. A friend of mine joked about needing a manual on 101 things to do with burdock root. But don't let that put you off!
Last week I saw organic rice in the supermarket for the first time. Maybe this is the start of things to come. It is also roughly the same price as white non-organic rice (don't buy this stuff, it has no nutritional value!)
Eating Out: Global Village do a restaurant guide. I saw some organic restaurants on tv the other week, so when I go to Tokyo next weekend I will check some out and review them. There was this show about anzen yasai. This seems to be a big thing now. One of the local supermarkets has started an anzen yasai corner. But of course it's expensive, so I think many people would be put off. At school the other day I was asked why I eat so many vegetables, because they're too expensive. I said I didn't want to pay the hospital bills later. They all went away thinking about that one. I've probably got cancer already anyway from eating vegetables before we were aware of all the bad stuff that's in them.
Japanese food:
Organic produce
Many small farmers are growing organic produce in Japan. There's probably one near you.
Organic brown rice is a delicious, healthy and environmentally friendly alternative to your run-of-the-mill white rice. Unfortunately it has something of the poor man's reputation and so Japanese people are loath to eat it. I don't know the correct etiquette but if you serve it up for your kocho-sensei take it as a good opportunity to discuss its superior nutritional quality and why you eat it.
Food labeling:
BEWARE GM foods can be sold in Japan without a label notifying the customer. However, according to Tengu Foods, as of June 1999, GM crops are still not being grown in Japan. Beware of imports that may not necessarily specify if they contain GM products. In the US, products cannot be certified organic if they come from genetically modified sources.
Organic food and other products are available from:
Mitoko (Japanese only)
Tengu Natural Foods (natural, organic foods, books and sundries)
Umehara 50-2, Hidaka-shi, Saitama-ken 350-1246. Tel 0429-85-8751. Fax 0429-85-8752. email: tengu@gol.com; www: http://www.tengufoods.com
Warabe-mura Wholefoods (organic and macrobiotic foods, sundries and books, organic vegetable sets) CPO Box 3, Tomika, Kamo-gun, Gifu, 501-3300. Tel 0574-54-1355. Fax 0120-54-1495. Email: warabemura@aol.com
 Try growing your
own food!Divorce yourself from agroindustry by growing as much of your own food as possible. Borrow a small plot of land from a friend or use your balcony. You might be surprised what a variety of veggies can be grown on a balcony alone. Some urbanites in Japan use their balcony to grow a little rice!
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Sustainable products:
Global Village (indigenous; fair trade products; guide to health food restaurants)
1-13-16 Noge, Setagaya-ku 158, Tokyo. Tel 03-3705-0233. Fax 03-3705-0255
Tengu Natural Foods (natural, organic foods, books and sundries)
Umehara 50-2, Hidaka-shi, Saitama-ken 350-1246. Tel 0429-85-8751. Fax 0429-85-8752. email: tengu@gol.com; www: http://www.tengufoods.com
Warabe-mura Wholefoods (organic and macrobiotic foods, sundries and books, organic vegetable sets) CPO Box 3, Tomika, Kamo-gun, Gifu, 501-3300. Tel 0574-54-1355. Fax 0120-54-1495. Email: warabemura@aol.com
| Elsewhere, please look for these marks when shopping |
The Eco Mark: this is found on items which can be easily recycled and also on items which have been recycled.
The Green Mark: this is found on products derived from trees. They have been recycled to some degree.
The EcoShop: (Fukushima-ken) signifies shops which use less packaging, etc. Similar marks should be found throughout Japan. If you cannot find one why not design your own and start hawking it around your hometown?
