Some anthropologists can wax on for ages about how food reflects and affects a culture. I have this to say: the food here is as delicious as it is beautiful.
I was in the lucky category, last semester, of getting a host mother who made me a boxed lunch, called an obento or bento, every day for lunch as well as making snacks for me when I went out with friends.
In addition to lunches, she served me beautifully arranged breakfasts and dinners.
In Japan, presentation is everything. That’s why everything is wrapped—be it presents, groceries, or even words—wrapped in the most annoying conjugation ever called keigo. It goes to apply then, that food is treated in the same way.
Okaasan let me assist her with cooking sometimes. Usually that meant I would be cutting garnish, but sometimes I got to chop vegetables as well. Once, and only once, did she allow me to attempt to place food on the plate in a decorative manner.
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| Cutting apple bunnies! |
She was polite about it, but she was horrified by how I placed cold foods near cooked foods and a assortment of other thing that I cannot even begin to contemplate because I am not well-versed in the way of Japanese arrangement.
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| I decorated this... |
One organizational presentation trick I have observed, though, is what I call “the mountain.” The mountain is where everything is piled on top of each other—like a mountain. I use this term after Okaasan told me to “pile everything on top, like a mountain.” This technique doesn’t just apply to food presentation, though. I’ve seen it used for mixing okonomiyaki batter and frying rice.
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| See all the mountains? |
In other cultures as well, presentation is very important to how food is served. But I see a dedication in Japan that I have not seen in my past experiences.
I am also in awe of how the food in their fast food conveyer belt sushi restaurants looks like the pictures, even though it's fast food!
Beautiful!
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