Most schools and businesses in Japan close for a week or two around Jan. 1, after a round of parties and cleaning that traditionally mark the end of the year. Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1873, and so they celebrate the start of the Year of the Rat today.
The foods that accompany New Year celebrations in Japan are called osechi-ryori. Many are made throughout Japan; others vary from region to region. Each dish and ingredient is full of symbolism.
"Sweet potatoes are for a sweet year, burdock root is for strength, fish roe for lots of babies," said Naomi Sato, an English teacher who grew up in Seattle and lives in Kyoto. "The most important thing is to eat lots of red and white food, like namasu," she said, referring to a salad of carrots and white radish pickled in sweet vinegar. Red and white are considered the most auspicious and cheerful colors.
PHOTO: AFP
The New Year holiday is a time for big, boisterous meals that begin on New Year's Eve with toshikoshi ("crossing over") soba. The long buckwheat noodles in broth are slurped whole to promote longevity and to provide warmth. At midnight families bundle up and troop out to hear the monks at the neighborhood Buddhist temple strike the gong 108 times, marking the passing of the old year.
The New Year is toasted on Jan. 1 with cups of mulled sake, sweetened and spiked with spices. The centerpiece of the holiday meal is ozoni, a clear, rich broth simmered with carrots, radishes, greens, kamaboko (pressed fish cakes) and mushrooms.
Mochi is also a necessity at New Year celebrations. Traditionally it is made by an entire town or street at the end of each year, with everyone taking turns pounding the rice in a process called mochitsuki.(NYT)
日本多數學校和企業都會在元旦前後放假一至兩週,一連串的派對和大掃除傳統上象徵一年的結束。日本於一八七三年採用西元新曆,所以他們在今天慶祝鼠年的開始。
日本慶祝新年吃的食物稱為「御節料理」,許多料理在全國各地都一樣,有些則依地區各異;每道菜餚及食材都充滿象徵意涵。
「甘薯代表甘美的一年,牛蒡根代表力量,魚卵代表多子多孫,」一位在西雅圖長大,目前定居京都的英語教師佐藤直美說:「最重要的是一定要吃很多紅色和白色的食物,例如『namasu』。」她所說的是一種用甜醋醃漬的紅、白蘿蔔涼拌沙拉。紅色和白色被視為是最吉利、歡樂的顏色。
新年節慶時,人們聚在一起熱鬧享用豐盛菜餚,從跨年夜的「toshikoshi soba(過年麵)」開始,窸窸窣窣地吃完整碗長條蕎麥湯麵祈求長壽,還有保暖的效果;到了午夜,全家人穿戴暖和前往鄰近神社聽僧侶敲鐘一O八下,表示送走過去一年。
大家會在一月一日舉杯慶祝新年,喝著添加香料、口感香甜的熱清酒。新年料理的主菜「ozoni」是一道以紅、白蘿蔔、青菜、「kamaboko(魚板)」和香菇燉煮而成的清湯。
「Mochi(麻糬)」也是過新年必備的食物,傳統上每年年底全鎮或整條街的人都會輪流搗米,這個過程他們稱為「mochitsuki」。(紐約時報/翻譯:袁星塵)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
On Tuesday last week, the flame for this summer’s Paris Olympics was lit at the birthplace of the ancient Olympic Games in southern Greece in a meticulously choreographed ceremony. It will then be carried through Greece for more than 5,000km before being handed over to French organizers at the Athens venue used for the first modern Olympics in 1896. The pageantry at Olympia has been an essential part of every Olympics for nearly 90 years since the Games in Berlin. It’s meant to provide an ineluctable link between the modern event and the ancient Greek original on which it was initially modelled. Once
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too