Zack-San Tours Japan

In hopes of being a little less gaijen in regards to the amazing cuisine of Japan, we booked a cooking class with Taro (recommended by our Lonely Planet guide book). After meeting him at the bus stop, we went to his old Kyoto home where the main floor was a kitchen and large table outfitted to sit and cook/gather. His wife was sick that day, so his middle school aged daughter helped out; such a cute family business! He focused on practical Japanese cooking, and started with basic flavors and seasonings. He then showed us how to make Dashi from Konbu and fish flakes; it's the base for a ton of Japanese food such as the Miso Soup we made. We then learned how to make folded omelettes, and we all want the square pans now (we brought back several). It was an informative, 4 hour hang with a really interesting individual. He spent some of his childhood in the US so he had a great understanding of both cultures and was eager to talk about anything. My favorite tidbits were that ramen is originally Chinese (his mom
calls it "Chinese Udon"), most japanese only eats matcha ice cream every year or two (so I'm at a decades quota), and that you can't have everything be too tasty in a meal. Just tasty enough is better; if everything's tasty then it's not as healthy (tasty means lots of salt or sugar or fat etc). Neat way of looking at food/nutrition and perhaps even life.Read more