31 Aug 2017 10 Comments
in Humor, On the Road, Recipes Tags: Aomori, Hakodate, Hokkaido, ika, japan, Japanese cooking, Kewpie mayonnaise, ramen, squid
I always figured I could make a successful business helping the Japanese correct the English on their packaging and signage. That intuition was only reinforced on our recent trip to Japan, who’s sensational and rather wacky culinary culture I shall explore in a series of posts beginning with this one.
Squid cracker package
Helpful squid-centric Japanese observation #1: A good way to keep your kids from eating the rice crackers you brought back from Japan: Choose squid flavored. More
07 Nov 2014 7 Comments
in Cooking Tips, Markets & Stores Tags: Ballona Wetlands, carne asada, Dave Frost Automotive, Japanese cooking, Korean short ribs, Mexican food, Mitsuwa, ramen, Richard Brody, Sanchez Carniceria
My pal, Richard Brody, picked me up on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd. and Bentley Avenue at 11:07 a.m. on a Monday morning. We were going shopping.
Brody and his ramen
What I was doing on that particular corner without a car is a whole other story of broken struts, the Culver City green line and a client of my other, more lucrative life. But it is what Brody and I were doing that is of interest for this blog, as it has everything to do with food. More
10 Jan 2014 6 Comments
in Pork, Recipes Tags: David Chang, Father's Office, food, Ivan Orkin, Ivan Ramen, Japanese cooking, ramen, tokyo, Tsujita LA Artisan Noodle, Umami Burger
My pal Greg, who has expanded my cookbook horizon in the past, got me an interesting book for Christmas. It’s called “Ivan Ramen.”
So this Jewish guy Ivan from Long Island moves to Tokyo, it seems, and decides to open a ramen shop. (Sounds like the set-up for a bad joke.)
Ivan
Ramen is an interesting food. To most of us, it’s something that comes in a brick in a package to be added to hot water. In Japan, it’s essentially a fast food, but is treated with an amount of reverence not afforded our chicken nuggets or fajita wraps. More
skinny girls & mayonnaise 