Forum - View topicAnime food hunting
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Blueshift
Posts: 11 |
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Well after watching about 5 animes with onigiri in it, i decided to try finding it at a store. for all of you who dont know what onigiri is (all 2 of you), it is a rice ball usually served as a snack or perhaps a type of Japanese fast food with a filling (salmon flakes,etc..)
in the center. It usually in anime looks like a triangle or oval shape with a nori (seaweed) wrap on the bottom. I looked in the 2 asian markets that are around my area, plus asked a sushi restaurant where i could find some, and to my surprise not many, even the japanese sushi guys, didn't know what it was, except 1 chef in the sushi place knew. He unfortunately didn't know where to get it though. I knew i was gonna have to make it myself  but i got it down pretty easy and have been enjoying it ever since.. I can also make Dango(3-4 balls on a stick in anime) as well and am about to attempt dai foku.
Im curious as why there are many Japanese Americans who dont know what onigiri or dango is.. Is it known by some other name.?. maybe I'm pronouncing it wrong. Or maybe simply its pretty much limited to Japan.. and not something passed down to family in cooking here in the states. So what are all of your guys experience with anime food? and does anybody know where to get some in southern California? |
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Randall Miyashiro
 Posts: 2451 Location: A block away from Golden Gate Park |
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Are you sure that those guys were Japanese? The entire staff at the sushi place nearest to my house is Chinese. There is one place a few blocks down that is ran by Japanese staff who I regularly order onigiri w/ ume from with my oden. Many of the Japanese restaurants in the US are ran and owned by Koreans and Chinese staff. |
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Blueshift
Posts: 11 |
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You know, that's probably it.
I have been noticing that alot of Asian markets have mostly Chinese and Korean stuff, which i would guess makes sense according to population. Our Panda Express Restaurant (Chinese food) has Mexicans as employees.. but some reason In my head i might of presumed the sushi staff to be all Japanese lol. Not to mention i am visually impaired. |
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kyokun703
 Posts: 2505 Location: Orgrimmar |
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Yes, most sushi restaurants are not run by Japanese, but by other types of Asians.
An authentic Japanese restaurant in Southern California is Honda-ya. They are in Little Tokyo in Los Angeles and Tustin. Here you can get real Japanese food, including Japanese pub food. I've ordered takoyaki, onigiri, udon, soba, yakitori, and other really good foods here. It is also frequented by fluent Japanese speakers; a good sign. Daifuku, dango, anpan, manju, etc., I've usually found at Japanese grocery stores. You might try Mitsuwa or look up "Japanese grocery stores southern california" in google for other options. |
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abunai
Old Regular
 Posts: 5463 Location: 露命 |
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I should point out that most of those items are fairly easy to make yourself, unless you're a complete duffer in a kitchen. I've made onigiri, daifuku (ichigo daifuku, for my kids, after we'd seen Rozen Maiden together -- unyuu) and lots of other minor Japanese dishes like these, and they've never caused me any difficulty.
In fact... there's a trope that occurs frequently in anime -- the male character who sets out to cook, even though he's never tried it. Even with the aid of an experienced (female, of course) cook, he can't even manage a simple onigiri. This is ridiculous. My kids can make an onigiri. It's not rocket science. Warning for those not experienced in Japanese foodstuffs: an, the read bean paste used to sweeten daifuku and, sometimes, onigiri, is almost obscenely sweet by Western standards. This is true of many Japanese sweets. It's not to everyone's taste. It goes well with something bitter, though, like macha. - abunai |
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kyokun703
Posts: 2505 Location: Orgrimmar |
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Really? I find Japanese desserts usually less sweet than say, cake and ice cream. That's why I prefer all the tart sweet yogurts that are all the rage now, as opposed to the traditional super sweet frozen yogurt stores here in the US. And yes, as abunai pointed out, onigiri is extremely easy. It's steamed rice and salted hands, a strip of nori, and if you like, umeboshi, smoked salmon flakes, etc. Just make a pot of rice, let it cool a little bit so you don't burn your hands. Wet your hands and add a little bit of salt. Take a scoop of rice and shape it in your hands, pressing an umeboshi in, if you like that. Wrap a strip of nori around it, and voila. Repeat until you have the amount of nigiri you want. Keep your hands wet and salted so the rice doesn't stick to you. |
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retty
 Posts: 118 Location: Cheshire, UK |
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I got into Japnese food because of Yo Sushi. I bought their cook book and have made quite a few successful dishes from it, and some not quite so much. Onigiri are really easy to make, and I bought some Hello Kitty onigiri shapers off ebay to make mine extra cute
I had a go at miso soup (I'm always making different kinda of soup, love the stuff) and I have to say it was the worst thing I have ever tasted. Seriously nasty stuff. |
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Super_Vegeta
 Posts: 141 |
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HAHA! Its funny that you made this thread, because I've been thinking the same thing. I've seen a lot of food in anime that I'd like to try, and recently I got to try some.
I've tried Sushi. . . and well I really don't know what to think it was OK, I think the seaweed put me off though. That said, i really like noodles (I've had Ramen). I'd like to try more. As for cooking it myself, I'm pretty much incompetent when it comes to cooking, unless were talking instant noodles or something. Actually maybe I'm more just lazy about cooking than bad at it, but thats a completely different discussion. |
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Kruszer
 Posts: 7994 Location: Minnesota, USA |
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You know, I never really felt it looked all that appetizing personally.
Well aside from the noodle dishes. I hate most seafood and I don't like a lot of vegetables either and that seems like it eliminates half the menu (or at least what most anime characters eat anyway). |
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Elahrairah
Posts: 19 |
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Best Asian food to me is Pho....Vietnamese Beef noodle soup.
Whenever I see soup in anime, which never really is Pho, but some other type of stew/soup, I think of it and I have to have some. Side question: What is the stew everyone eats in the feudal-time period animes that have hard boiled eggs in it? That looks good, but have no idea what it is. I like sushi, but why in God's name do some places put mayo in the crab meat of the California roll? Is that traditional, or an American twist? I almost puked the first bite I had (didn't expect to taste it). If I see that picture on a menu (you know, the stuff that looks like a tuna fish sandwich), I leave the restaurant (if they can't get that right, what good is the rest of the menu?). If I see large chucks of pure crab meat, I order...a complete 180 in terms of enjoyable food in my mind. That being said, I have made a few trips to Korea and China (will go to Japan next year) and I can honestly say that other than Korean BBQ and some of the "fried pork" dishes, I can't take Korean food. All those side dishes are for the birds in my mind, though my wife loves them, she gets mine so she is happy. And I won't eat anything "peculiar" either. Once I was in a restaurant and this wonderful dish was on the table. I was encouraged to take a bite. Using my chopsticks, I grabbed on piece and took a close look at it....Looked normal enough...."Donkey" she said.....dropped that faster than a hot potato. The "pet store" styles of markets there makes the 99 ranch markets here look tame. All I really know of Japanese (other than the usual American dishes like Teppan, sushi, etc.) is Shabu Shabu. We had that for Thanksgiving dinner this year, easy to prepare and everyone gets what they like. Of course pie afterwards. And in China, they flavor the water so well, it makes a good soup even before they add any food into it. Can't get too much Dim Sum either. Find a good Dim Sum restaurant, that should be your first priority. In SoCal, I can name 5 or 6 off the top of my head, however I only know how to get there, I don't know the names....will ask the wife. Sorry for the rant, you started it. |
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jetz
 Posts: 2148 Location: Manila, Philippines |
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Me too. I like Sushi and Takoyaki. I'm still not sure if the one they sell at school is really Takoyaki, but the stand really looks like the one I've seen in anime, and the cooking process is the same too. Other than Sushi and Takoyaki, I never really had the urge to try other dishes (except maybe Onigiri and Melon Pan I guess  ).
Speaking of food hunting, I've seen this food item in a few anime series (and maybe a few live Japanese shows too). I think it's a cookie or a biscuit, it's orange in color, and it has (I think) seaweed on it as well. I actually thought it was Onigiri at first, cause it kinda looks like a small, orange Onigiri. Does anyone have an idea what I'm talking about? |
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Nom_Anor
 Posts: 246 |
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I've made Tamagoyaki, and it is the most time consuming process of making eggs I've ever seen. Tastes good though, and it goes well with rice.
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DuelLadyS
 Posts: 1705 Location: WA state |
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While I've never really made it, by my experience with restaraunts/teriyaki joints/instant home versions tells me miso comes in an pretty big flavor range. Example: My boyfriend got some at a teriyaki place near his house, and I asked for some becuase I'd had it at a Japanese restaraunt during a field trip and liked it. So he gave it to me, and I had a spoonful- and gave it back, telling him this was not miso as far as I was concerned. It was sweet, the kind I originally had was salty. Not too long after, he took me to try a nice Japanese place for our anniversary. They gave us Miso to start. I tried it, and looked up to tell him 'now this is miso'- and found him staring at his bowl, jaw-dropped at how completely different it was from what he'd been eating. We actually went back a week later with his siblings, so they could experience 'proper' miso (and because the food was good, of course.  )
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kyokun703
Posts: 2505 Location: Orgrimmar |
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I think you're talking about sembei. They are a sort of sweet, sort of salty cracker usually flavored with soy sauce (at least the ones I eat are). Sometimes they have nori sprinkled or wrapped around them. I like the semi-spicy kind, myself, that aren't very sweet. |
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Super_Vegeta
Posts: 141 |
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Well I might be going to a local Japanese restaraunt with my Karate club next Sunday for a party before we take a break for the holidays.
Anyway I'll try something new and let you guys know what I think. Actually I've never really had any Japanese food other than Sushi (disliked) and Ramen noodles (love), so everything on the menu will be new to me. |
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