Nikkei Chronicles #1—ITADAKIMASU! A Taste of Nikkei Culture
For many Nikkei around the world, food is often the strongest and most lasting connection they have with their culture. Across generations, language and traditions are often lost, but their connections to food remain.
Discover Nikkei collected stories from around the world related to the topic of Nikkei food culture and its impact on Nikkei identity and communities. This series introduces these stories.
Our Editorial Committee selected their favorite stories in each language. Here are their favorites:
- ENGLISH:
Authentic
By Barbara Nishimoto - JAPANESE:
Grandma’s Pickles Story: Sharing Grandma’s Rakkyo with the World
By Asami Goto - SPANISH:
Japanese Stoicism By Ariel Takeda - PORTUGUESE:
Ofukuro no aji: Mrs. Shizuka’s cassava misoshiru
By Rosa Tomeno Takada
Stories from this series
Three Generations of Japanese American Cooks and Food: From Grandma to daughter to grandson
July 5, 2012 • Troy Ishikawa
What does your family call Thanksgiving stuffing? In our family, stuffing was called dressing. This food and cooking story entails a tradition that goes back three generations from my maternal grandma, Suye Sakoda to her daughter, Edna Ishikawa, and to me, Troy Ishikawa. Do good cooks run in your family? I hope so, because good cooking must be in our blood! Having just said that, my mom was not always a quintessential cook. She developed her skills over the decades. …
Food for New Year
July 3, 2012 • Lily Yuriko Nakai Havey
“I can do better than that with one hand tied behind my back,” my father complained, checking out the liver and onions set before him. “Nanda konna meshi? You used the wrong hand.” Then, glancing at my mother’s stricken face, mumbled, “Maybe needs more bacon grease.” “I’m sorry. I’m a bad cook. Tomorrow I’ll make takikomi. You like that.” “Um. Fine.” My mother didn’t have the luxury of conjuring up fancier dishes. Before the war she and my father labored, …
Health, Happiness, and Bear Hanakuso with the Wine Gang
June 20, 2012 • Jayne Hirata
While other women look forward to getting their nails done or a spa day on the weekends, the high point of my week starts early Thursday morning when I start lunch preparations for a group of 30 or so people. As my kids slowly drift into the kitchen in search of something microwavable for breakfast, they are greeted with the smell of miso or freshly chopped green onion waiting to be plopped into a 14 gallon stainless steel pot. “Oh …
Soba, Firecrackers and Home
June 5, 2012 • Laurie Iwami
Born in Hawaii and raised by Nisei parents, I grew up with a mixed plate of influences. My mother is Episcopalian, but her Issei parents were Buddhist. My Issei paternal grandfather was Catholic. My father, if anything, respects the traditions of the Hawaiians. Preparing for New Year’s is one of the clearest examples of how Japanese, Hawaii-Japanese, American and many other traditions and foods melded into a unique, yet shared Nikkei experience that continues to evolve as the community does. …
Sushi Therapy
May 30, 2012 • Jean Oda Moy
An orderly led George Tanaka to the nurses’ station. His eyes were downcast, his face blank, and he shuffled as he walked down the hall. He looks much older than his forty-six years, I thought. According to his case record, George had been badly injured in 1944 when a bomb exploded near his company’s site somewhere in Italy, and he now had a steel plate in his skull. It was September 1968 and I had just entered the two-year program …
Cooking Traditions with Mom
May 21, 2012 • Ben Arikawa
I have been told by various people that I am a “good” cook. I’m usually able to put together dishes without recipes from whatever is in the refrigerator or to come up with menu ideas just walking down store aisles. Breakdown a chicken? Just give me the sharp cleaver. Need a grilled 20 pound Thanksgiving turkey instead of an oven roasted one? No problem. Need an easy appetizer for 20? Caramelized onion/pancetta quesadillas with guacamole. Sushi for six? Just let …