Just Hungry

By now you have probably at least heard about the brouhaha over the owners of a restaurant/bakery that appeared on Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares show (U.S. version). If not, you can read about it here and many, many other places.

There was a big to-do surrounding a TV food show here in France too. The show in question: Top Chef. (Yes there’s one of those in France.) continue reading...

Last year I uploaded a series of printable cards for communicating dietary restrictions in Japan. This is a follow-up of sorts to this, with some information about food package labelling and allergy-causing products.

There are seven substances that must, by law, be indicated as being present on packaged foods that contain them in Japan. I’ve listed them below in this order: English: kanji: hiragana or katakana: roma-ji. continue reading...

I posted a photo of my sprouted shiso seeds on Instagram this morning, which led to several people asking how to grow it. Although I’ve written about growing shiso a couple of times before, I have never described the procedure. So, here it is! continue reading...

Do you care if a restaurant has sustainable practices? continue reading...

What a beautiful fish! It’s not real though… continue reading...

I’ve revised the plans for Lesson 5 of Japanese Cooking 101. We’ll be tackling fish! continue reading...

Here are the shopping lists for Lessons 3 and 4 of Japanese Cooking 101. continue reading...

Today, March 11, is the 2nd year anniversary of the earthquake that devastated the north-eastern coast of Honshu, the main island of Japan. I would write many things about it, but I’d like to focus on some ways you can help the victims of the earthquake, besides the usual places such as the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders, that you may not have been aware of. continue reading...

Here’s the list of ingredients and equipment you’ll be needing for Lesson 2 of Japanese Cooking 101. We’ll be tackling the heart of Japanese cooking, rice. continue reading...

Answering Questions is a very sporadic series where I attempt to answer some of the backlog of questions I receive via email, via Facebook, or in comments to unrelated posts, the answers for which may be of interest to a broader audience. I’ve taken out any personal details and so on in the questions. Today I am answering some questions about Japanese ingredients, especially as they relate to the upcoming Japanese Cooking 101 course. continue reading...

This month’s Japanese Kitchen column in the Japan Times is about a quintessential early spring vegetable called nanohana. There’s even a very well known children’s song about it. continue reading...

Announcing a new, free, online course that will teach you the fundamentals of Japanese cooking, conducted right here on JustHungry. Your teacher? Me! continue reading...

This is my second year of being a type 2 diabetic - my surgeries and other cancer treatments having somehow pushed me over the edge from the prediabetic range. Although diabetes is a very widespread disease (more than 100 million Americans are diagnosed with type 2 or pre-diabetes, a staggering number), many people have no idea what it’s like to live with it, and how diabetics keep it under control. Yes, us diabetics do have to be careful about our sugar intake, or anything that makes our blood glucose levels spike. But for most of us, unless we are at a very serious level, manage to live with it pretty well. continue reading...

About Buyee, a new auction-bidding and buying service in Japan, plus an update on my ordering-stuff-from-Japan habits. continue reading...

Iron Chef Japan has been cancelled already, according to reports in Japan. :( continue reading...

It’s been a while, but here’s another Sketch Diary entry. continue reading...

Two documentary films that show the importance of sushi, and pastry, in their respective cultures. continue reading...

This year’s New Year’s feast back home in Japan was taken over by the next generation of women in our family. continue reading...

About kamaboko, the humble, rubbery fish cake that is ubiquitous at this time of year, but is also eaten year-round. continue reading...

I get asked a lot of questions by email, Twitter and on Facebook (as well as on Quora, although I am taking an extended break from that at the moment). Sometimes the answers may be of interest to a broader audience, like two I received recently. I’ve taken out any personal details and so on in the questions. This week’s questions are about miso and learning Japanese. continue reading...

On Friday October 26, 2012 after 13 years, Ryouri no Tetsujin returned to the airwaves on Fuji TV. Does it live up to the legendary original? continue reading...

A long time ago, when I used to live in New York, there was a 2 hour long block of Japanese programming every morning from 7 to 9 on UHF channel 31 (I’ve forgotten what station that was). The programming originated from Fuji Sankei TV. The first hour was taken up by the news and such. The second hour was devoted to entertainment programming. One of the shows they aired was called Ryouri no Tetsujin (料理の鉄人). This was the original Iron Chef. continue reading...

As I’m now re-booting my food blogs again, I thought I’d start off with a little musing about the future direction of this site as well as JustBento. continue reading...

I’m still working on getting my sites organized in the background, not to mention my kitchen operational. In the meantime, please enjoy this updated and revised look at Japanese soy sauce. An exhaustive look at Japanese soy sauce. Originally published in December 2011. continue reading...

Essayist, journalist, screenwriter and movie director Nora Ephron passed away yesterday at the age of 71. She wrote about the joy of food as well as anyone. continue reading...

Back to basics. continue reading...

Renovating a house is a huge pain. Kitchen planning is the worst part. continue reading...

This month’s Japan Times article is about all the raw-protein foods that are eaten in Japan, and consuming them safely, plus how to make a great plate of sashimi. More on both topics below. continue reading...

What it’s like to have endometrial (uteran) cancer. continue reading...

More from my sketch diary. continue reading...

My latest article in The Japan Times is about edible cherry blossoms and leaves. continue reading...

I am two and a half weeks into a six week course of radiation therapy, to zap the remaining cancer cells in my body. Each session lasts about 10 minutes, and is completely painless. It’s the side effects that are the problem. continue reading...

It’s been quite a year. continue reading...

It may look just like rice porridge, but this flavor packed, allergen-free flavoring ingredient is much more than that. I think it deserves a worldwide audience. continue reading...

When in New York... continue reading...

This month’s Japan Times article is about the traditions and superstitions surrounding Setsubun, which is coming up on February 3rd. continue reading...

Why do we have a problem with eating things with faces? continue reading...

A video showing one Japanese mom’s tiny yet super-efficient kitchen. continue reading...

How would you describe your kitchen, and what’s stocked there? continue reading...

This has nothing at all to do with Japan, or food, or anything else that I normally write about here. But I am putting it on this site in the off chance that it will be read by regular folk. That is, people who just happened to land here, looking for a recipe perhaps. It’s not for web designers or developers or people who built stuff for the web. And it’s certainly not for so-called “SEO experts”.

But I just couldn’t take it anymore. continue reading...

Some weeks to go until spring, but in the meantime the scenery is beautiful. continue reading...

My stepfather: accountant by day, Santa by nights and weekends. continue reading...

This month’s Japan Times article is about sweet potatoes*, which are called satsumaimo in Japanese. continue reading...

From the age of 3 on, or so my mother says, I would always hang around the kitchen asking questions, tilting conatainers to my level, getting underfoot and in everyone’s way. After about age 5, I was reluctantly given some small, low-risk things to do, like making panko from day-old bread, or filling the salt and pepper shakers. continue reading...

In Japan, coffee is just as ingrained in everyday life as tea. continue reading...

For this week’s Monday Photos, I’d like to get just a bit technical and look at the suitability of the iPhone 4S as a serious camera for food bloggers. continue reading...

The favorite fish of the fall season in Japan. continue reading...

A delicious, tiny morsel from a most elegant French hotel. continue reading...

Looking in-depth at an old favorite. continue reading...

A container that reveals what lies within. continue reading...