Why is katsuo tataki better in Kochi

Fresh raw and seared tataki (photo by author)

When I first came to Japan, I lived in a Tokyo shared house with a small kitchen which made cooking difficult. Most of my meals were either eaten out or bought already made at the local grocery store. Japan had a lot of interesting foods, and I wanted to try them all. Not being able yet to read Japanese, I one day bought what looked like seared tuna. The fish, which was in fact katsuo, was served with green onions and tasted quite fishy. In order to avoid this mistake, I made a point to tell tuna and katsuo apart from that day on. Years later, on a visit to Kochi, my friends reintroduced me to katsuo tataki. I tried it with some reticence but to my surprise it was delicious. Why was Kochi’s katsuo so delicious when Tokyo’s was not?

Know your okonomiyaki

The elusive okonomiyaki (photo by luke chan)

Although one might think it’s suited to the Western palate, okonomiyaki, a dish emblematic of the Osaka region, has never gained the same popularity abroad as ramen. Okonomiyaki is popular in Japan in every sense of the term and its various iterations can be found just about everywhere in Japan. Okonomiyaki which translates as “grill it the way you like it”, seems more a reflection of Western individualism than of Japanese homogeneity. Unsurprisingly, its history, preparation and regional style are far from being clearly defined. Where does it come from? How do you make the dish? What are the different types of local variations?