Final Book Review

Rima’s Book：Dinner Roles

Summary

It talks about why cooking became a women’s job. Seeing it from childhood to adulthood.

What she liked best about the book

It introduces many quotes from magazines which was familiar to her.

Some of the book’s flaws

There’s too many quotes so bits of it was difficult to read.

2 questions

Do you agree that cooking became a women’s job?

―Not really because some men are good at cooking (like there are lots of chef).

When you have your own family, would you like to work or be housewife?

―Rather be a housewife. However, if she has a chance she wants to continue working.

Whether I would be interested in reading the book (Why or why not)

Recently, the equal right of working for women is respected. And more and more women have their own job. According to this current society, some insurance is introduced and it makes women work more easily. However, I don’t know the history at all. So I want to try reading this book and find the reason why cooking became a women’s job.

Restaurant Review 3

Restaurant Evaluation

1. Taking order (5/5)

The staff came soon after we called. Moreover she was taking order with big smile.

2. Speed (5/5)

Speed means that how long it took to serve food after taking order. Amazingly, it took less than 10 minutes. I think it is possible because there were enough numbers of staffs.

3. Service (4/5)

There were no any special services, however, staffs often came to pour water into our empty glasses.

4. Atmosphere (4/5)

Colorful glasses were beautiful. And light bulbs were also charming. They kept the atmosphere good. Also, the volume of music is good. However, there was one worried thing. The music was Western music, not Japanese one.

5. Taste (5/5)

All dishes were delicious. Especially, the taste of food boiled and seasoned was great. That was well flavored. The set plate I ordered was the very Japanese style one. It included various kinds of Japanese food.

6. Price (5/5)

I think all menus were relatively cheap. Average price for lunch time was about 1050 yen. So we can easily go to eat.

7. Matching (3/5)

While Japanese dish was recommended, the theme of the store was Western style. Then, this point is lower than others. However, semi-Western style was never bad.

8. Variety (4/5)

There were many kinds of food, drink and deserts menus. Moreover, some set menus have optional main and side dishes. We can enjoy another one even if we go again and again.

9. Speed of cleaning up (4/5)

Fast. That day, the store was crowded and two groups were waiting before us. But, when customers who have finished the meal stand, immediately staffs cleaned up.

10. The condition after cleaning up (4/5)

 Good. There was no conspicuous stain.

Total Score 43/50

Restaurant Review 2

Restaurant Review 1

On December 24, I went to “Atari ~café & dining~” in Shibuya with my friend.

     We went there on lunch time, so only lunch menu was available. Lunch time is eleven to fifteen o’clock. But there were many kinds of lunch menus. For example, green curry with a baby bird and seven kinds of vegetables (930 yen), weekly pasta (980 yen), a bowl of rice with slices of raw tuna and avocado (880 yen), spicy taco filling and rice (880 yen), atari’s weekly set menu, and so on.

Winter special menu was stew plate with winter vegetable and beef of cheek. It was 1649 yen. Then, average price was about 1050 yen.

Lunch Menu

Winter Special Menu

     We ate atari’s weekly set menu. This includes wheat rice, miso soup, salad, pickled vegetables, optional main dish, optional side dish, and soybean fiber. We can choose Main dish and side dish. I chose teriyaki chicken for main dish and boiled and seasoned beef and taro for side dish. My friend chose red salmon baked with wrapped in foil for main dish and boiled and seasoned beef and taro for side dish.

This weekly set menu was quite filling. It was like the very Japanese cuisine, healthy and delicious. It was the great example of a good balanced-diet. The price of atari’s weekly set menu was 930 yen. I think it was rather cheap for this amount of food.

Atari's weekly set menu 1 (Main dish→teriyaki chicken Side dish→boiled and seasoned beef and taro)

Atari's weekly set menu 2 (Main dish→red salmon baked with wrapped in foil  Side dish→boiled and seasoned beef and taro)

     Also, there were various kinds of drinks, however, we didn’t order anything.

Drink Menu

Winter Soecial Drink Menu

     Moreover, December 24 was my friend’s (the girl who I went together with) birthday. So I asked a store clerk to make a desert plate. They made Chocolat Zuccotto and decorated “Happy Birthday” message and her name.

Other Sweets Menu

She was delighted. And at the same time, I felt happy, too.

We could spend great Christmas Eve Day.

     This store is based on Japanese Style, while there are many Western elements.

For example, it was decorated with colorful glasses. Each seat had cushion and was spacious. So, it makes people relaxed. And light bulbs were also charming.

Colorful Glasses

Light Bulbs

     According to the website, this store's wall art is famous.

One of the wall art

This was produced by DRAGON76 (Japanese artist born in 1976). He is specialising in large scale live painting with passion influenced by minority culture or music.

This site tells more about DROGON76.

→http://www.dragon76.net/

     It was the first time for me to go there, however, I want to recommend everyone to try if you have a chance to visit Shibuya Parco PART1. It is easy to access from our university, too.

Shop Information

~Atari Café & Dining~

ADRESS Shibuya Parco PART1 7^th floor

15-1 Udagawa-chou Shibuya-ku Tokyo

TEL 03-6416-5464 

Official Website http://www.sld-inc.com/atari_shibuya.html

About My Book 4

     Hello. Today, I want to tell you about chopsticks. Japanese may use them almost every day.

     According to the book I am reading, “A pair of chopsticks is the only utensil used to wat Japanese food. Even in the case of a multi-course meal, the same pair of chopsticks will be used throughout the meal”.

     Moreover, we can learn how to use chopsticks in this book.

     1.    Put one chopstick at the base between the index finger and the thumb, using the ring finger to support the lower part (skinner side) of the stick.

     2.    Use the tips of the thumb, index and middle fingers to hold the other stick like a pen. Now the tip of the middle finger is between two sticks.

     3.    Pivot the upper stick up and down towards the stationary lower stick.

     At first, it is difficult for some people to use chopsticks. However, I am sure that if you try again and again, you will be able to use them well.

     There are some important points you should keep your minds.

One is that never stick chopsticks upright into rice. Chopsticks standing up in a bowl is bad luck related to death in Japanese superstition.
Two is that never transfer food from one pair of chopsticks to another. In Japanese funerals, surving relatives pick up and transfer bones after the cremation into the urn in this way.
Third is that not to use chopsticks to move bowls or plates and not to pierce food with chopsticks.

     I hope chopsticks will be more and more prevailed. And I want more foreigners to try to use them.    

Recent Eating Report 3

     The other day, I went to Enoshima with my friends. Enoshima is a tied island protruding into Sagami Bay from the Shonan coast in Fujisawa, Kanagawa Prefecture. And it is famous for delicious food from sea. So we ate Kaisendon at Fujinami (藤波). Fujinami is one of the most famous stores in Enoshima. Kaisendon is rice with the young of sardines and onion and raw tuna mince.

 

 

      Then, the atmosphere of the store was calm. And the seat we sat on was the drawing room (座敷). We could feel relaxed.
      The price of Kaisendon was 1600 yen. Other menus were also about 1000~2000 yen. It seems relatively a little bit expensive, however, we could choose ingredients freely for Kaisendon. So I think it offsets the price.
      I recomend for all seafood lovers to visit Enoshima and Fujinami. Moreover, if the weather is good, we can see beautiful Mt. Fuji. When I went there, the weather was very good and I could see beautiful landscape and take this picture.

 

＊If you want to go or know about this store (Fujinami) more, please look at this site. 　
 →http://www.cityfujisawa.ne.jp/~shouten/shop/eno012/eno012.html

Food for All and Second Harvest Japan

・What are their main activity/events?

Food for All

→Food Bank activity (intermediate food surplus and food shortage)

Second Harvest Japan

→Food Bank activity, the support for the Great East Japan Earthquake or Harvest Kitchen (the activity to provide hot food for homeless people).

 

・How do they deal with the problem of food waste?

Both Food for All and Second Harvest Japan do Food Bank activity.

In Food Bank activity, it is dealt with processed food such as canned goods, fresh foods such as vegetables or fruits, disaster prevention stockpile, grains such as rice or bread and frozen foods. They cope with food manufacturer, wholesalers and importers and urge them to donate surplus food.

There are a lot of merits. For example, one of them is that it is possible to reduce the number of food waste. Another one is that it is good for the environment.

Actually, the number of dealing food is increased to 3152 tons in 2012.

 

・How would you be able to help/volunteer for these organizations?

First, I can donate money. According to the Second Harvest Japan, if I donate 1000 yen, it is possible to provide ten times the amount of money equivalent foods.

Second, I can donate foods. What we can donate is the same as what is dealt in Food Bank activity.

Third, I can donate time. Many kinds of activities are introduced such as packaging, delivering or distributing foods. Everyone, who is over 12 years old, can participate. There are many things we can do and it seems to be the easiest donation to try of all these three.

 

・Which group seems to be the most active?

I think it is Second Harvest Japan. It is because various kinds of activities are reported. Once we see their site, we can understand the concrete number and their activities in detail.

→http://2hj.org/