Sep 1

WIT Life #273: Cleveland’s Japanese culture

Food & Drink, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life, Writers Comments Off on WIT Life #273: Cleveland’s Japanese culture

WIT Life is a periodic series written by professional Writer/Interpreter/Translator Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken CIR, 2000-03).  She starts her day by watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese, and here she shares some of the interesting tidbits and trends along with her own observations.

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I’ve last written here and that we are already welcoming the new school year.  I spent a large portion of my summer interpreting for clients on a project in Cleveland, Ohio.  I didn’t have high hopes for Japanese connections in this small city, but was determined to find them where they existed.  Due to being busy with my job and returning home on weekends, I wasn’t able to explore much outside of the downtown area, but that was enough to find some Japanese influences.

First was the restaurant Noodlecat, said to be “inspired by Tokyo noodle worship and New York City noodle houses.”  There is a restaurant downtown as well an outpost at the West Side Market in Ohio City, but I opted for the former to get the full experience.  I got the Smoked Tomato Coconut Curry Udon with poached tofu, kohlrabi, potato, scallion and coconut curry kombu broth, as it sounded like a really unique combination of ingredients.  Unfortunately, both the udon and its companions were disappointing.  The noodles had a strange chewiness and even the texture of the tofu was off.  Sure enough, when I told my clients that I was surprised the quality of the food had been so poor, they all agreed and said they had tried it once but never gone back.  Apparently the steamed buns are the way to go, so I will be sure to try them if I ever return.

I found a tangential Japan connection at Great Lakes Brewery, the most popular local beer manufacturer.  Aside from the Burning River Pale Ale which is a must-try, I wanted to sample the Commodore Perry IPA.  This beer (“Don’t Give Up the Sip”) honors Oliver Perry, a hero from the War of 1812 who battled the enemy on Lake Erie.  He was a significant figure in 19th century Ohio history and was the older brother of Commodore Matthew Perry, crucial to 19th century Japanese history.  With the Convention of Kanagawa in 1854, Matthew played a leading role in the opening of Japan to the West and is often associated with the U.S.’s Open Door Policy and ushering in Japan’s Meiji Restoration.  If you find yourself in Cleveland, toast to both brothers when enjoying this IPA!