WIT Life #59: Winter culinary trends
Anecdote Article, Japan Trends, Translating/Interpreting, Uncategorized, WIT Life 
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WITLife is a periodic series written by professional Translator/Interpreter/Writer Stacy Smith (Kumamoto-ken, 2000-03). Recently she’s been watching Fujisankei’s newscast in Japanese and sharing some of the interesting tidbits and trends together with her own observations.
Believe it or not we will be greeting the new year in about a month, and today’s news took a look at what is being forecast for お正月 (oshougatsu) 2010. Similar to last year, it is expected that in light of the dismal economic climate there will be a tendency toward 巣篭り (sugomori), literally nesting or staying close to home as opposed to going abroad or visiting one’s family. Compared to last year, there has been 30% increased sales of two-person servings of osechi ryouri. According to an osechi salesperson at a department store, this goes along with the sugomori trend because as gatherings have become smaller people are buying their meals in decreased sizes. There has even bee
n the advent of mini osechi which go for a little as 1000 yen, but with their various selections provide the feeling of a grander osechi spread.
Some dog lovers might be wondering how all of this downsizing is affecting the canines of Japan, known to receive lavish attention from their owners. Fear not, they will not be neglected due to the economic downturn. At Tokyo’s Deco’s Dog Cafe, you can celebrate the new year together with 愛犬おせち (aiken osechi). This 4800 yen meal includes offerings such as roast beef and vegetable pound cake that can be enjoyed by both owner and pet.
In other winter food news, some exciting types of nabe have hit the scene. もつ鍋 (motsu nabe) made from beef or pork offal has always been popular, but recently pumpkin has been added to it to make パンプキン もつ鍋. Other new creations of late have been cheese nabe, a Western-style nabe which uses cheese as a topping, as well as tomato nabe, which can incorporates tomatoes themselves or ketchup. I’m curious to see if Japanese restaurants here in NYC reflect these new trends in their bounenkai/shinnenkai menus!
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