{"id":30506,"date":"2013-06-06T08:00:19","date_gmt":"2013-06-06T12:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/?p=30506"},"modified":"2013-06-06T00:44:10","modified_gmt":"2013-06-06T04:44:10","slug":"why-is-japanese-food-so-delicious","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jetwit.com\/wordpress\/2013\/06\/06\/why-is-japanese-food-so-delicious\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is Japanese Food so Delicious?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posted by Benjamin Martin<\/strong><\/a>, a 5th year JET on Kume Island<\/a> in Okinawa<\/a>, publisher of the blog MoreThingsJapanese.com<\/a><\/strong><\/em>\u00a0and author of the award-winning<\/a> YA fantasy series\u00a0<\/em>Samurai Awakening<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0(Tuttle).<\/em><\/p>\n

It’s no secret<\/a> that Japanese food is popular outside of Japan. \u00a0Not only is the food in-country highly rated, but there are Japanese restaurants all over the world. \u00a0A lot of people wonder,\u00a0why\u00a0<\/em>is Japanese food so good? \u00a0It’s a complex answer. \u00a0Many will tell you it’s umami, others the care and thought put into food, and yet more that it’s the simplicity of the dishes that highlights natural flavors.<\/p>\n

I’m not a food expert, but I think it’s a bit of all the above.<\/p>\n

When I lived in the States, I never ate fish. \u00a0Maybe it was because I lived in the desert and all we got were frozen or river fish. \u00a0Whatever the reason, I’ve had an aversion to most fish since I was young. \u00a0Then, 5 years ago, I got dropped on a little island in the Pacific<\/a>, their second industry being fishing. \u00a0Their food was fresh, delicious, and amazing.
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A week ago I had a shrimp that was still moving a bit. \u00a0And IT WAS SO GOOD. \u00a0My family will tell you what large strides my palate has taken over the last five years. \u00a0So why was that prawn tail I had so much better than any other shrimp I’ve ever had? \u00a0How did a bit of still moving shrimp overcome 23 years of stubborn dislike?<\/p>\n

Simplicity. \u00a0The shrimp was peeled, and served with a bit of soy sauce. \u00a0 There were no other flavors to get in the way, no cross-contamination from sauce pans, pasta, or other fish.<\/p>\n

Umami. The briny flavor combined with the bite of soy and the sweetness of the meat meant create that unique sixth taste that everyone raves about. \u00a0It’s a balance easily lost when the\u00a0simplicity<\/em> is left out.<\/p>\n

Quality. \u00a0Kume Island<\/a> is known for miso cookies, sugar cane, and white sand beaches, but it’s also home to many kuruma prawn farms. \u00a0Kuruma Prawns are similar to tiger shrimp, but a slightly different species. \u00a0They’re the kind of shrimp Jiro’s restaurant used in the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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So what makes Kume Island’s shrimp so good? \u00a0Checkout the video below then head over to Kumeguide.com<\/a> to learn more about Kume Island Prawns.<\/p>\n