Econoclasm Tokyo Travel Guide 2010

http://sites.google.com/site/econoclasm/pdf/TokyoGuide.pdf

In case you plan to visit Tokyo soon.

Milk potato soup (easy to make but tasty)

1. Microwave a potato for 3-4 minutes.
2. Peel the skin of the potato.
3. Cut the potato into several chunks and put them into a blender.
4. Microwave 200ml of milk for 2-3 minutes (skip this step if you
prefer cold soup).
5. Add the milk into the blender.
6. Add half a teaspoon of salt and a full teaspoon of sugar into the blender.
7. Switch on the blender.
8. Serve the soup and add a dash of olive oil and a pinch of coarsely
grounded black pepper.

A quote from The Rough Guide To Sweden

"The other Nordic nations love to make fun of the Swedes. Witness the joke about the ten Nordic men stranded on a desert island. On day one, the two Finns have felled half the trees on the island for firewood. On day two, the two Norwegians have constructed a fishing boat from some of the wood to catch fish for supper. On day three, the Danes have set up a co-operative to organize all the work. On day four, the Icelanders decide to lift everyone's spirits with tales of the brave men of the ancient sagas. And on day five, the two Swedes are still waiting to be introduced to each other."

Info

The post on Zollverein was uploaded.

One more post on my trip to Cologne, Essen, and Bochum will be uploaded later.

Japanese foods outside Japan

In her latest cartoon in the December 5th issue of Mainich Shinbun (Japan's fourth or fifth major newspaper), Rieko Saibara, a Japanese cartoonist, reports "Japanese foods" she encountered outside Japan. (This particular cartoon can be seen on this page until December 19th.)

1. Katsu-don in India

Katsu-don is a bowl of rice topped with deep-fried breaded pork fillets. In India, it is stir-fried pork and vegetables soaked in the soy-sauce based marinade used for yakitori (skewed chicken).

2. Zaru-soba in Manaus, Brazil

Zaru-soba is soba noodle served cold on a bamboo basket (topped with shredded nori seaweed), accompanied with dip sauce made of soy-sauce, soup stock, sake and sugar. In Manaus, the dip sauce is black rice vinegar.

3. Cha-han in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia

Cha-han is Chinese-style fried rice. The good one contain little moisture in it. In Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, it is a bowl of vegetable oil with rice sunk on the bottom.

4. Norimaki in Myanmar

Norimaki is a sushi rice (with raw fish inside) rolled with nori seaweed. In Myanmar, rice is boiled with sugar only.

Well, these are rather extreme examples of wrong interpretations of Japanese foods outside Japan. But it explains why I don't want to eat Japanese foods outside Japan. Non-Japanese people that I meet outside Japan often assume I want to eat Japanese foods. That's totally wrong. It's much better to eat European foods (or foods of immigrants' countries such as Lebanon and Ethiopia) if I'm in Europe.

Papa Grappa

By chance, I found a grappa bar in Stockholm. It's called Papa Grappa on Hornsgatan 76 (a few minute walk from Mariatorget station). It's certainly not the best bar in Stockholm in terms of the atmosphere, but thanks to this, it's not packed even on the Friday evening. Grappa certainly doesn't fit the busy atmosphere, I guess. Following a waiter's recommendation, I had Sole Rosso Sangiovese Ris. It's got unique aroma and slightly sweet taste. I enjoyed it.