Sunday, November 25, 2007

Favorite Yatai

Ramen-ya (Yatai that sold Ramen)
Ramen are already known as the symbolic of favorite food from Japan in the Worldwide. So, it is not hard to find Ramen-ya in the corners of Japan. Usually Ramen-ya can be found in each station. Even there is Ramen-ya which provided bench for people who can eat and drink, but most of Japanese people like to standing while eating ramen. Even more if the ramen are known by its delicacy, people are willing to queue up. Why they eating ramen in standing position, so the time to eating ramen can be faster. In these days,
ramen-ya not only can be found in the wagon shop but there is some vending machine that also sold ramen-ya. We just need to buy a coupon or some coin that equal to the prizes of the ramen and inserted into the vending machine, then ramen which we order go out from the vending machine.

Yakitori-ya (Yatai that sold Yakitori)
Yakitori is Japanese food that looks like a beef or a chicken meat that stuck to a piece of bamboo stick in grill (BBQ). The costumers usually sit in front of the chef and paying attention to the chef that processes Yakitori that they order. On the Yakitori table usually available complement flavour to eat Yakitori like salt, soyu (briny ketchup), chili powder, shichimi (ingredient from 7 of Japanese flavors) and mustard. Yakitori price are counted from how many jab that already eaten not by portion.

Okonomiyaki-ya and Takoyaki-ya
These are two types of yatai that’s sometimes shown up in “matsuri” (Summer Festival). Okomiyaki is a pancake with mix of meat or mix of seafood and vegetables as it topping. The most delicious way to eat okonomiyaki is to eat okonomiyaki in hot state with sauce. Usually okonomiyaki-ya position are adjacent to takoyaki-ya; a yatai that sold flour balls grill which are fill with slice of squit. Takoyaki is served with nori, sauce, and mustard that are sow on top of takoyaki. These two types of food are identically with summer in Japan, and very fancy to children and youngster.

Oden –ya
Oden is like “siomay” (very popular food in Asia). Oden is a food which is consist of mix of various siomay such as fish siomay, shrimp, eggs and boiled vegetables. Especially the meat (fish and shrimp) we can ask to served it as boiled or fried meat. Oden-ya usually open up to 7 o’clock in the night, and can be more enjoyable if accompanied with beer or sake while eat Oden.

Yakiniku-ya
Yakiniku is a food from meat (usually beef) that is grilled and be eaten with sauce and complements flavour. Yakiniku is a food that is adapted from BBQ Korean menu. There are two kind of meat that is offered by these yatai, they are ruos and karubi. Ruos is a meat that is thin sliced; meanwhile Karubi is ribs that sliced rather thick and sometime there’s still a bone in the meat. Usually after we choose which meat we want, the servant will light the fire under roaster and give the seasoning to grill it. After the meat that we order are delivered (all the meat are fresh), we can grill it ourselves according our appetite.
There are some of Yakiniku yatai that are offered “all you can eat” only with 1000 yen. For these kind of yatai we must looking for yakiniku-ya with word “baikingu” in front of yatai. These Yakiniku-ya ‘baikingu’ usually also served noodles, kare, kimchi (soup of miso) beside yakiniku.



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Thursday, November 8, 2007

Yakitate! Japan (Freshly Baked! Ja-pan)


Genre : Comedy
Episode : 69 episod
An anime that the stories go to a young boy named Kazuma Azuma who wants to create his own “Ja-pan”, National bread for Japan. So Kazuma Azuma heads to Tokyo to expand his skills of bread making by joining bread-making chain “Pantasia”.

Beside that Kasuma Azuma also has a gifted hand called “Solar Hands”. These hands are warmer than normal human hand temperature, and allow the dough to ferment faster. In the beginning of the series the “Solar Hands” helps Azuma a lot but his innovations of many Ja-pans are his greater talent.
Although the story has baking as its main theme, the parts that generate the most interest are the outrageous puns in the story. Especially notable are the "reaction" based puns made by the judges, who go to great lengths to prove a single point about the bread that they had tasted. The series in general also pokes fun at the shonen genre's tendency to be melodramatic over mundane tasks.

The Characters
:

Kazuma Azuma
A young boy who dreams of making the perfect Ja-pan. At first, he doesn’t look smart, but when it comes to bread he’s a genius. His knowledgeable of rice are got from his grandfather and Japanese food (most of Japanese food is rice) in general due to further learning and dealing with Japanese restaurant. Optimistic and cheerful boy who never give up from challenges faced in baking competition. He gets his inspirations for his Ja-pan from random sources, like other Japanese foods and stories from his experienced but over-talkative grandfather, a rice farmer who unexpectedly great math. Azuma also has solar hands, exceptionally warm hands that allow the yeast to ferment faster and better when he is making his bread.

Kyousuke Kawachi
Kawachi is from Kanzai area and coworker to Azuma. Initially, Kawachi's knowledge is superior to Azuma's, but as the story develops he becomes the fall guy and comedic relief with jokes focused on his incessant cry of, "What was that?!" ("Nanyate?!") and numerous outrageous reactions/illusions in every chapter. He assumes Azuma as his rival, but in the other side, the two of them develop a relationship as an older and younger brother. At first Kawachi is being more experience than Azuma in world outside of bread but gradually Azuma exceeding him and only can act surprised with Azuma knowledge. If Azuma have “Solar Hand’s” then Kawachi have “Solar gauntlets”. But Kawachi “Solar Gauntlets” was not a gift as “Solar Hands” Azuma but a skill that Kawachi get thru physical training with the help from Tsukino’s. Kawachi is somewhat lazy and perverted and also the anime character with the most hair style changes throughout the entire series.

Kai Suwabara
Not like Azuma and Kawachi, Kai Suwabara is a serious bread maker. A master of the katana who claims to have left the swordsman path of destruction to follow the path of life-giving bread. He often become warrior-like and fearsome during baking competition, which occasionally makes other characters wonder if he is truly focused on the “’living-giving’ aspect of his bread. He also has “Solar gauntlets” and considering Azuma as his rival. Kai Suwabara appearances were a cold-hearted and though guy but later in the series he shows more tender side of him. Beside of his appearances, he has paranoia of heights.

Shigeru Kanmuri

An extremely talented “Pantasia” baker, he also has “Solar Hands” like Azuma. His first appearance is in the Pantasia Newcomers’ Tournament. Shigeru Kanmuri is a genius student; he graduated from Harvard just in the age of sixteen and has a nickname “Harvard Junior Genius”. Before Kanmuri join Pantasia’s Southern Tokyo store to work with Azuma, he was working to Tsukino’s evil sister Yukino Azusagawa. He remained to keep the store throughout the Monaco Cup, but rejoined the team for the Yakitate!!25/Yakitate!! 9 challenge. He has been suspected as one of the last two possible heirs to the Hashiguchi Company (the biggest gangster organization in Japan) although he firmly states that he’d never join the Yakuza.

Tsukino Azusagawa

Granddaughter of the owner of the Pantasia chain, and study under Ken Matsushiro. She seems to have a crush on Azuma, though it is never explicitly stated. She has difficulty to getting along with the rest of Azusagawa Family (owner of the Pantasia) because she is an illegitimate child. Although an illegitimate child, she still very dedicated to the Pantasia chain by seeking out talented fresh bakers (like Azuma and Kawachi) and has garnered the support of many other characters. Tsukino Azusagawa is implied to be talented baker while stay behind the scene all the time. After Yuuichi had bought out 50% of Pantasia stock and thus became owner, he made Tsukino become the president of Pantasia in order to keep her from forming her own bakery.

Ken Matsushiro
Manager of Pantasia Southern Tokyo branch. A burly man with an afro and sunglasses. Renowned as the best French-bread bakers in Japan, he seems to have a predilection with horses and betting on horse-racing. He is Kuroyanagi's former teacher, but early on recognized his outstanding talent as a food critic, and from that point on discouraged his baking, ultimately driving him away. He also likes to tease Kawachi whom remind him of his youth. Due to a series of mishaps, he had become the next heir of Hashiguchi kumi, much to his displeasure.


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