I've created Eataku as an online home for people passionately obsessed with food.

People like me.

I travel a lot. I eat a lot. I cook a lot.

As the Talent Scout for Marvel Comics, my job takes me around the world. While I do thrive on the thrill of constant travel, being on the road and away from home for extended periods of time does take its toll. So when not meeting artists or reviewing portfolios, I keep my batteries charged by exploring the culinary culture and cuisine of whatever city or country I find myself in.

Photos of food. Videos of vineyards. Reviews of restaurants. Recipes for refreshments. This site is now my way of sharing my international epicurean adventures with you.

Enjoy!

(You can also follow me on Twitter at @cbcebulski and visit my comic book blog at www.chesterfest.blogspot.com)

3rd January 2012

Post with 49 notes

Our Japanese New Year’s Feast Part One - Osechi

An “aerial view” of this year’s dressed dining room table…

A look to my right…

A look to my left…

So what is all this? It’s what we call “osechi ryori”, which are traditional foods you eat in Japan when celebrating the New Year.

To start, we have yellow “kazunoko”, or herring roe, dried sardines known as “tazukuri”, red (pink) & white fish cakes called “kohaku kamaboko”, “kuromame”, which are black beans, seen here with chestnuts, and “namafu”, where gluten and rice are combined to make edible objects in various shapes, like the flowers and leaves you see here…

Next up, we have “awabi” or abalone, and “bodara” which is dried cod braised in soy sauce, sugar and mirin…

Another plate, with a better view of the abalone…

Prawns and “nagareko”, or baby abalone…

Shiitake mushrooms, carrots, bamboo shoots and taro…

Lily root, more “namafu”, and sweet potatoes…

More dried sardines…

More braised cod…

Konbu seaweed rolls…

Braised sea bream eggs…

The baby abalone from a different angle…

A bowl of black beans and chestnuts for second helpings…

Kabura no senmaizuke, which are thinly sliced pickled vegetables, also red & white for good luck…

Chikuzeni, a traditional New Year’s dish of chicken, lotus root, carrots, peas and devil’s tongue, or “konyaku”, simmered in dashi, sake and soy sauce…

A more modern “chicken roll” …

Sea cucumber with grated daikon and shichimi pepper…

Newly dried seaweed…

“Ikura” from Hokkaido…

Kani jiro, or crab and miso soup, as you may have seen in my earlier post…

Crab roe and brains…

Special celebratory New Year’s sake with gold flakes…

My cup…

Cheers!

And all that was just the first part of our two day eating extravaganza!!

Many of these osechi dishes have a special meaning or significance as to why they’re eaten on New Year’s Day and you can read more about them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osechi

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    This looks so delicious… 0.o eataku:
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