Must-Eat TV
Yukari Pratt feeds her yen for Japan's eclectic menu of food programs.
We all have our dirty little secrets. And mine-I'm not ashamed to admit-is that I am a couch imo. My predilection for Japanese food TV programs has become an addiction. And it is this guilt of sheer pleasure that has driven me to come clean and spread the word.
My addiction began years ago in a Manhattan apartment with my roommate, Makoto, a chef, fishmonger and subscriber to Japanese cable TV. Makoto and I first bonded over Ryori no Tetsujin and I was immediately hooked. Iron Chef has since been dubbed over in English and become a cult hit in the US.
I, meanwhile, have since made Tokyo home and found a slew of programs to feed my addiction. From food-themed game shows to variety hits starring hungry comedians, Japan's food TV shows are an intriguing and entertaining introduction to the nation's culinary obsessions. Even with basic Japanese skills, most are easy to follow and educational. The following are a few of my latest habits.
My addiction began years ago in a Manhattan apartment with my roommate, Makoto, a chef, fishmonger and subscriber to Japanese cable TV. Makoto and I first bonded over Ryori no Tetsujin and I was immediately hooked. Iron Chef has since been dubbed over in English and become a cult hit in the US.
I, meanwhile, have since made Tokyo home and found a slew of programs to feed my addiction. From food-themed game shows to variety hits starring hungry comedians, Japan's food TV shows are an intriguing and entertaining introduction to the nation's culinary obsessions. Even with basic Japanese skills, most are easy to follow and educational. The following are a few of my latest habits.
Debuya
Ishizuka and Papaya make up the duo Debuya (pictured above). They are two big, funny guys, somewhat like a modern-day Laurel and Hardy, whose passion is good food. Maiu is their play on umai and the piggy sounds they make may be shocking at first, but you come to expect them whenever Ishizuka puts something up to his mouth. Debuya's adventures take them around the country in search of the best, and the appreciation they show to the farmers and chefs is honest and sincere. Their variety show is part travelogue, part feasting and pure pleasure-and Ishizuka and Papaya's inability to contain that pleasure is what makes this program so enjoyable.
Debuya airs Fridays at 9pm on TV Tokyo (12).
Ishizuka and Papaya make up the duo Debuya (pictured above). They are two big, funny guys, somewhat like a modern-day Laurel and Hardy, whose passion is good food. Maiu is their play on umai and the piggy sounds they make may be shocking at first, but you come to expect them whenever Ishizuka puts something up to his mouth. Debuya's adventures take them around the country in search of the best, and the appreciation they show to the farmers and chefs is honest and sincere. Their variety show is part travelogue, part feasting and pure pleasure-and Ishizuka and Papaya's inability to contain that pleasure is what makes this program so enjoyable.
Debuya airs Fridays at 9pm on TV Tokyo (12).
Dochi no Ryori Show
Leave it to the Japanese to create a game show based on food. In the Dochi no Ryori Show, seven guests are invited to a dinner in which the hosts, Sekiguchi and Miyake, vie for their appetites by enticing them to eat one of two chosen items. The guests watch as a camera crew tracks down ingredients, and visits famous farms and restaurants, while chefs prepare the items in the studio. For example, in a contest between harumaki and gyoza, the crew goes in search of the tokusen sozai (key ingredient) such as takenoko for the spring rolls and garlic for the dumplings. It then visits the best restaurants in Tokyo for harumaki and gyoza. Finally, as two chefs send aromas wafting through the air, the guests are asked to choose which item they would like to eat. The "winning team" is the side with the majority of the guests, who then get to indulge in their chosen item while the losers watch longingly before going home with an empty stomach.
Dotchi no Ryori Show airs Thursdays at 9pm on Nihon TV (4).
Leave it to the Japanese to create a game show based on food. In the Dochi no Ryori Show, seven guests are invited to a dinner in which the hosts, Sekiguchi and Miyake, vie for their appetites by enticing them to eat one of two chosen items. The guests watch as a camera crew tracks down ingredients, and visits famous farms and restaurants, while chefs prepare the items in the studio. For example, in a contest between harumaki and gyoza, the crew goes in search of the tokusen sozai (key ingredient) such as takenoko for the spring rolls and garlic for the dumplings. It then visits the best restaurants in Tokyo for harumaki and gyoza. Finally, as two chefs send aromas wafting through the air, the guests are asked to choose which item they would like to eat. The "winning team" is the side with the majority of the guests, who then get to indulge in their chosen item while the losers watch longingly before going home with an empty stomach.
Dotchi no Ryori Show airs Thursdays at 9pm on Nihon TV (4).
Kyo no Ryori
If you're truly keen on learning about Japanese food, this is your crash course. Different guest chefs rotate through and cook a few dishes each evening. Topics run the gamut of seasonal ingredients, cultural items such as nanagusa okayu at New Year's, and the basics. I find Kyo no Ryori Tekisuto, their monthly magazine, incredibly helpful. It includes many of the recipes from the program and is packed full of information and key step-by-step photos. Kyo no Ryori, however, requires better grasp of Japanese than the other shows listed here if you want to follow the recipes and explanations.
Kyo no Ryori airs Mondays through Thursdays at 9pm on NHK Educational (3).
If you're truly keen on learning about Japanese food, this is your crash course. Different guest chefs rotate through and cook a few dishes each evening. Topics run the gamut of seasonal ingredients, cultural items such as nanagusa okayu at New Year's, and the basics. I find Kyo no Ryori Tekisuto, their monthly magazine, incredibly helpful. It includes many of the recipes from the program and is packed full of information and key step-by-step photos. Kyo no Ryori, however, requires better grasp of Japanese than the other shows listed here if you want to follow the recipes and explanations.
Kyo no Ryori airs Mondays through Thursdays at 9pm on NHK Educational (3).
Ikinari! Ogon Densetsu
This is a reality game show where the contestants are followed for a month to see how they fare with only ･10,000 to cover gas, electricity, water and food. The creativity that the contestants use to eat well on ･10,000 yen is brilliant, and past shows have seen them fishing, foraging in the woods and making udon from scratch. A camera in the kitchen spies on them as they put together meals such as homemade gyoza, takenoko harvested from the forest, or nabe dishes made with very little gas (the secret being to get the nabe hot, and then wrap it up in newspapers and towels to stew). The average dinner often ends up costing only about ･100.
Ikinari! Ogon Densetsu airs Thursdays at 7pm Terebi Asahi (10).
This is a reality game show where the contestants are followed for a month to see how they fare with only ･10,000 to cover gas, electricity, water and food. The creativity that the contestants use to eat well on ･10,000 yen is brilliant, and past shows have seen them fishing, foraging in the woods and making udon from scratch. A camera in the kitchen spies on them as they put together meals such as homemade gyoza, takenoko harvested from the forest, or nabe dishes made with very little gas (the secret being to get the nabe hot, and then wrap it up in newspapers and towels to stew). The average dinner often ends up costing only about ･100.
Ikinari! Ogon Densetsu airs Thursdays at 7pm Terebi Asahi (10).
There are a smorgasbord of other fun food-related shows, including Tameshite Gatten on NHK, Tonari no Bangohan on Nihon Terebi and U! Umain Desu on Fuji Terebi. Not only that, there are always specialty programs that rank restaurants, tour markets and highlight seasonal food. While I may be a hardened sofa spud by now, I can also thank my habit for teaching me how junsai (water shield) and kikurage (cloud ear fungus) are harvested, the secret to making really good gyoza, and that Calbee's seasonal potato chips taste even better when eaten in front of my favorite food TV shows.
http://archive.metropolis.co.jp/tokyo/540/dining.asp
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