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In
the early 1970s, Hiroko Kajimura and Yasuko Munekata relocated with their
scientist husbands and families to Tsukuba Science City, located approximately
30 miles northeast of Tokyo. Before moving to Tsukuba, they both experienced
living overseas with their families—Mrs. Kajimura in Westchester
County, New York, and Mrs. Munekata in Heidelberg, Germany. Mrs. Kajimura
is the mother of two grown children and a longtime volunteer teaching Japanese
to foreign researchers and their families at Tsukuba University. Mrs. Munekata
is the mother of three grown children, a grandmother, and leader of various
Catholic church volunteer groups in Tsukuba.
Tsukuba
Science City was planned by the Japanese government to further
science and technology
after World War II and was intended to be the home of future Nobel Prize
winners. Construction of Tsukuba began in the 1960s, and today, the population
of Tsukuba is approximately 200,000. City hall is promoting Tsukuba as
the eco-model city of the future where science and nature can live in
harmony. Tsukuba’s residents are a mixture of the scientists and
their families and the original villagers who lived in the area, as well
as the recent
influx of people from Tokyo. The much-anticipated Jôban Express
train line will be a direct link from Tsukuba Center to Akihabara Station
in
Tokyo, and is scheduled for completion in spring 2005.
1. Thoughts on Natural Foods, Beef, and Food Safety
2.
More on Beef
3.
Importance of Rice in Everyday Life
4.
Generational Differences; Rice and Bread
5.
Japanese and Foreign Food
Thoughts
on Natural Foods, Beef, and Food Safety
Larzalere:: When we talk about Japanese food, it
seems that it is important to have “natural-looking
food”--fresh food, for example, like fresh fish--when
it is served in a very beautiful restaurant—the
fins are still flapping.
Mrs. Kajimura: Freshness is very
important to the Japanese. Actually not now, but a
few years ago, vegetables that were in the supermarket
were in perfect form. That’s because these kind
of perfect vegetables had a high selling value--but
it is not natural--in a sense it’s very unnatural.
For that reason, I go to the farmers market because
they have very natural vegetables--sometimes eaten
by worms-- but that means it is very safe-- if there
are a lot of chemicals on the vegetables, the worms
and insects won’t eat it. So, in that sense,
natural food is imperfect merchandise--I prefer natural
products.
L: Is it popular now to buy from the local
farmers’ markets in the Tsukuba area? Do a lot
of housewives buy local products from these markets?
Mrs. Munekata: Yes—in the Kansai area—such
as in Kobe and Osaka, we can get very fresh products--
fish, meat, vegetables--good quality--so we can have
food products much more naturally, without too many
additives. As much as possible, we cook things in the
original state.
L: Then, concerning food safety, do
you think that these farming cooperatives are popular
now because of average consumer’s concern about
food safety?
Mrs. M: Right.
Beef
L: Then what do you think about the BSE [bovine spongiform
encephalopathy] beef problem now? Are you concerned
about what kind of beef you buy--or does it matter
to you?
Mrs. K: It does matter.
L: So you agree then
with the government ban then on the BSE right now?
Mrs. K: Yes.
Mrs. M: I buy my beef from the local
butcher. It’s Japanese-raised beef. L: And Mrs. Kajimura,
where do you buy your beef? Do you also buy it from
the local butcher?
Mrs. K.: For beef, I buy it there.
L: It’s different for pork?
Mrs. K: At the butcher’s.
I can buy both beef and pork—but if I’m
buying only pork, and sometimes chicken, I go to other
stores.
L: Do you eat a lot of beef in your household?
What kind of meat do you eat the most, beef, pork,
or chicken?
Mrs. K: Pork and chicken. Not so much beef.
Mrs. M: My husband likes beef.
L: As much as fish?
Do you eat very much fish?
Mrs. M: My husband doesn’t
like fish.
Mrs. K: My husband likes fish very much.
When he was younger, he loved beef but now he does
not love it so much; he likes fish very much. In a
week, I will usually have pork and chicken twice a
week and fish, once or twice a week, and the other
times I’ll serve beef.
L: Did you eat more beef
when your children were home?
Mrs. K: Yes.
Mrs. M:
When my children come home to visit we eat more beef--at
least twice a week.
L: What kinds of cuts do you buy?
Mrs. K: We usually buy thin cuts.
L: So you usually
make it sukiyaki style?
Mrs. K: Sukiyaki, fried, or
fried with a vegetable--Chinese stir-fry style.
L:
What about foods like gyûdon [beef rice bowl
with thin strips of grilled beef and onion on rice]?
Do you eat gyûdon at home?
Mrs. K: It’s
actually not for a main dinner.
L: Is it considered
a snack?
Mrs. K: Not a snack, but served for lunch—or
as a very light meal.
L: Do you make it at home?
Mrs.
K: If I make it, it's only for lunch. I only need
one pan and one bowl so it's easy and simple to prepare.
Next: More on
Beef
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