Exploring the Intersection of Food, Culture and Identity

I am officially declaring a mini-trend in izakaya for Washington, DC (the journalistic threshold for a trend is usually three, so two, in my book, makes a mini-trend.) Never mind that izakaya are already passe in New York and that in Honolulu they’re just a way of life. For us in the nation’s capital, this is big stuff.

Kushi opened recently in the city’s Mt. Vernon neighborhood, following on the heels of uber-chef Wolfgang Puck’s creation of a pan-Asian izakaya menu at his downtown venue, The Source. The new addition pairs the city’s most extensive sake menu — more than 60 small batch, filtered and unfiltered brews — with Japanese nibbles from sushi to yakitori that is cooked sous-vide then finished on the grill. The sushi is disappointing, but the maki rolls are tasty and full of crunchy tobiko. Oysters on the half shell and miso-doused green beans stand out. The cavernous space full of criss-crossing overhead duct work won’t satisfy your craving for a cozy Japanese pub. But if you feel the urge to sidle up for a Sapporo and a few out-of-the-ordinary tapas, Kushi’s got you covered.

What better way to welcome the Year of the Tiger than to eat like one? Every year our friend Anny (don’t be fooled by the name, she’s Chinese) and her partner Sara host a fabulous dinner for Chinese New Year at Mark’s Duck House in Falls Church, VA, and this year we were lucky enough to score an invite.

Winter Melon Soup arrived in the giant gourd, its sweet translucent flesh offset by bits of pork. We devoured Drunken Garlic Prawns– heads, shells and all — and slurped down oysters the size of my entire hand (Three Mile Island oysters one of the guests called them.) Bamboo fungus, a new item for all of us, bounced like sponge between tongue and teeth and absorbed every bit of flavor, like a very porous tofu. But the highlight for me was the Peking Duck, so seductively fatty and crisp that we skipped the time-consuming presentation of individually wrapped packets and just dug in with our chopsticks as the lazy Susan twirled.

I know very little about Chinese traditions. But the New Year feast is one I strongly favor! Please chime in with any traditions you and your family and friends might have. (photos: Jim McCallum)

Oysters before.....

...oysters after....

Here is a photo of our  kitten. His name is — not making this up — Apple Pie. Yes, the six-year-old named him. That said, we’re not SERIOUS. Nobody’s slapping a wad of butter pastry around him. But perhaps if we were Tuscan….

Italian TV suspends cat stew lover
From Associated Press
February 17, 2010 3:50 PM EST

ROME (AP) — Italian state TV has suspended a cooking show host who shocked the nation by saying cat stew is a Tuscan delicacy he has enjoyed many times.

RAI TV confirmed on Wednesday that it had suspended Beppe Bigazzi, the 77-year-old host of a popular morning program that offers food tips and recipes in a country renowned for its cuisine.

When a young woman on the show was startled by Bigazzi saying he has eaten cat stew many times, the host defended his culinary tastes, noting Italians eat rabbit, chicken and pigeons. Horse meat also is sold in Italian shops.

His critics included Health Ministry Undersecretary Francesca Martini. She says Italian law protects pets from mistreatment and that Bignazzi’s comments contradict growing public sensibility toward animals.