Saionji Shonagon
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One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Jun 13, 2007 22:48:57 GMT -5
With that said, I'm now in possesion of a glutinous rice flour, and one that the lady insisted I needed for the project which is mainly intended for Chinese-style filled steam buns containing wheat flour and a couple of other binders. I plan on trying both, because Kannon preserve me, I have to sample the goods. Though I must ask, which one sounds closest to mochiko? Definitely the glutinous rice flour.
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Post by solveig on Jun 14, 2007 18:22:32 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Solveig! Of course, why stop at dango? Meat on a stick is one of the oldest cooking methods out there. It might not have been terrible frou-frou back in the heian, but why not a few yakitori-type things? No objections from this quarter. The technique is called kushiyaki. I certainly haven't been making any big claims on behalf of Japanese vegetarianism. In practice, outside of Buddhist temples, the trend was to avoid eating domesticated mammals. Basically, "shishi" is any wild game animal. I don't recall much in the way of swedish meatballs in Japan. The two most commonly consumed kushiyaki are chunks of chicken meat and chunks of pig liver. But, here I am writing about modern Japan.
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Post by solveig on Jun 14, 2007 19:01:40 GMT -5
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Post by elpresto on Jun 15, 2007 17:32:06 GMT -5
Yes, indeed, it is called kushiyaki. I was incorrect to lump all of the lovely grilled goodness under the yakitori banner although no one says "hey, let's all go out for beer and kushiyaki." And the noble Solveig is also correct that a good deal of wild meat was eaten in nihon ryƓri. Ever had inoshishi? Makes a great seasonal nabe. Now, there are more kushiyaki than just the standard shouniku and sasami. I discovered through some (occasionally unpleasant) trial and error that just about every bit of the chicken, or other beasty, can be grilled on a stick. I once ordered kappa, under the impression that kappa were a little more discriminating than to eat plain cartilage! My cousin Hiroyuki happily ate my share of that! It's all about the tsukune though. That'd be the chicken meatballs on a stick. They do exist, I swear! And they're pretty darn tasty! Here's the recipe, modern-style. www.foodreference.com/html/tsukune-72306.htmlwww.kikkoman-usa.com/general/Recipedetails.asp?id=2196&loc=102&rightlink=001
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Post by solveig on Jun 18, 2007 22:16:54 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Solveig! I've been toying with the idea of hosting a sake tasting at an upcoming SCA event. Context: autumn, evening, out of doors, intimate and unofficial. It's mainly to introduce my Western friends to some nice sipping sakes and snacks above and beyond the ubiquitous yet addictive wasabi peas. An excellent choice of season. You can of course have a moon viewing party. I recommend sometime in October as October is especially associated with the new sake for the year. I recommend making things using chestnuts and possibly roasted ginko nuts on pine needles. Three nuts in a line of course. Funa (carp) is also in season. Supposably, "ayu no ko uruka" is especially recommended. Ayu is a "sweetfish" or "sweetfish trout". This is basically salted baby fish.
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Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Jun 18, 2007 22:29:13 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! An excellent choice of season. You can of course have a moon viewing party. I recommend sometime in October as October is especially associated with the new sake for the year. I fear I am at the mercy of the kingdom calendar, not the Imperial one, so it will be late September. If the moon phase calendar I'm looking at is accurate, it should be waxing gibbous that weekend.
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Post by solveig on Jun 18, 2007 22:38:36 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Solveig! I fear I am at the mercy of the kingdom calendar, not the Imperial one, so it will be late September. If the moon phase calendar I'm looking at is accurate, it should be waxing gibbous that weekend. Let's not worry too much about the exact date. This business about moon viewing and new sake is just too good to miss out on. Besides, it may be the right month already. Pre-modern Japan operated on a Lunar/Solar calendar. However, if it must be September stuff. I can look up stuff for September. In September, the salmon are running in the rivers. Salmon can either be salted and broiled. Or it can be parboiled and served thinly sliced as sashimi. Never, ever eat truly raw salmon or any other fresh water fish.
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Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Jun 18, 2007 23:26:46 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Let's not worry too much about the exact date. Fine with me! I foresee a pilgrimage to 99 Ranch Market after June Crown to get an idea of what they have, and maybe begin testing a recipe or two before I have to pack for Pennsic.
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Post by solveig on Jun 19, 2007 23:35:14 GMT -5
Noble Cousin! Greetings from Solveig! I just ran into this. Apparently, early October corresponds to one of the five sacred festivals: October 1 Chrysanthemum Day One of the five sacred festivals of ancient Japan, celebrated on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month (or the ninth day of the ninth month). People drink chrysanthemum wine (warm sake sweetened and flavored with chrysanthemum petals), eat chrysanthemum cakes and admire chrysanthemum flowers. Often the chrysanthemum viewing goes on throughout the ninth month.
According to Ha, chrysanthemum cakes are dumplings made from mixing yellow chrysanthemum petals with rice flour. Ha also mentions a beverage made of honey water with mandarin oranges, pears, pomegranates and pine-nuts floating in it. You can also make chrysanthemum wine by placing a petal in a cup of sake. You should also place a cup of sake with a complete flower in it on your altar.
Erskine records a custom called "cotton nursing of the chrysanthemum" which he observed in 1933. On the eve of the festival, people put cotton wool on the chrysanthemum flowers. The next morning they collected the damp cotton and used it to wipe their bodies. He comments that this shows a desire both to protect the flowers from frost and to use the dew for healing.
In many parts of Japan, people made puppets and scenes entirely out of chrysanthemums. The puppets were slightly larger than life-size, with heads, hands and feet made of wax or paste, but clothes of chrysanthemum petals, grown inside a framework and trained to cover the surface with a velvety coat of petals. Since these figures were expensive to make, often an entrance fee was charged to enter the parks where they were displayed.
Casal, U.Q., The Five Sacred Festivals of Ancient Japan: Their Symbolism and Historical Development: Tokyo: Sophia University, pp. 95-105 Erskine, William Hugh, Japanese Festival and Calendar Lore, Tokyo: Kyo Bun Kwan 1933, pp. 109-110 Ha, Tae Hung, Folk Customs and Family Life, Seoul, Korea: Yonsei 1958, p. 37
www.schooloftheseasons.com/octdays1.html
I am a bit worried by Casal's work not being referenced within the quoted text. Quite a few libraries have copies of Casal, and I recommend borrowing a copy. Unfortunately, it is a rather old text. You may also want to take a look at the following text. Matsuri : the festivals of Japan / Herbert E Plutschow; P G O'Neill 1996 English Book 291 p., [12] p. of plates : ill. ; 23 cm. Surrey : Japan Library, ; ISBN: 1873410638 9781873410639
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Saionji Shonagon
New Member
One dreamed of becoming somebody. Another remained awake and became. (Found in a fortune cookie.)
Posts: 7,240
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Post by Saionji Shonagon on Jun 20, 2007 0:04:22 GMT -5
Erskine records a custom called "cotton nursing of the chrysanthemum" which he observed in 1933. On the eve of the festival, people put cotton wool on the chrysanthemum flowers. The next morning they collected the damp cotton and used it to wipe their bodies. He comments that this shows a desire both to protect the flowers from frost and to use the dew for healing. I know I've seen references to this practice in period. Was it in Sei Shonagon? ILL, here I come. There's just one thing. If the lunar new year was celebrated on February 18, does that kick the ninth month back to November? For that matter, is there anything particularly associated with the autumnal equinox? I just found a few references to shuubun-no-hi and cemetery visits....
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Post by Please Delete on Jun 20, 2007 6:03:46 GMT -5
There's just one thing. If the lunar new year was celebrated on February 18, does that kick the ninth month back to November? In Japan, up through to the Sengoku or Early Edo period, at least, they kept the simplified 30-day lunar calendar. This means that if you start on Feb. 18, you can count every 30 days and it is a new month, and a standard year had 360 days (with a 'leap year' having an extra, intercalary month, providing 390). So the 9th month would be ending in our 11th month of November. Now, they also had certain solar occurrences that they used for each month--I believe it was one or two a month. This was how you could tell if you needed another month to keep the calendar on track. I believe the only two months that could not have an interaclary month between them were the 12th and 1st months. -Ii
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Post by solveig on Jun 20, 2007 12:58:49 GMT -5
Noble Cousin!
Greetings from Solveig! It turns out that the college library has a copy of "The Five Sacred Festivals of Japan". The business about the Juugoya festival is one of promoting longevity and sympathetic magic to encourage the sun to return. Thus, this is a festival associated more or less with the end of the harvest season. Supposably, wild chrysanthemums were the last flowers of the year. Basically, they hold out the longest. If you decide to incorporate chrysanthemums into your event, then you should probably use dandilions. Modern chrysanthemums are much larger than pre-modern varieties and they have assumed a variety of forms different from the original. Regardless, you can dip the dandilions in sake. This should not be a problem as they are an edible flower. The business about applying the dew formed on chrysanthemums to cloth and then wiping the body is another case of promoting vigor and longevity. The reason why primitive chrysanthemums are valued is that their colour and petal pattern resemble the sun. Further, they retain their petals for a very long time. Supposably, this festival originated in China. Some authorities claim that this festival was first observed by the court in 782 CE. Technically, it should occur on the 9th day of the 9th month of the lunar calendar. However, it is the major festival which falls between tanabata and new years. So, I recommend it as a theme for your event.
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Post by solveig on Jun 24, 2007 20:15:12 GMT -5
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Post by Please Delete on Jun 25, 2007 5:41:21 GMT -5
Rokusei gave us two types of 'kashi' ('kuwashi') there: Touguwashi and Ki no kuwashi. The first was a type of fried dough, like the ones linked to. The Ki no kuwashi, or 'tree candy', was fruit (I think it was mikan, but I can't recall exactly).
-Ii
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Post by Abe Akirakeiko on Jun 25, 2007 14:40:49 GMT -5
According to Ha, chrysanthemum cakes are dumplings made from mixing yellow chrysanthemum petals with rice flour. Ha also mentions a beverage made of honey water with mandarin oranges, pears, pomegranates and pine-nuts floating in it. You can also make chrysanthemum wine by placing a petal in a cup of sake. You should also place a cup of sake with a complete flower in it on your altar. I believe Ryori monogatari has recipes for at least one type of mochi tinted with chrysanthemum petals. There are also recipes for hot sake with assorted fruits and goodies floating in it. I'll have to check once I get home. - Abe Akirakeiko Roku-i
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