Totoro Sushi, Ann Arbor. |
| At Totoro, a sushi place named for the Miazaki movie “My Neighbor Totoro” we had a pleasant dinner. |
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| Miso soup with tiny cubes of tofu. Miso, made from fermented soy beans, has been eaten in Japan for many centuries. It was originally invented in China over 2000 years ago. |
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| My Bento Dinner. A selection of Japanese dishes with varied history. |
The chicken katsu -- breaded and fried chicken breast-- is a version of a Western dish. The Japanese eat a variety of noodles, mainly introduced from China centuries ago, but the wheat noodles are Western: they became popular after the war when American wheat was imported to alleviate food shortages.
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| Len’s Bento Dinner. A sushi roll and sashimi, vegetable tempura, and noodles. |
Sushi and sashimi -- fish and rice -- are a traditional Japanese dish. I've noticed many references to people eating sushi in Japanese fiction; in particular, sushi is often mentioned in Osamu Dazai's book No Longer Human, which I read recently. The popularity throughout the world of Japanese-origin sushi is fascinating. In The Sushi Economy, by Sasha Issenberg, I read that sushi is a totally global food phenomenon, constantly changing as it moves from market to market, yet viewed as somehow more authentically Japanese than other global cuisines.
"The narrative of a perfected past debased by the homogenizing pressures of integration is a convenient fiction embraced by reactionaries of all stripes. Yet sushi's history shows a foodstuff always in flux, remaking itself over centuries due to shifting pressures of economics and culture." [p. xxi]
The Original Totoro
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| The film My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miazaki is one of our favorites! The hostess at the restaurant, which is named for the film, said that everyone tells her that they love Totoro. |
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| Film poster for My Neighbor Totoro. Miazaki's films are fabulous. His creation, the mythical beast Totoro, is now a children's and adult's classic. |
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| A wall hanging that we bought at the Studio Ghibli store in Tokyo some years ago. |
Blog post and food photos © 2023 mae sander
What a surprise! I'd not heard of this.
ReplyDeleteThe kids had their fill of noodles in Singapore!
Yum.... miso soup is one of my favorite comfort foods. Sometimes I even have it for breakfast (the Kayanoya dashi stock powder sachets make the process a lot easier). And your meal at Totoro looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteThe original Totoro looks 1) quite different than the restaurant; and 2) equally as charming. Your wall hanging is fabulous.
All your posts about Japanese food and movies have reminded me of a movie I saw long ago, Tampopo, the story of a widow unsuccessfully trying to make a living running a noodle shop. I remember it as being something of a Japanese western/gangster movie with elements of romantic comedy -- and a very young Ken Watanabe! And I also remember enjoying it a great deal... but I'm not sure how it would hold up to modern scrutiny
The food looks yummy! I like that wall hanging.
ReplyDeleteTake care, have a great day and happy weekend!
@anno -- Yes, Tampopo is another wonderful film, as are others by Juzo Itami. Along with the films of Miazaki, Kurosawa, and others, I learned about his work at the Japanese film series that used to be on campus at University of Michigan. It's tragic that Itami was almost certainly murdered by the Yakuza, who made it look like suicide.
ReplyDeletebest, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I love sushi! AND the original Tortoro, too!
ReplyDeleteI did an internet search looking for My Neighbor Totoro. I got caught up in learning more about Miazaki and the film. I have to admit, Totoro is a real cutie.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure I've had Miso, but I've had soup with tofu in it and I love it. Your Bento dinner looks amazing. Lots to choose from. I think I like Len's dinner better. I see he had a diet Coke, too.
I adore Totoro and i love sushi. Our friend went to japan a few years ago and i asked her to bring me back a Totoro stuffed toy. She had never heard of him!
ReplyDelete