Winter #3: Happy New Year! / 冬＃３：明けましておめでとう！

Already two months into 2011, and just now crawling out of hibernation. Not that I've been fasting like an actual bear in a cave. No: I've been eating quite well, and inviting friends over to share the meals...and the body heat.　やっと冬眠が終わるだろう。もうそろそろ春が来るので、その前に冬の食事を要約しなければなりません。寒い日々の中にはグループで食べる方がおいしい、暖かい。

The New Year in Japan means special food to usher in the year. The delicacies are symbolic -- long-whiskered shrimp to represent long life, fish roe to represent fertility -- and well preserved in sugar and salt to last for a few days of lazy grazing. It's not my favorite incarnation of Japanese cuisine, I have to admit. But it does mean that for a few days the supermarkets carry all sorts of mysterious wonder. Like this little guy:

お正月にはお節。和食が大好き。。。けど。。。お節は。。。ちょっと。。。ま、ね。。。せめてお正月の時スーパーに変わったものがたくさん。

I found this kuwai cozying up with some pals.

かわいいクワイ。

Yes, I invited the gang over. No, I didn't know how to prepare them.

But soon I realized they could be part of my latest plot: pork belly tacos.

作り方もわからずに買った。もしかしたら最近の夢に使えるじゃないか。スパゲッチタコスを作ったからずーっと豚バラタコスも作りたかった。

There are few things I enjoy more in winter than simmering things for long periods of time. The pork belly taco dream would allow me to truss up this little piggy and enjoy the aromatics for hours as I read my books. 　冬にものを煮るのが好き。特にお肉。特に豚肉。特に豚バラ。

After a few hours in the pot with star anise, black peppercorns, an apple, vinegar, black sugar... this little piggy laid prone. On my plate.

ペーパー、スターアニス、リンゴ、お酢、黒砂糖で。。。

My research yielded the information that kuwai makes for delicious chips to crisp up the tacos. Sayaka, who hosted the meal, realized the vision of kuwai chips with her infinite patience.

クワイのチップスはおいしいらしい。ですので、さやかさんに任した。

Since I was simmering stuff already, I threw on some tea eggs.

煮るなら、お茶の卵も作った。

All these elements, were brought together with some cilantro, mayo, guacamole by Arthur-Nan, salsa by Ryan... all wrapped up in a homemade tortilla.

この材料でこのタコスを作れた。。。

In the frenzy that followed, there was little time for photography.

A million thanks to Sayaka for clean up!

ごちそうさまでした！

The next big get-together I decided I would try to host, as narrow as my quarters are. My classmates had expressed a desire (one called it her "long-awaited dream" even) of sampling sauerkraut and sausage, ever since reading about it in a children's book (Der Räuber Hotzenplotz). 　すぎの集まりは私の狭い狭いところで。ゼミの友達の何人が子どものころからドイツ料理のザワークラウトとソセージほ食べたがっているらしい。絵本の「泥棒ホツエンプロツ」に出たみたいで。

That is one dream I can make good on for someone else. Although I warned them that they were not to, under any circumstances, expect some sort of epiphany from German home cooking. Although they could expect to be sated.

そのような夢は私の特徴でーす。それでも、あんまりドイツ料理を期待しない方がいいという注意も覚悟した。

Everyone contributed a little bit, and we cooked up some fabulous sausages from Kichijôji in dark beer. The result was not exactly high highbrow, but even with our brows lowered, we maintained a high velocity. Hence the blurred documentation:

みんながそれぞれの材料を持って来て、吉祥寺に買ったソセージをザワークラウトと黒ビールに煮た。

Not particularly colorful on its own, but add a side salad and some Rotkohl and...

Guten Appetit!

The last guest left as the sun was coming up, and when I stumbled out of bed a few hours after that, I found bits of Sauerkraut littered along my hallway. Not too timid a start to the year of the rabbit! I sure hope the year is just as delicious as a good rabbit stew, too!

ごちそうさまでした！