Welcome to The Avocado’s weekly discussion of Japanese pop culture! It’s the most wonderful time of the year. The time to eat delicious food! As you all know by now, I am a big fan of Japanese food, and I love trying new recipes and dishes throughout the year and especially during the holidays. Instead of KFC or konbini fried chicken, we usually have karaage on the 24th, and then we have New Year’s soba on the 31st, and some Osechi Ryori dishes starting on the 1st. If you’re curious about this year’s KFC menu, it includes a 4-cheese chicken doria and a Double Fromage cheesecake! Or you could get a whole roast chicken. And, of course, a commemorative plate! If you’re curious, you can see all the offerings here.
Me, stocking up on ingredients for the holidays.
New Year’s soba was, in many ways, the start of my love for Japanese cooking, so it’s fun to think back to all those years ago to the first time I tried to make soba and failed miserably. The noodles were overcooked (which results in an unpleasant texture), the broth was all wrong, and I didn’t have any toppings to go with it. But I still ate the whole bowl and enjoyed the experience for what it was. All these years later I can actually cook, have access to ingredients, and I have an amazing person to eat all my favorite dishes with. To make things ever better, I get to share recipes with all of you. Thank you for another great year!
And, as always…
What have you been watching/reading/playing/eating/listening to lately?
Happy Wednesday! 🙂