Why Japanese Fiction is Quickly Becoming My Favourite
Delectable storytelling holds the key!
Dear Reader,
January is a cold, cold month in Delhi-NCR. The sun is often a soft blob against the backdrop of a gray sky, leaving the mornings depressing and darker; the nights are a cocoon to bury sadness into. Clothes do not dry easily. In fact, they don’t smell good at all even after a decent wash. Winters aren’t my cup of my tea, as you can guess.
Sometimes it feels as though there is a glimmer of light when the sun shines in the afternoons. Splashing water on one’s face shocks every cell in the body, almost an act of cruelty to awaken from the comfort of thick warm blankets.
Good fiction, like this Japanese story I am glued to, keeps me warm, literally. I am an ordinary reader and like things to be simple and relatable.
The few pleasures of winter are savouring food and reading books.
For more than two decades, I have devoted my reading practice to solely Indian authors. I love the diversity that is cruising through our stories.
This year, I have decided to read as many books written by authors from other countries.
Starting with this Japanese fiction, I am really excited to get started in 2024!
Most Indian households equate food with a sense of love and longing, an act of bringing together family members and loved ones to treasure what they have together.
Every Indian home interprets the language of food differently.
Take a specific geographical region, the culinary variations add more flavour to each dish in tiny touches. Simply put, how a household in Thiruvananthapuram cooks its sambar would be completely different from how it is prepared in Kottayam, Kochi or Palakkad.
The happiest sadhyas I’ve enjoyed are with my family members, of course!
Memories collide with each other as do rememberances of flavours of my early childhood years. The growing up years bring on memories of a medley of vegetables that were a part of every meal. My grandmother would hover around me, watching me closely and noting if I skipped any vegetable. The sight of green squishy ‘cheera’ or ‘palak’ reminded me of words and I was tempted to close my eyes everytime I had to eat it!
I have written more about my grandmother earlier and here it is, in case you missed it.
Birthday celebrations were strictly traditonal.
A vegetarian ‘sadhya’ was served while we sat cross-legged on the floor. There was no fancy cake or candles.
My grandmother ruled the household and hers was the final word - she had no inclination towards imitating the Western practice of birthday cakes and candles. She was strict that no one should even be bringing gifts as in a joint family, there are many children and it can cause discomfort in young minds. She would press a crisp hundred rupee note into the birthday child’s palm and that was the ‘gift’.
Now as I grow older, I remember my grandmother’s austere life and wonder with awe how much of a ‘yogini’ she was.
Festivals such as ‘Vishu’ and ‘Thiruonam’ bring to life so many heartwarming memories of delicious food served on the sparkling green ribbed plantain leaf.
Each spoonful serving of curry and thoran becomes an artistic pool of visual cues and flavoursome temptations. At this point, dear Reader, I can’t help sharing this pic of an Onam sadhya I enjoyed at a restaurant in Delhi. [Read: My Best Ever Thiruonam]
A Malayali home would probably serve crispy, golden-rimmed soft-as-clouds appams with delicious vegetarian stew, whereas a Punjabi family may prefer a heavier meal with ghee-laden aloo parathas, home made achar, and a glass of freshly made lassi. A Goan family may have an assortment of home baked bread and so on instead. Each household in India have their own food preferences that make it truly diverse.
India’s culinary preferences are a cultural melting pot that embraces roots across the length and breadh of every nook and corner of the country; every little village and town have its own unique culinary traditions that are truly mouthwatering delicious!
Think about winters – I can dream over a slice of warm, crumbly fruit cake served with a scoop of chocolate ice cream or a pool of golden, warm-as-sunshine custard?
Food cravings are sometimes triggered by memories of forgotten or lost food, as highlighted in Hishashi Kashwai’s bestseller titled, ‘The Kamogawa Food Detectives’.
And that is why Hishashi Kashwai won my heart with ‘The Kamogawa Food Detectives’.
Braiding into its narrative the seasons and flavours of Kyoto, Hisashi Kashiwai’s book navigates through a relatively hidden diner located in a side lane which very few people know about. As the story begins, we understand that the few who come in search of this restaurant have an eye for spotting the finest details.
Such as a tiny advertisement in the Gourmet Monthly magazine that had a tantalising one line descriptor that hinted ‘food detectives’.
Nagare and his daughter Koishi welcome their clientele and we are gradually shown through six stores how they are deep artists at work, not just as detectives. Nagare’s cooking and the exquisite Japanese ware that it is served in are a delight to read. That he does not even keep a signboard is telling of what the diner represents to the outside world. To add to the comfort of nostalgic dining, there is a cat named Drowsy who holds a quiet presence in the lives of the customers and of course, Nagare and his daughter.
Sometimes, we understand how every conversation becomes an ode to a loved one’s memory.
In this ‘detective’ book, the Japanese diner serves as the father’s eternal memorial to the loving memory of his late wife who loved cooking.
This propels Nagare to make it his life’s mission to help others recreate recipes they lost but now long for, with remarkable love and artistic flair.
Each of the food-centric stories explores a quest for a forgotten or lost flavour that Nagare tries to recreate to perfection. His daughter is the one who takes detailed notes from every customer’s request including the tiniest details of their life and then she briefs her father. Sometimes one may wonder why something as fleeting as the colour or scent of a dish is relevant to recreating its true flavours - Nagare shows why and how it is critical to document every tiny detail to be able to create the magic.
In fact, the way every Japanese dish is ultimately served, in which season it is prepared and how it is eaten are treated as essential elements of the Japanese dining experience.
This is not different from how most Indian households prepare their food - as seasons vary, the culinary traditions swerve and swivel to facilitate what types of food nurture the body’s need and the heart’s longing. Inevitably, the luxury of spices, textures and flavours are hard to describe.
Across all stories in ‘The Kamogawa Food Detectives’, we are gently taken through the seasons of Kyoto and the beauty of cherry blossoms finds itself in the following words:
Spring and autumn are when the biggest crowds descend on Kyoto. In particular, spring sees a rush of tourists, all trying to enjoy the short-lived cherry blossom season, leaving some parts of the city literally swarming with people. …..What was the point of ust taking a photo of some isolated cherry blossoms? That was the question troubling the young man in a suit, as he passed, shook his head from side to side in confusion.
Considerable care and thoughful detailing accompany the preparation and serving of every dish. Western labels and names are not used for these dishes and the authenticity of Japanese cuisine shines through with warmth.