Go to kissaten, Japanese coffee shops!

I'm always wondering why my foreign students (I'm a Japanese teacher) loves Starbucks Coffee so much. They hang out there very often, which is not bad at all, but Starbucks is everywhere in the world. As many of them will leave Japan in a couple of years, I'd like to say to them: "You are living abroad. Take advantage of this precious opportunity. Do something new or different!" 

I'm not saying they should learn karate or climb Mt. Fuji, which may be too tough, but they can have coffee at some Japanese kissaten (coffee shops) instead of the Seattle-style cafe once in a while, right?

My recommendation is Komeda's Coffee  (コメダ珈琲店, pronounced Komeda Kohi-ten), a Nagoya-based coffee chain with nearly 500 franchise stores around the country, mainly in the suburbs where they can secure a big parking space. All the stores feature comfortable high-back sofa seats and "interesting" Nagoya-style menu items.

Look at the photo below, for example. This is "misokatsu sand (=sandwich)" that I had the other day at Komeda's. Misokatsu, or a tonkatsu (deap-fried breaded pork) with miso-based sweet sauce, is one of the typical Nagoyan local dishes. The misokatsu, shredded cabbage and fluffy bread surprisingly go well.

But the most popular food at Komeda's is not misokatsu but  "shiro-noir," a warm brioche bread with cold soft serve ice cream on the top. I don't know why it is called Shiro-noir. Shiro means white in Japanese and noir is black in French. It does not mean anything. Strange name, but definitely  worth tasting. The warm bread melts the cream very quickly like the photo below, but this hot-cold combination is interesting and addictive.  

 

Oh, I have to say this: Komeda's Coffee is one of the best places to have breakfast. If you happen to find one of the chain shops before 11 a.m. and you are hungry, don't hesitate to go in and ask for "Morning sevice." Why? Because, like many other kissaten (Japanese-style coffee shops) in Nagoya, Komeda would offer you a slice of toast and a boiled egg for free if you order a drink. If you want, you can have a mini salad if you pay 200 yen extra.

To check the menu, please click here. It is all written in Japanese, but photos would help you to understand what it is like.

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From here I'm writing in Japanese for someone learning Japanese!

わたしの生徒さんたちは、みんなスターバックスが大好き。どうしてかな。スターバックスも悪くないけど、世界中どこでもあるよね。

生徒： せいと　students
悪い：　わるい　bad
世界中：　せかいじゅう　all over the world
どこでも：　anywhere

せっかく日本にいるのだから、何か新しいことをしてほしいな。シアトルスタイルのカフェに行くんじゃなくて、日本の喫茶店に行くとか。

新しい：　あたらしい　new
喫茶店：　きっさてん　coffee shops

私のおすすめは、コメダ珈琲店。名古屋に本店があって全国に約５００もフランチャイズ店があります。背の高い座り心地がいいソファと名古屋独特のメニューが特徴です。

おすすめ：　recommendation
珈琲：　コーヒー　
名古屋：　なごや　name of the city
全国：　ぜんこく　the whole country
約：　やく　about
背が高い：　せがたかい　tall
座り心地がいい：　すわりごこち　be comfortable to sit on
独特：　どくとく　peculiar
特徴： とくちょう　features, characteristics

下の写真は私がこの前食べた「みそカツサンド」です。みそカツというのは、甘い味噌のたれをつけて食べる名古屋のとんかつです。みそカツと、千切りのキャベツと柔らかいパンがよく合うんですよ。

写真：しゃしん　photo
この前：　このまえ　the other day
甘い：　あまい　sweet
味噌：　みそ　soy bean paste
たれ：　sauce
千切りの：　せんぎりの　shredded
柔らかい：　やわらかい　soft

でも一番人気のメニューは「みそカツサンド」じゃなくて、「シロノアール」なんです。シロノアールというのは温かいブリオッシュに冷たいソフトクリームを乗せたものです。温かいものと冷たいものの組み合わせがおもしろくて、くせになります。

人気：にんき　popular
温かい：　あたたかい　warm
冷たい：つめたい　cold
乗せる：　のせる　to put
組み合わせ：　くみあわせ　combination
くせになる：　addictive

そうそう、コメダはモーニング・サービスがとてもお得なんですよ。１１時前なら、飲み物を注文すると無料でトーストとゆで卵がついてきます。２００円でミニサラダも頼めます。

そうそう：　by the way
お得：　おとく　bargain
注文する：　ちゅうもんする　　to order
無料：　むりょう　free of charge
ゆで卵：　ゆでたまご　a boiled egg
頼む：　たのむ　to ask

Edamame beans are the best nibbles to go with beer!

Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't posted for weeks. Are there still someone interested in my blog?

From now on I'll write this blog both in English (probably full of mistakes though) and my native language Japanese. As you can see in my profile, I'm a Japanese teacher and I suddenly felt like doing something a little more beneficial for those studying Japanese.

The Japanese text probably intermediate and advanced level. 

これから日本語を勉強している人のために、日本語でも書きますよ。私、日本語の先生なので。レベルは中級から上級なので、ちょっと難しいかも。

Today's topic is "edamame," young green soybeans usually served in the pod.　It is the ever-popular appetizer that goes very well with beer. When we sit at a the table of an "izakaya,"  a type of Japanese eating establishment that serves a great variety of foods as well as alcohol (and non-alcohol) beverages, many of us half-unconsciously order a jug of beer and edamame.
 

I suppose that edamame is now eaten not only in East Asia but also in some Western countries where Japanese foods are accepted. For example, when I was living in Paris, I often bought edamame at Picard, French frozen food store chain, and I found their made-in-Thailand edamame very delicious, probably even better than average Japanese edamame beans.

Frozen edamame is available all year around, but you should buy fresh ones in summer, found at any supermarkets and vegetable stores. This time I bought the ones still attached to the branches. It was 390 yen at a nearby store, a bit more expensive than the average price for edamame.  

This is how it looks when you remove the plastic bag. I can tell it is still very fresh from the look of the leaves. Not bad at all.
  

Cut off the pods from the branch with scissors. It would be better to cut off one or both ends of the pods, so that the salted water comes in the pods when boiling them.
Like this...oops! Sorry the photo is blurry (again). I cannot blame for these bad photos on my camera, because it is new..

Wash edamame beans with running water, and then rub the pods with about 10 grams of salt to remove fine hair covering the surface. Don't rinse after that.

Boil 1 liter of water and add 40 grams of salt. Put edamame in it and cook 5-7 minutes. Be careful not to overcook to keep the texture.
 

Drain edamame in a colander and cool it as quickly as possible to keep the green vivid color. In this photo, I'm fanning edamame with a ”sensu” (folding fan). Looks strange, but I don't have ”uchiwa” (round flat paper fan). Taste one and if it is not salty enough, sprinkle salt over edamame.

Edamame is not only tasty but rich in dietary fiber, protein, iron, magnesium, vitamin K, etc. In short, it is good for your health.

Pods are not edible. Push the beans out of the pod with your fingers and pop them into your month. Enjoy!!


Today's useful expression or tourists. At izakaya,
「とりえず、なま（ビール）の　ちゅうジョッキ　と　えだまめ　ください。」
"Toriaezu nama no chujokki to edamame kudasai."
= First of all, one draft beer in middle-sized jug and edamae, please."
chu-jokki (middle size) is most common here for some reason. Beer is a beverage
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From here, I'll write in Japanese. ここからは日本語で。

今日のトピックは枝豆です。枝豆は未成熟の大豆で、日本ではビールのおつまみの定番です。居酒屋では多くの日本人が枝豆をたのみます。生ビールもね。

枝豆：えだまめ
未成熟：みせいじゅく　immature
大豆： だいず　soybeans
定番：　ていばん　must-have items
居酒屋： いざかや


多分今は日本だけでなく、他の国でも枝豆を食べていると思います。フランスの冷凍食品店のピカールでも冷凍の枝豆が売っていて、私はパリに住んでいるときによく食べていました。タイ産でしたが、とてもおいしかったですよ。日本のよりもおいしいかも。

多分：たぶん
冷凍食品：れいとうしょくひん　frozen food

日本にも冷凍枝豆はありますが、夏は八百屋やスーパーに新鮮なものが出ますから、それを買いましょう。　今回私は枝付きのものを買ってみました。 近くの店で３９０円。

八百屋：　やおや　
新鮮：　しんせん　fresh
今回：　こんかい　this time
枝付き：　えだつき　with branches

ビニール袋を取ると・・・こんな感じ。葉の感じを見ると、新しそう。よかった。

ビニール袋：　ビニールぶくろ　a plastic bag
葉：　は　leaves
　
はさみで豆を枝から切り離します。このとき、鞘の端を少し切ると、塩茹でしたときに味が良くしみます。写真がぼけていて、すみません。

離す：　はなす　to detach
鞘：　さや　pod
端：　はし　end
塩茹で：　しおゆで　to boil in salted water
ぼける：　out of focus, blurry

枝豆を洗ったら、塩を振って、もみます。枝豆の表面の細い毛を取るためです。この後、水で洗い流さないほうがいいです。

塩：しお　salt
振る：　ふる　sprinkle
もむ：　to rub
表面：　ひょうめん　surface
細い：　ほそい　fine
洗い流す：　あらいながす　to rinse

湯を沸かして、塩を加え、5-７分枝豆を茹でます。茹ですぎると歯ごたえがなくなから、注意して！

湯：　ゆ　hot water
沸かす：　わかす　to boil
加える：　くわえる　to add
茹でる：　ゆでる　to cook in boiled water
歯ごたえ：　はごたえ　texture
注意：　ちゅうい　attention


茹でたら、すばやく冷やします。 私は、「うちわ」がないので、扇子であおいでいます。
すばやく：　quickly
扇子：　せんす　folding fan

枝豆はおいしいだけじゃなくて、食物繊維、たんぱく質、鉄、マグネシウム、ビタミンKが豊富です。要するに体に良いってこと。

食物繊維：しょくもつせんい　dietary fiber
たんぱく質：　たんぱくしつ　protein
鉄：てつ　iron
豊富：　ほうふ　rich

食べるときは指で鞘を押して、豆を口の中に放り込みます。鞘は食べられませんよ！
指：ゆび　fingers
押す：　おす　to push
豆：　まめ　beans
放り込む：　ほうりこむ　to pop something into～