Gourmet? or Hearty Eater?! | Kaeko Yamashita (Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care)

2008.10.17

The theme for this article was "The Dean's Gourmet," so I started by looking into the word "gourmet" (from the French). The Sanseido Japanese Dictionary defines it as "a person who relentlessly seeks fine food; an epicure; a connoisseur."

I think everyone loves "delicious food." I am no exception and have a weakness for it, but if you were to ask me, "Are you a gourmet?" I wouldn't say I'm someone who "relentlessly seeks fine food." Therefore, I can't boast of being an epicure or a connoisseur. If I had to describe myself, I suppose I would say I'm a "hearty eater" (someone who eats a lot of everything without being picky)...

However, I do have a "modest obsession" with "Onion Gratin Soup" and "Beef Stew." While various famous restaurants are featured in gourmet books and special TV programs these days, no matter what anyone says... no matter how much any culinary expert praises them... I believe that nothing surpasses the onion gratin soup and beef stew from "Sekiguchi-tei ~ A Western-style handmade food restaurant ~" near my home. The sweetness of the onions in this restaurant's onion gratin soup, which must have been slowly sautéed over a long time, and the color and aroma of the cheese covering the surface, browned under the perfect amount of heat! Scooping it up with a round spoon and carefully putting it in my mouth to avoid getting burned, I have to resist the urge to exclaim "Wow!" as an indescribably deep, rich flavor spreads through my mouth. Savoring that taste, trying to keep it in my mouth for as long as possible, is my "moment of bliss." As we enter the latter half of October, the season is truly autumn, the time for great food! I find myself wanting to visit this "Sekiguchi-tei" once a week.

I also have a particular fondness for "omusubi" (rice balls). I always buy them at a shop inside the station on my commute. They are made with fluffy cooked rice and filled with ingredients like lightly salted salmon, bonito flakes, simmered clams, and kelp, all of which further enhance the deliciousness of the rice. However, these omusubi are smaller than those generally sold, so I often think, "Wouldn't the balance be even better if they were a little bigger?" Then again... perhaps it's just that I want to eat more.

Inside this omusubi shop, there is a sign explaining the products. It can be roughly summarized as follows.

The rice is 'Hitomebore' from XX City, nurtured by the "earth's vitality" of organic land, as rich compost from the livestock region flows into the rice paddies. The nori (seaweed) used for the "omusubi" is produced by the XX Fishery Cooperative near Awaji Island, facing the Akashi Strait. After harvesting, the dried nori is stored in a low-temperature warehouse at -20°C and then slowly roasted with far-infrared rays to create the perfect seaweed for "omusubi." And the salt used to form the "omusubi" is raw salt from Mexico, rich in minerals, which is then refined domestically.

Every time I see this description, my appetite is stimulated, and I am fully prepared to eat these "omusubi" made with carefully selected ingredients.

But what exactly is "taste"? "Taste" is recognized as a "sensation of taste" when chemical stimulants in food (sucrose for sweetness, sodium chloride for saltiness, hydrochloric or acetic acid for sourness, quinine for bitterness, and monosodium glutamate for umami) dissolve in water, reach the taste buds (mirai), and these chemical stimuli are transmitted to a healthy brain via the facial and glossopharyngeal nerves, among others. The concept of "umami," which we often use in daily life, seems to have nurtured the Japanese people's deep knowledge of taste. Wikipedia states, "The existence of umami, as claimed by Japanese scholars, was initially downplayed by Western scholars, but... its existence came to be recognized with the discovery of glutamate receptors in the sensory cells of taste buds."

In addition to chemical stimulants, other factors are considered important elements that influence the sense of taste, such as physical stimuli like the texture (softness/hardness) and temperature (hot/cold) of food (mouthfeel), as well as pungency and astringency. These are transmitted to the brain by the trigeminal or glossopharyngeal nerves. Furthermore, external information such as the smell, color, and shape of food and drink, as well as the dining atmosphere, are also transmitted to the brain through different pathways, and these signals are apparently integrated in the cerebrum. Each time a sensory stimulus reaches the neocortex, it is compared with sensory stimuli the brain has experienced in the past. This comparison process within the brain, combined with the eater's physical condition and other factors, instantaneously gives rise to the [sensation of flavor], which varies among individuals and ethnic groups.

Therefore, it can be said that the sensation of "taste" varies greatly from person to person. Perhaps my beloved "Onion Gratin Soup," "Beef Stew," and "omusubi" fall into this category as well.

There is a saying, "Hunger is the best appetizer." I believe everyone would agree that "hunger" is one of the conditions for food to taste "delicious," but I also feel that the sense of assurance and trust that "food safety is guaranteed" is another important factor.

Whenever I see or hear reports about recent incidents of contaminated rice and food fraud, it brings back memories of "how many innocent citizens were affected by health problems from Minamata disease (organic mercury poisoning) and Agent Orange, which was sprayed as a herbicide during the Vietnam War." I feel a sense of anxiety and dread that "the safety of our lives is being exposed to unseen dangers."

Before we talk about "gourmet" or "fine dining," I realize as I write this that there is a fact [here] that we must now speak out about.

(Date of publication: 2008/10/17)