2010年12月20日月曜日

The food culture of America

1. Introduction
The reasons why I wanted to research the term that I’m interested in American foodstuff. I had an imagination that American foods would be too big, too much, too sweat and too fat but so yammy. That was a true; in fact I sometimes could not finish eating any meal in Minnesota in the same as my friends who went to Minnesota with me. But I could know American foods more when I went to Minnesota in home stay this summer. American people have special dinner and also have long breakfast in a day off that Japanese don’t have them. And then, I was surprised that my host family didn’t answer the phone whenever we had a special dinner even if the phone keeps ringing. I found so many differences between food culture of Japan and America. I researched history of American food culture. So I would like to introduce the food culture below.

2. Research in Japan
The food culture of America developed, accepting it of Native American and a lot of immigrants of many countries. America has so big and so much dishes to use many abundant foodstuffs. For example, beef, corn, bean, fruits, dairy products. In the past, America developed canned, processed foodstuffs and frozen foods. They also mechanized all things because they had a large territory but they had problem a population shortage. So they made the most of theirs time to use the machines. And then, American became to eat a light meal and a snack just like a hamburger, hotdog, fried chicken and French fried.
In Japan, people often eat well-balanced fish, meat, vegetables and so on. Most of the tastes in Japan are weaker than American tastes. Most of Japanese are skinny. I thought that the big physique difference of American and Japanese is related to the food culture.

3. Research in Minnesota
First, canned provisions are famous food in Minnesota. I knew that people of Minnesota had a lot of canned foods. When I went to home stay, there were so many kinds of canned food. For example, they are tomato, turkey, beef, chicken, fish, beans, some vegetable and so on. The reason why there are many canned foods is there is so cold place. So in Minnesota, it is very difficult for people to go out active in winter. Minnesota is a snowy country, so the use of canned foods is now widespread among the general public.
Next, Minnesota also had chocolates and hamburgers. Especially, there were so many hamburger shops. I was taken by my host family away to go to hamburger shops many times. This is what I thought most famous hamburger shop is McDonald’s. That was a true, but my host family and I didn’t go to McDonald’s. I knew that there were not only McDonald’s but also the other famous hamburger shops. And then, they had big hamburger which I could not finish to eat. My host family always ordered potato flies with hamburger. They dipped ketchup doing too much. In Japan, people prefer to salt rather than ketchup but they dipped ketchup after sprinkle salt on potato flies in America. I found in the hamburger shops that is a cause of American people like very strong tasting.
They also had chocolates which people know famous souvenir. Minnesota had lots of chocolates more than Japan. There were lots of kinds of tasting chocolates. The tasting were milk, strawberry, caramel, mint, bitter and so on. There was selling things of chocolates in addition to family pack. There were many chocolates in living room. So I could eat some chocolates any times.
Finally, it was interesting to me that all American restaurants where I went to restaurants gave me a refill many times. The waitress asked for more whenever I drunk a coffee. When I was in Minnesota, I also ate Mexican food with my host mom and dad’s sister. There were some famous restaurants of Mexican food in America. Mexican food is more than American food. We couldn’t finish eating the food, so we took out in our house for my host dad. As usual, I can not take out any food almost of restaurants in Japan, but I could take out all of the food in the restaurant there. It is very nice system. I thought Japan should accept the system. If Japan can, we do not leave anything.

4. Conclusion
I traced the history of American food culture, and then I found that America called a superpower always produced many foods efficiently. So I thought that the facility food culture (for example frozen foods, retort foods and canned foods) made by America. In specially, Minnesota is a pretty cold place as much as the snow lays one or two meters deep so people eat lots of canned foods in winter. So my host mom said it is so important for them who +live Minnesota to have preserved foods in winter. And she showed me canned foods. I was surprised because she had so many kinds of canned foods more than Japanese canned foods.
I found the other point of American foods. That is America have so many kinds of foods of a foreign countries. In fact, there were many kinds of people in Minnesota. When I was in Minnesota, I ate foods of ethnic, Mexican, Italian, Chinese and Japanese. I tried to eat something that I didn’t eat before I went to Minnesota.
America also has a lot of fast foods. Hamburgers, fried potato, chips, fried chicken and so on. Actually, I went to fast food restaurant and shop with my mom and dad many times. They said we usual go to out for eating three or four a week. My family usual goes to out for eating about once a month. Only my family and host family, American people go to out for eating more than Japanese.
Compare the food culture of America and Japanese, American foods were more strong taste than Japanese foods.
I could know history of American food culture in this summer. If I have a next opportunity that I research something, I really would like to study about America or Minnesota again.
1033 words

Podcast episode 4

From now, I will introduce Nami. She is a mate in Mugiwara prate ship. Her art of navigation is wonderful! She helps all members of Mugiwara prate ship whenever the sea is troubled. I think that she is very smart and cute. If she is not in Mugiwara prate ship, they can’t make a voyage in comfort. She likes orange and money so much. She always takes good care of her some orange trees. She sometimes depend on Sanzi who is a cook in Mugiwara prate ship. To tell the truth, she has craft. But she think that all members of Mugiwara are good friends and looking after them everyday.
110 words

2010年12月7日火曜日

Dangerous DINING

From now on, I will introduce a book “Dangerous DINING”. The book is also kind of national geographic. In Japan, most of people like fish that is a famous food in Japan. One of the major seafood markets in Tokyo is Tsukiji, there are so many people who is fish sellers every morning. Tukiji is the best seafood market in Japan of my thinking. I have never been to Tukiji, but I want to go to there someday.
Asakusa in Tokyo, there are known lots of restaurants area. The restaurants have more than 80 menus of fugu. Fugu is the danger because they have poison, but people like dish of fugu. I already know that fugu have poison, but I also like fugu. I have eaten sashimi of fugu about two or three times in Amakusa where is my father’s country. It was so delicious and it made me happy.
If you want to cook dish of fugu, you have to get a fugu license because fugu toxin is a very strong poison. In fact, one milligram of the toxin is strong enough to kill a person. If I have poisoned, I probably couldn’t have move anytime. So chefs of Japanese restaurants have to cook fugu very seriously. After World War Ⅱ, many people death from eating fugu. They didn’t know that is about poison of fugu.
We are protected safety by many cooks whenever we eat fugu. I would like to have fugu in the future during I appreciated them.
247 words (3.5points)

Living with a Volcano


I read a book “Living with a Volcano” today. The book also is kind of national geographic. I have never seen a volcano in my life. Of course, I have seen volcano news on TV. It looked like an amazing as powerful fireworks. I knew that it’s a small group of scientists who have watching Mount Etna their life’s work. They called volcanologists. Mount Etna is more than 10,000 feet high. That is as high as Mount Fuji in Japan. I thought the volcanologists risk theirs life for working. A few people say volcano is beautiful, but I don’t think so because volcano is often so dangerous. I heard lots of people injured for the far past.
I was also surprised that Mount Etna is always changing. Lava shot a quarter of a mile into the air. Huge black clouds of smoke and ash erupted out of the crater, as gases from deep within the earth were released. I felt again the nature is so big. So we have to living together.
172 words (3.5points)

2010年12月6日月曜日

The Missing Snows of KILIMANJARO


Now, I am going to introduce a book “The Missing Snows of KILIMANJARO”. The book is kind of national geographic. When I read the book, I knew the first time that Mount Kilimanjaro rises 19,340 feet, or nearly four miles, into the sky. That is so high, so I was really surprised. I have climbed the little mountain just only one time, but it was very hard for me. So I thought that the mountain climbing is pretty difficult, and then I should prepare anything perfectly for the mountain climbing.

In winter, the mountain has a lot of faces. A famous American writer called Ernest Hemingway expressed the many scenes on his story. That was “The Snows of Kilimanjaro”. I thought so when I looked the picture of next page. There was spreading the ice field. It was so beautiful, but unfortunately some ice fields were gone. I don’t know where the field is. The reason why the snow is disappearing, I think maybe global warming. That is not good. So we have to think many things for protecting the nature in the future. I would like to start anything I can. It is very important for us to think one by one.
203 words (3.5 points)

My favorite pasta


Now, I will talk about my favorite pasta. My favorite pasta is pasta of this picture. The pasta is included yuba, cream of soybean milk, chicken soboro and so on. The pasta is made by Ninnikuya that is Italian restaurant at Hikarinomori. That is so great!!! I loved the pasta the best of my life. The pasta always made me happy whenever I eat the dish. But the pasta is abolished from menu because people didn’t order the pasta, and then know that the pasta is delicious. I was very sad. I hope that the pasta come back the menu someday. If I can learn how to make the pasta, I really want to cook the pasta. And, I would like to treat the pasta. (^ω^)
125 words

Podcast episode 3


Today, I will talk about Rorornoa Zoro. He is a fighting man in Mugiwara pirate ship. I love him the best!!! He is soooo cool and wild. He is a very important character of One Piece because he is a swordsman and he is so strong. I often worry about him whenever I watch TV and I read comic because he always injures himself seriously for helping the other members. But his battle scene is pretty excited and cool. I think that he does a stoic way of life. And then, he does rigorous training everyday. If I can, I want to see him just only once. I know that I can not. From this time on, I want to keep reading comic and watching TV anytime. And, I would like to keep aidding Rorornoa Zoro.
136 words

2010年12月2日木曜日

My favorite T-shirt


Today, I would like to introduce my favorite T-shirts. My favorite T-shirt is this picture. The T-shirt draws a keyboard. That is very cute. The T-shirt designed by aiko. I was very glad when I bought the T-shirt. May 1st, I bought the T-shirt in Fukuoka where the live of aiko hold there. I put on the T-shirt, and then I enjoyed the live about two or three hour. I was so excited. My friends also bought the T-shirt there. So people wore the same T-shirt in the concert hall. Of course, aiko was wearing then. It made me very happy!!! I am going to keep having the T-shirt carefully. And if I can, I want to wear and show aiko the T-shirt. aiko maybe is glad. I hope so.

130 words

My favorite singer


I love aiko so much!!! I will talk about her to you from now. She is a very famous singer in Japan. She is a short girl, and then very cute and fashionable. Her style is casual, so Japanese people copy her style. And then, her songs are very nice! She writes the lyrics all of her songs. I always can empathize with her lyrics so I feel powerful emotions anytime when I hear her songs. The melodies of her songs also make me so happy and powerful. The melodies are unique and rhythmical because the intervals go up and down many times. So it is too difficult for me to sing her songs perfectly, but I always enjoy listening to her music anywhere. I have been to her live at Fukuoka. I had never been to her live so I was soooo excited. She was very cute and frank just as my expected. I have a very nice day!!! I love her more and more. I am looking forward to go to her live again. And then, I want to see her and I want to shake hands with her someday.

192 words

Seiji Ozawa


Seiji Ozawa was a famous Japanese orchestra conductor. In 1935, he was born in Hoten, China. When he was 17 years old, he hunt in a rugby accident, turned from piano playing to conducting. 8 years later, he won Koussevitsky Prize for outstanding student conductor. The next year, he made assistant conductor under Leonard Bernstein of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. A few years later, he served as conductor of the Toronto Symphony. At the age of 38, he hired as director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra where he stayed until 2002.
93 words

Amelia Earhart


Amelia Earhart was a famous aviator. In 1897, she was born in Atchison, Kansas. At the age of 25, she received her pilot license. Seven years later, she helped found the “Ninety-Nines”, an international organization of women pilots that still exists. In 1931, she married publisher George Putnam, who helped Amelia in her job as a pilot. The next year, she became the first women to fly across the Atlantic alone; received honors from French and American governments. A few years later, Flew alone from Hawaii to California. And in 1937, she tried to fly around the world but mysteriously disappeared over the Pacific Ocean.
106 words