Sushi for a New Generation

As a follow-up to my tea ceremony post, I would like to share my experience participating in a sushi family dinner at my friend Stephanie’s house. As I mentioned previously, Stephanie’s family is of a Japanese-Canadian background, and her family gets together a few times a year for a “traditional” sushi dinner. This day was special, as Stephanie was trained in the art of sushi making by her Aunt June, the family sushi-specialist. June explained to me that her mother-in-law was the one who carried on the sushi-tradition in her family, but she took over for her when she passed away. In this way, Stephanie is the most recent inductee into the tradition, and she will be able to carry forward for the newest generation of this family.

Stephanie, June, Stephanie’s mother and boyfriend Curtis, started prepping and making the meal early in the morning, for a 6:00 dinner. There were ten guests in total, and we all left with a hefty leftover bag. The final spread included tuna tataki, oshinko maki, tuna and salmon nigiri, sashimi, two recipes for California rolls (there was some debate over which type of vinegar was best), teriyaki chicken, futomaki, sunomono, a noodle dish, and bean curd rice dumplings. Dessert consisted of… apple-cranberry pie and ice cream! I think that this dessert brings up a crucial aspect of this dinner: this was very much a Canadian version of a traditional Japanese meal. As is the case for most Canadians, as the generations pass on traditions from another time and place, they are reappropriated, reinvented and renewed to create an entirely new tradition. This was also apparent in Stephanie’s contribution to the menu: tuna tataki based on a Wolfgang Puck recipe.

This distancing from Japan was also emphasized by a story from Uncle Dan Amano. Although both of his parents emigrated from Japan, Dan was born and raised in Canada. He mentioned to me that when he went to Japan, the Japanese did not know what to make of him. He looks Japanese, but is very Canadian in his demeanor, and does not speak Japanese. In this way, he is between cultures in Japan—he has an old Japanese lineage (his Grandfather was given land and a samurai sword by the Shogun of the day), but is very much a product of Canadian culture.

Another thing that this dinner got me thinking about was how much the West connects sushi with Japan, and how accurate this association is. The texts that we have dealt with have often included descriptions of food in them, but they do not often include descriptions of sushi or other formal foods. Angry White Pajamas for instance mentions “living off boil-in-the-bag curry rice” (11), and Pocari Sweat as means for sustenance. Norwegian Wood has a good description of Japanese food in the following passage:

“Midori’s cooking was far better than I had imagined it would be, and amazing assortment of fried, pickled, boiled, and roasted dishes using eggs, mackerel, fresh greens, eggplant, mushrooms, radishes, and sesame seeds, all done in the delicate Kyoto style.” (67)

Here, we have a description of a casual Japanese meal that is a far cry from the junk-food eaten by Robert Twigger, but that has no mention of maki or nigiri of any kind. In fact, it is a meal with ingredients and cooking techniques that could be found in any refridgerator in the West. This makes me wonder whether sushi as a traditional meal is of less cultural significance to the contemporary Japanese, or we are experiencing the culinary preferences of these characters specifically through these texts. Perhaps sushi maintains its role with Western immigrants from Japan, while it falls out of fashion with new generations of Japanese youth.

This dinner was a fantastic experience, not only due to the amazing food, but also because it provided me with an insight into how Japanese traditions evolve in a Canadian context. While this celebration undoubtedly shared many aspects with its Japanese counterpart, the Canadian-ness of this family allows for the creation of a completely new tradition.


Angela

The Remains of the Day cover analysis

Here are the cover pages and commentary for five editions of the novel that I found online. They are all simply designed, with only one image and monochromatic tones (or nearly so). I found more covers for The Remains of the Day, but they were either really small and obscure files, or their legitimacy was questionable. I think this is an interesting and useful exercise to see how publishers market the novel based on their impressions or the impressions they think an audience would have. I may not want to judge a book by its cover, but who says that I shouldn’t consider the cover as part of the novel’s overall aesthetic?

1. Black cover: “York Notes Advanced”

Small picture at the top, cropped really awkwardly so that we are not focussed on the person (presumably, Stevens) but on what he is doing or looking at. This emphasis, similar to a traditional understanding of English stoicism, highlights the occupation and environment as opposed to the person.

Audience for students because of publication series labeled on the front.

2. Class cover: “Vintage International”

Large, sepia image, also blurry and contrasty so we don’t see the details as much as the mood or atmosphere. There are no people, so again, focus is on the occupation and environment instead of the individual.

This is the edition our class has, but with a sepia-toned award seal that reads, “Winner of the Booker Prize.” The seal, vintage publishing, and focus on the author’s name (in bold at the top) cater to a literary audience or Ishiguro fans.

3. Clock cover: “Faber and Faber 1989”

More of a traditional appeal with the old-fashioned English pocket watch. It’s a Western ideal of symbolism because there is no relevant watch in the book, so the purpose is to evoke a feeling or a time. The font is also traditional, as well as the red dash which is like an award ribbon in the corner.

The Booker Prize is displayed for those who like traditional and reviewed novels about old Britain.

4. Dandelion cover: “Faber and Faber 1999”

The close-up image of the Dandelion seeds blowing in the wind evoke the calmness of the country and a sense of movement. Since it’s not stagnant, it represents change and the passage of time.

It has a quotation on the bottom to offer a good review and target the audience in Britain.

5. Geometric man cover: “Key Porter Books”

Just like the others, this cover has similar warm-tones, but the calmness of these tones is counteracted by the rigidity of the image. While it depicts a person (probably Stevens), it is a caricature of him – not a realistic but an artistic interpretation similar to Picasso’s style (also relevant because of Picasso’s popularity during that time).

It not only mentions the Booker Prize, but also the “Major Motion Picture” and a quotation by another reputable author as selling-features of the novel’s worthiness and/or popularity.

Conclusions? That these images are as minimal as possible and mainly focus on occupation, place, or time instead of a character portrayal. It might just be the publisher's preference for symbolism... what do you think?

Mel

Japanese Tea Ceremony: Canadian Casual Style!

Part Two: Tea Ceremony Procedure 

As you can see in the image above, we made substitutions for some tools (e.g. metal whisk instead of Chasen, teaspoon instead of Chashaku, Stephanie’s winter-style Japanese teacups instead of Chaire), but we tried to stay true to the traditional function of each tool. This next section will act as a photographic timeline of our tea ceremony.

 

Steps:

Guests are seated seiza style on the tatami in order of prestige.

 

If no meal is served, the host will proceed directly to the serving of a small sweet or sweets.

Each utensil--including the tea bowl (chawan), whisk (chasen), and tea scoop (chashaku)-- is then ritually cleaned in the presence of the guests in a precise order and using prescribed motions. The utensils are placed in a precise arrangement according to the ritual being performed.

 

When the ritual cleaning and preparation of the utensils is complete, the host will place a measured amount of green tea powder in the bowl and add the appropriate amount of hot water, then whisk the tea using precise, prescribed movements.

Conversation is kept to a minimum throughout. Guests relax and enjoy the atmosphere created by the sounds of the water and fire, the smell of the incense and tea, and the beauty and simplicity of the tea house and its seasonally appropriate decorations.

The bowl is then served to the guest of honour ("shokyaku" 初客, literally the "first guest"), either by the host or an assistant. Bows are exchanged between the host and guest of honour.

 

The guest rotates the bowl to avoid drinking from its front, takes a sip, murmurs the prescribed phrase, and then takes two or three more sips before wiping the rim, rotating the bowl to its original position, and passing it to the next guest with a bow.

 

After all the guests have taken tea, the host cleans the utensils. The guest of honour will request that the host allow the guests to examine the utensils, and each guest in turn examines and admires each item, including the water scoop, the tea caddy, the tea scoop, the tea whisk, and, most importantly, the tea bowl. The items are treated with extreme care and reverence as they are frequently priceless, irreplaceable handmade antiques, and guests often use a special brocaded cloth to handle them.

The host then collects the utensils, and the guests leave the tea house. The host bows from the door, and the ceremony is over. A tea ceremony can last between one hour and four to five hours, depending on the type of ceremony performed, and the types of meal and tea served.

 

Procedure adapted from the steps found at japaneselifestyle.com. 

Please watch this video to see the inspiration for our ceremony. 

Wabi-sabi  and the Tea Ceremony:

“In short, wabi-sabi as an aesthetic of the tea ceremony, represents a beauty of appreciation in the mind.” – Davies & Ikeno, The Japanese Mind

The best way to understand the tea ceremony may be through the concept of wabi-sabi, and perhaps, vice versa. For the Western student, it is a difficult concept to grapple with yet alone articulate, but I will try to synthesize the idea in order to relate it to the tea ceremony. Wabi-sabi  is an aesthetic idea that refers to a metaphysic of change: all things are transient and imperfect, and yet are beautiful. As a state of mind, it is an acceptance of the inevitability of change, and the necessity of transience. Wabi-sabi revolves around the simplicity of nature, where beauty is fleeting, and can be coaxed out of ugliness. (Ogden, English 392 Lecture, 09/22/08).

The wabi-sabi  aesthetic is noticeable in several aspects of the tea ceremony. These include the process’ harmony and simplicity, which lead to a sense of tranquility and beauty. In the article "Japanese Aesthetics, Wabi-Sabi, and the Tea Ceremony", it is stated that “[t]he tea ceremony is the serving of tea, ritualized over time and rooted in Zen Buddhism. It symbolizes aesthetic simplicity and represents the fundamental Zen principles of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility.” (3) The connection between this concept and the tea ceremony is summed up beautifully by Tadeo Ando. He states that “[i]n learning tea, we're constantly reminded that every meeting is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion to enjoy good company, beautiful art, and a cup of tea. We never know what might happen tomorrow, or even later today. Stopping whatever it is that's so important (dishes, bill paying, work deadlines) to share conversation and a cup of tea with someone you love-or might love-is an easy opportunity to promote peace. It is from this place of peace, harmony, and fellowship that the true wabi-sabi spirit emerges.”

Conclusion:

I really enjoyed this experience, and recommend hosting a tea ceremony to anyone who is inspired by this post. In fact, I would encourage hosting multiple tea ceremonies. I say this because one thing that I now recognize is that my tea ceremony was by no means perfect, and while I would like to attribute this to wabi-sabi, I think it is more likely due to my lack of experience. I am not sure that the tranquility or harmony of the process was truly experienced by either myself or my guest due to our limited understanding of the ceremony’s steps, but I do believe that we followed Ando’s advice, and promoted peace, harmony and fellowship by taking time to enjoy the beauty of the present.

Whether it is the civilization exclusivity issue, or my own relative ineptitude that has lead me to feel that I did not truly understand this process in the ways that I have read about, I am not sure. While I can understand how this tradition could lead to feelings of harmony, purity and tranquility, and on a theoretical level why they would occur, I did not really feel them myself. In fact, the setting and dynamic made me want to socialize and catch up rather than be silent and contemplative. Perhaps, this is due to my experience with the Western equivalent of the tea ceremony – gossiping over a latte at a conveniently noisy corner coffee shop.

For Further Discussion:

In order to stimulate further discussion on this post and its relates ideas, I would like to pose the following question: Do you see the wabi-sabi  aesthetic at work in Kazuo Ishiguro’s Remains of the Day? If so, in which passage(s)? 

Happy Brewing!

Angela

 

Sources:

• Anderson, Jennifer L. "Japanese Tea Ritual: Religion in Practice". Man, New Series,  22.3 (1987), 475-498.
  
• Roger J., Ed.; Ikeno, Osamu, Ed., The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture. North Clarendon: Tuttle Publishing, 2002.
• Ogden, Stephen. English 392:Studies in World Literatures in English. Simon Fraser U, Burnaby, BC. 22 Sept. 2008. 
• Rowland Mori, Barbera Lynne. “The Tea Ceremony: A Transformed Japanese Ritual”. Gender and Society 5.1 (1991), 86-97.

Web Links:

http://www.art.unt.edu/ntieva/artcurr/asian/wabisabi.html

http://coffeetea.about.com/library/weekly/aautensils.htm 

http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/culture/japanese_tea_ceremony_detail.html 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNMh0tdwxyQ 

 http://nobleharbor.com/tea/chado/WhatIsWabi-Sabi.htm 

 

 

Japanese Tea Ceremony: Canadian Casual Style!

Part One: Introduction to the Japanese Tea Ceremony

"Holding a bowl of tea whisked to a fine froth...Such a simple thing: yet filled with a spirit that reaches back more than a thousand years." The Urasenke Tradition of Tea

In order to fully immerse myself in the Civilization Exclusivity question, as well as in the Japanese aesthetic mode, I have researched and hosted a Japanese Tea Ceremony. This entry will reflect my experience and understanding as a Canadian student exploring traditional Japanese art, much as a journal entry would. But before I delve any further into my journey into the world of Teaism (or “the way of Tea”), I would like to put out this disclaimer:

This is a “Casual” or “Informal” tea ceremony exploration, and it has been conducted with some Canadian substitutions for traditional Japanese implements. Below, I will introduce the tools required to host a Tea Ceremony, but as this very helpful link demonstrates, there are several modifications one can make for cost efficiency, as some of the implements are hard to find and expensive to purchase. I will also justify these substitutions by reflecting back on the civilization exclusivity discussion: my Canadian perspective may make it impossible to properly understand or carry out this crucial Japanese custom, and just as I bring Western implements into this traditional Japanese ceremony, so I will carry my Western ideas and preconceptions. As Jennifer L. Anderson states: “Tea ritual is learned behaviour. True, no one enters the tearoom empty-handed. All students and observers of Tea being with culture-specific preconceptions about what they are seeing and doing.” (“Japanese Tea Ritual: Religion in Practice”, 476). Although I may duplicate it to the best of my ability, there will inevitably be a decidedly Canadian skew on this traditional Japanese event.

History of the Tea Ceremony:

I will begin by including a brief History of the Tea Ceremony, courtesy of the article "Japanese Aesthetics, Wabi-Sabi and the Tea Ceremony" from the University of North Texas:

“The tea plant probably originated in the mountainous regions of southern Asia and was later brought to China. Tea was first introduced to Japan along with Buddhism from China in the 6th century, but the Emperor Shomu, who ruled from 724-749, is credited with introducing tea drinking into the country after he had been presented bricks of pressed tea leaves by a Chinese priest. During the Heian period (794-1185), tea was made from steamed and dried tea leaves ground into a powder. This green tea powder, called matcha (mah-chah), is still used today.

In the 15th century, Juro Murata, tea master to Shogun Yoshimasa Ashikaga, integrated many of the concepts of wabi-sabi into the prescribed practices of the tea ceremony, including the dedication of a special room or house for the sole use in the chanoyu. The samurai class, familiar with the austerity of Zen Buddhism and the disciplined and proscribed lifestyle of the warrior, embraced the ceremony of tea. As rules governed every other aspect of life at the time, participants in tea ceremonies were also required to follow certain rules and procedures.

An increased emphasis on Zen Buddhist concepts in the tea ceremony was established by Sen no Rikyu (1522-1591), the most revered Japanese tea master. During the Momoyama period in the second half of the 16th century, Rikyu established a tea ceremony that reflects a simple and quiet taste, the form that is practiced and taught in Japan and throughout the world today. He also designed a simple, separate building to house the ceremony based on a typical Japanese farmer's rustic hut. Rikyu further formalized the tea ceremony's rules of behavior and identified the spirit of chanoyu with four basic Buddhist principles of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. These guiding principles signify the highest ideals of the tea ceremony.”

For a detailed history of Chado, and the crucial role women have in maintaining the art, please read Barbara Lynne and Rowland Mori’s case study"The Tea Ceremony: A Transformed Japanese Ritual".

The Ceremony:

There are tons of sources that will teach you how to host a tea ceremony. As Dr. Ogden mentioned in class, the ceremony can be held in a very formal manner, or as I will demonstrate here, very informally. As a newcomer to this art, I kept the ceremony very simple and straightforward.

I was very lucky to have my friend Stephanie as a guest. Stephanie’s mother is a Canadian-born Japanese woman, and Stephanie has grown up with many Japanese influences in her life. She has also travelled on exchange to Japan, where she was billeted by a Japanese family, and she billeted a Japanese student here in Canada. While in Japan, she had the pleasure of participating in a semi-formal tea ceremony. With her knowledge of Japanese culture (albeit from a thoroughly Canadian perspective), I thought she would be a great guest to invite to share in this experience with me.

Implements:

Below, I have included a list of the implements used during a tea ceremony. Not all tools are used in every ceremony, and others that are not included here may be used. As Dr. Ogden suggests on his blog, the idea of shin-gyo-so (true, moving, grass-like) accounts for the varying levels of complexity and formality that may be found in tea ceremonies across Japan, and indeed across the world. Consequently, the utensils and equipment used may also vary. As I mentioned above, I will bypass some of the true (formal) and moving (semi-formal) tea ceremony procedures in favour of those of the grass-like (informal) steps. In this way, I hope to be to fully immerse myself in the wabi-sabi aesthetic, rather than distract myself with the complexities of the more formal versions.

Chakaiseki - the meal, or food portion of the ceremony

Koicha - thick tea, made with matcha and served first

Usucha - thin tea, also made with matcha, but with more water. Served second.

Matcha - powdered green tea

Higashi - dry sweets, served at the end of the ceremony

Kama - kettle for heating the water

Futaoki - bamboo rest for kettle lid

Kensui - waste water bowl, for any water leftover when making tea

Kakemono - hanging scroll, to be admired by guests and chosen to represent the theme of the ceremony.

Mizusashi - jar for holding fresh water for tea

Chaire - container to hold tea

Shifuku - silk pouch to hold the chaire

Tana - stand for utensils

Chawan - bowl for actually making the tea

Chasen - whisk, used to whisk the matcha tea, which is served rather foamy

Chashaku - bamboo scoop for tea

Hishaku - bamboo water ladle

(list courtesy of "Utensils Used in the Japanese Tea Ceremony" from About.com)

Stay tuned for my next post, “Part Two: Tea Ceremony Procedure”.

Angela