Volume 6　母国で親しんだあの味


The Appreciation of Food

Ann: Do you miss any food that you had from your childhood or that your mother made? Like, do you think about it sometimes now?

Michael: Not so much.

Ann: Crave it?

Michael: Just some of the cakes, occasionally and I think the only food that I kind of miss from the UK is steak and kidney pie, interestingly.

Ann: Oh, well, ha-ha. 

Michael: Ha-ha. 

Ann: Great, ha-ha.

Michael: Yeah, which a lot of people think, "Ugh, ugh!" pretty disgusting stuff. And interestingly even in the UK now, people have kind of moved away from that kind of food and it's actually hard to get a steak and kidney pie in the UK now.

Ann: And, and what exactly, can you explain what exactly is a steak and kidney pie?

Michael: Steak and kidney pie is precisely that. It's chunks of steak and kidney in a very rich, heavy sauce. Normally, in a crusty, what do you call it? A flaky pastry on top. And it's just absolutely gloriously adorable.

Ann: Ha-ha. 

Michael: Ah.

Ann: You're having your Proustian moment here. You're going back to . . .

Michael: You're gonna hear my stomach rumble in a few moments.

Ann: Ha-ha. Yeah, so I, I think it is a really common experience.  It's interesting, right, and if you smelled that now, it would take you back, right?

Michael: It would.

Ann: It would take you, it would take you back to those times when you had it. Yeah, so there's such a strong association between food and certain experiences and times.

Michael: Right, and times, yeah.

Ann: Yeah, yeah.

Michael: It's interesting coming to Japan - where the food culture is so very, very different from the UK - where there is a much greater appreciation of food here. And, uh, a love of food and, and now I just, I enjoy so much just eating at home - is, is a great experience with the family, and going out as well is just a wonderful experience in Japan.

Ann: Um, one of the interesting things for me, too that I found in Japan is that, of course, there's so much beautiful effort put into food and even just the presentation of it - which we don't pay attention to in the States, you know, you just kind of slap the pasta onto the plate and call it a meal. Whereas here all the little dishes, and seasonally, uh, considered, and color is considered, and the arrangement and all, and it's very time-consuming, of course, and there are, as I say, with these many little dishes that's one of the big differences - is that in the United States, very often w-there would, there'd just be one plate with food on it.

Michael: Right. It's also interesting in, in Japan that there's much more sharing of food as well. Whereas in the UK you go to a restaurant, you have your food.

Ann: Your entree, yeah.

Michael: And there's no, no sharing involved, uh, in, uh, whereas in Japan, of course, there is a lot of food sharing involved, which is nice.

Ann: Tr-true, yeah, and it makes for a more communal, nice experience, right? Yeah. All right, well, I'm getting hungry on this note, ha-ha.

Michael: I'm extremely hungry. I'm thinking now, where can I go in Japan that has a steak and kidney pie?

Ann: Steak and kidney pie, now see, now you've got that on your mind now. That's right. OK, well, we will end for September and look forward to being with you next time.

Michael: OK, indeed, so go and make yourself a wonderful meal tonight.

Ann: Try some steak and kidney pie.

Michael: If you can find it. 

Ann: Bye. 

Michael: Take care. Bye-bye.