Japanese Food Bites: Indulging in the Taste of Summer

On a rainy Fukui morning, our group trotted slowly under a fleet of umbrellas towards our first stop of the day. The day’s fruitful itinerary consisted of everything from the miso factory to kimono wearing, and I honestly couldn’t have been more excited. My name is Shirley Wang and I’m a rising third year studying business administration with an entrepreneurial startups concentration.

At the first stop of the miso factory, we were brought into a classroom to better understand the origin and creation of miso, a Japanese household staple. The group was incredibly encapsulated by the presentation, from the process of making miso (creating rice koji, processing soybeans, mixing ingredients into a container, then fermentation) to its list of ingredients (Dr. Young was particularly fascinated by the koji mold spores).

One of my favorite parts of the miso factory tour was entering the fridge. Here, the fermentation had stopped due to the cold temperature. Our tour guide handed around a tub of miso for us to try; the surprising burst of saltiness was unexpected, but the paste was absolutely delicious.

After devouring our bowls of miso soup, we headed down to the souvenir shop, clutching everything from tubs of miso paste to strawberry koji ice cream to hand cream to crackers. We left for our next stop with warm and happy spirits.

At Fukui University, a group of students greeted us with a game of bingo featuring the famous foods in Fukui region. Afterwards, the university gave us each a ceramic bowl filled with sabe-katsudon; this was the Fukui take on katsudon, with rich, tender pork chops covering rice. Due to the heavy and filling lunch, most of the group fell into a semi-slumber post-meal before we took taxis to the final stop of the day.

Whilst Jayden, Kelly and I took a detour to a coffee shop, everyone else took turns to try on beautiful kimonos at the museum. Braving the rain, we then proceeded to take a stroll to the garden behind the museum, enamored by the well-fed koi fish circling the pond.

The group slowly headed in their own directions after the long but eventful day. All were trotting towards their next adventure.