Untangling My Chopsticks

A Culinary Sojourn in Kyoto

Nonfiction, Food & Drink, International, Asian, Japanese, Travel, Asia, Japan, Adventure & Literary Travel
Cover of the book Untangling My Chopsticks by Victoria Abbott Riccardi, Crown/Archetype
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Victoria Abbott Riccardi ISBN: 9780307492401
Publisher: Crown/Archetype Publication: December 18, 2008
Imprint: Broadway Books Language: English
Author: Victoria Abbott Riccardi
ISBN: 9780307492401
Publisher: Crown/Archetype
Publication: December 18, 2008
Imprint: Broadway Books
Language: English

Two years out of college and with a degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Victoria Riccardi left a boyfriend, a rent-controlled New York City apartment, and a plum job in advertising to move to Kyoto to study kaiseki, the exquisitely refined form of cooking that accompanies the formal Japanese tea ceremony. She arrived in Kyoto, a city she had dreamed about but never seen, with two bags, an open-ended plane ticket, and the ability to speak only sushi-bar Japanese. She left a year later, having learned the language, the art of kaiseki, and what was truly important to her.

Through special introductions and personal favors, Victoria was able to attend one of Kyoto’s most prestigious tea schools, where this ago-old Japanese art has been preserved for generations and where she was taken under the wing of an American expatriate who became her mentor in the highly choreographed rituals of this extraordinary culinary discipline.

During her year in Kyoto, Victoria explored the mysterious and rarefied world of tea kaiseki, living a life inaccessible to most foreigners. She also discovered the beguiling realm of modern-day Japanese food—the restaurants, specialty shops, and supermarkets. She participated in many fast-disappearing culinary customs, including making mochi (chewy rice cakes) by hand, a beloved family ritual barely surviving in a mechanized age. She celebrated the annual cleansing rites of New Year’s, donning an elaborate kimono and obi for a thirty-four-course extravaganza. She includes twenty-five recipes for favorite dishes she encountered, such as Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl, Japanese Beef and Vegetable Hotpot, and Green-Tea Cooked Salmon Over Rice.

Untangling My Chopsticks is a sumptuous journey into the tastes, traditions, and exotic undercurrents of Japan. It is also a coming-of-age tale steeped in history and ancient customs, a thoughtful meditation on life, love, and learning in another land.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Two years out of college and with a degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, Victoria Riccardi left a boyfriend, a rent-controlled New York City apartment, and a plum job in advertising to move to Kyoto to study kaiseki, the exquisitely refined form of cooking that accompanies the formal Japanese tea ceremony. She arrived in Kyoto, a city she had dreamed about but never seen, with two bags, an open-ended plane ticket, and the ability to speak only sushi-bar Japanese. She left a year later, having learned the language, the art of kaiseki, and what was truly important to her.

Through special introductions and personal favors, Victoria was able to attend one of Kyoto’s most prestigious tea schools, where this ago-old Japanese art has been preserved for generations and where she was taken under the wing of an American expatriate who became her mentor in the highly choreographed rituals of this extraordinary culinary discipline.

During her year in Kyoto, Victoria explored the mysterious and rarefied world of tea kaiseki, living a life inaccessible to most foreigners. She also discovered the beguiling realm of modern-day Japanese food—the restaurants, specialty shops, and supermarkets. She participated in many fast-disappearing culinary customs, including making mochi (chewy rice cakes) by hand, a beloved family ritual barely surviving in a mechanized age. She celebrated the annual cleansing rites of New Year’s, donning an elaborate kimono and obi for a thirty-four-course extravaganza. She includes twenty-five recipes for favorite dishes she encountered, such as Chicken and Egg Rice Bowl, Japanese Beef and Vegetable Hotpot, and Green-Tea Cooked Salmon Over Rice.

Untangling My Chopsticks is a sumptuous journey into the tastes, traditions, and exotic undercurrents of Japan. It is also a coming-of-age tale steeped in history and ancient customs, a thoughtful meditation on life, love, and learning in another land.

More books from Adventure & Literary Travel

Cover of the book Korea and Her Neighbours. by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book A Matter of Rats by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book Yorkshire Oddities, Incidents and Strange Events by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book The Dolce Vita Diaries by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book Suche Reisebegleitung by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book Yacht Charters: An Essential Beginners Planning Guide To Chartering a Yacht by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book Commercial Fishing in Alaska by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book Nomades du Tien Shan by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book Keep Moving by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book Venise by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book Farthest North: New edition annotated and linked by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book 21 000 Kilometer oder die Kunst, sitzen zu lernen by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book On a marché dans Pyongyang by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book Nouvel An à Bruxelles by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
Cover of the book Meet Me in Gaza by Victoria Abbott Riccardi
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy