


Osechi ryori is Japanese New Year's food. Unlike Christmas food (Kentucky Fried Crap, YUCK), it is colorful, gorgeous and delicious. The above pictures (middle and right) depict Osechi ryori at Daimaru Department Store.
The best one, however, is the one on the left: Homemade osechi ryori, beautifully arranged in a lacquer box. It contains: Kuromame (black beans). Simmered in sugar, these sweet black beans are eaten for good health in the coming year. Kazunoko (herring roe). Crunchy, salty fish eggs that are held together in a thin membrane unlike other fish eggs that are loose. Kazunoko represents many offspring. I'll make sure to eat them all, lol. Ebi (shrimp). The spine of shrimp are curled like the backs of the elderly. Those who eat shrimp on the New Year hope to live to a ripe old age. I'll have plenty of these too! Konbu maki (seaweed rolls). The word konbu, or kobu, is similar to the Japanese word for happiness, yorokobu. Kuri kinton (sweet potato mashed with chestnut). The golden color represents prosperity. Tazakuri (baby sardines). These tiny little fish are used to fertilize rice crops so as an osechi food, they represent a bountiful harvest. Datemaki (sweet egg omelet roll). Slices of rolled omelet. Its golden hue symbolizes gold and wealth while the egg itself represents fertility and children.
Thanks Tomoko, made my day, and I can't wait to have all of it!
私は英語とスペイン語の先生です。