I don't like eating out, and if I do go out, it's for a couple, so the cuisine that is the furthest from me is "Chinese food." I have said on many occasions that I am interested in "gastronomy," but am not a "gourmet." In other words, "gastronomy" is essentially something like the "aesthetics" of French cuisine, and in that sense, "Chinese food" has nothing to do with "gastronomy." For example, does "super spicy French cuisine" exist? "Super spicy" is not something that "gourmet" deals with, but something that "gourmet" deals with, and I believe that "super spicy mapo tofu" and "super spicy ramen" are respectable gourmet genres that enrich our food culture.
Thinking back, I lived in Kobe for about three and a half years from elementary school to junior high school, but even though there is a Chinatown comparable to Yokohama's, I only went there once. When we went out to eat with guests, we always had steak, and other times we had udon suki. My father would sometimes bring back Chinese food from the famous restaurant "Daiichirou" as souvenirs, so I begged him to take me there once, but perhaps because I was a child I didn't think it was a big deal, and he never asked me to go back.
Even though I am a writer, I think it would be okay to go out to eat Chinese food at least once a year. That's because I like the idea of sitting around a round table and sharing various dishes. Although I don't like to eat a lot, I have a stronger desire than anyone to try a bite. It's the same with wine. I'm good at being a taster, but I'm the furthest thing from a gourmet. For me, a meal around a round table, where you can take a little bit of each dish on a small plate and eat at your own pace with a drink, is a blissful moment. But honestly, I don't like the rush of dishes being brought out one after the other...
My favorite round table is "Keikaro" in Makuhari Hongo. As many of you may know, it is the family home of Arashi's Aiba Masaki. It is located in a residential area a few minutes' walk from the station, and is a "town Chinese restaurant" that has been loved by locals. In principle, they do not take reservations, but there are two round tables in the back that are private rooms, and reservations are required. They are separated by partitions, so you can use just one table or both tables together. I teach at a vocational school at the neighboring Makuhari Station, so I would go there about once a year to eat with students, alumni , and faculty, with people from my alma mater, Chiba University, and with my high school classmates.
The COVID-19 pandemic has put the round table a distant memory, but I have started to regularly meet up with a few high school classmates, and one of the menu items is "Peking Duck" in Yokohama Chinatown. We go on short drive trips with at most four people, so we went out even during the COVID-19 pandemic, but I was hesitant to get close to Chinatown, so I went to the main branch of "Kiyoken" in front of Yokohama Station, and put Chinese food on hold for a while. The other day, thinking that it was about time to go, I went to "Peking Kaoya Ten", a Peking duck specialty restaurant in Yokohama Chinatown, for the first time in a long time. It is located in an alley off the main street, and there is a Peking duck hanging over the glass at the entrance, the interior is spacious and there are seats on the second floor, and you can enter without a reservation, so I always go to this restaurant in Chinatown.
Like other restaurants, it has an all-you-can-eat option, and there's no time limit, so you can slowly order your food as you sip it, like a snack to go with your drink, and spend a relaxing lunchtime sipping on your drink. It's one of those rare restaurants in Chinatown that lets you forget the hustle and bustle outside. If you think about it, Chinese food is often the type where as long as the ingredients are prepared, the food is then cooked over high heat all at once, and even though it's an all-you-can-eat restaurant, it doesn't have a buffet-like style, and since it doesn't take long to cook and serve after receiving an order, the ordered dishes come out fresh one after the other. It's the kind of food that's really suited to an all-you-can-eat restaurant, and isn't it exactly what makes it "gourmet"-friendly?
The perfect accompaniment to Chinese food is "Shaoxing wine". I'm often asked if I don't drink wine, but I've never thought about it. Chinese food is rich in flavor, and even if it's not super spicy, there are many spicy dishes like mapo tofu. I don't think it goes well with wine, which is enjoyed for its subtle changes in flavor. I do think that "Nouvelle Chinois", which is influenced by French cuisine, can be paired with wine. In fact, in 2008 , when "Michelin Tokyo" was published, I went to "China Blue" at Conrad Shiodome, which had received one star, and ordered a glass of wine. Well, it's not bad, but I don't actively recommend it either.
In comparison, Shaoxing wine is good. Shaoxing wine is a brewed alcohol made by fermenting glutinous rice, and in that respect it is the same type of alcohol as Japanese sake and, more broadly, wine. In China, brewed alcohol made from grains is called "yellow wine," and among them, the long-aged version is called "laoziu." Shaoxing wine is a type of "laoziu" that has been aged for more than three years, and is called "Shaoxing wine" because it is made in "Shaoxing" in Zhejiang Province. As a result of aging, it turns brown, just like aged Japanese sake. "Beijing Kaoya Tian" lists four types of Shaoxing wine, three years, five years, ten years, and fifteen years. Of course, three-year-old wine is fine, but it feels a bit chemical or artificial, and it's not surprising that some people think that's good for Chinese wine, but I don't really like it, so I chose the five-year-old "Nuerhong."
Just as wine can be aged in tanks or barrels, there is probably a difference between aging in tanks and aging in "jars" for Shaoxing wine. Recently, it has become popular to age wine in unglazed jars called amphorae. "Nu Er Hong" is the equivalent of "jar-dashi" Shaoxing wine, which is prepared when a girl is born and brought as one of her dowries when she gets married. Today's "Nu Er Hong" is still in ceramic containers as a remnant of that name. Compared to the three-year-old version, it is noticeably softer and more mature. I prefer to drink it warm with brown sugar. The aroma spreads softly, and I think it goes well with Chinese cuisine, which has a sweet taste with a sharp flavor.
It's quite nice to take a small portion of food from a small plate and enjoy it while sipping Shaoxing wine. In his Principles of Ethics ( 1903 ), philosopher GE Moore listed "conversation with close friends" as one of the correct uses of " good ". I would like to say that "dinner with close friends" is "good". However, in this case, " good " means " delicious ".
This month's recommended wine: "Italian Nuits Barolo Barbaresco"
"Barolo Pianta 2015 DOCG Barolo Casa Vecchia Marco" 9,000 yen (excluding tax)
Last time, we introduced the wines of the Cote de Nuits, the pinnacle of Burgundy wine. This time, let's apply that to Italian wines and look at them in parallel. This way, you can understand and learn French and Italian wines structurally.
The difference between Italy and France is that France is divided into "regions" while Italy is divided into "states". Therefore, the equivalent of "Burgundy" is "Piedmont". And while the grape variety used for red wine in Burgundy is "Pinot Noir", the equivalent grape variety in Piedmont is "Nebbiolo". Both are made from a single variety in principle, without blending multiple varieties like Bordeaux wine.
Piedmont also produces red wines using Dolcetto and Barbera varieties. However, Burgundy also includes Beaujolais in its broader region, and Beaujolais is made from Gamay, so they can be considered parallel wines.
And the wines made from Nebbiolo are considered to be the best: "Barolo" and "Barbaresco". Both are equally good, but "Barolo" is traditionally called "the king of wines, the wine of kings". Traditional Barolo takes more than ten years to reach drinking age, and it is said to have a greatness comparable to that of aged Burgundy wines. On the other hand, Barbaresco can be drunk earlier than Barolo, and can be said to have the same greatness as Barolo in terms of elegance and balance.
This time, we will introduce the pinnacle of Italian wine, "Barolo". The wine is made by Casa Vecchia, a winery with a cantina in Alba that has been involved in winemaking since the 18th century. Barolo is made from grapes grown in a vineyard owned by the winery in the village of Calterone Falletto. It has a ruby color with garnet sparkles. It has a spicy aroma. The tannins create a well-balanced, rich flavor with fruitiness. In recent years, Barolo has been made to be drunk earlier than before (this is also a global trend), so it seems that this wine is just about to be ready to drink. Just as Burgundy is the "king of wines" for the French, Barolo is the "king of wines" for the Italians, so be sure to try it.
For inquiries about the wines introduced, please contact AVICO Co., Ltd.
Biography
Osamu Seki Born in Tokyo in 1961. Currently a part-time lecturer at Meiji University and other institutions.
He specializes in contemporary French thought and cultural theory, and is a director of the Reefer Wine Association.
His books include "An Introduction to Beautiful Men" (Natsume Shobo) and "My Neighbor is Arashi-kun" (Cyzo), and his translations include "How Should We Read Foucault?" by Oksara (Shinsensha) and "Mr. Pydrow, What Use Is a Gastronomic Critic?" by Pydrowski (Shinsensha).
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