Happy New Year. I hope you enjoy my writing this year as well.
Well, how did you spend the New Year holidays? I am an elderly man living alone in a suburban residential area of Chiba, so I did not eat osechi cuisine and lived my life as usual. I sit at the table alone, so I have no choice but to turn on the TV. Eating in silence is just painful. French cuisine takes several hours to eat because people enjoy conversation, and you cannot enjoy the true pleasure of French cuisine by "eating in silence". Of course, when I was a university student, there was a time when I went around eating French cuisine alone. It was more like studying or training, like opening a bottle of wine every day at home to improve my tasting ability, and it was a prerequisite for enjoying French cuisine and "gourmet" that enjoys time and space. It is the same as having to learn French grammar and memorize words and pronouns in order to make use of French language.
In fact, when I went to Paris alone for overseas research in 1994 , I had lunch at a bistro, but I didn't feel like going to a grand maison for dinner. When I had lunch at "Les Cartes Postales" (1st arrondissement, Marché Saint-Honoré), a restaurant run by a Japanese owner-chef, which was rare in Paris at the time, a group of four well-dressed salarymen (two men and two women) sat down at the table next to me, spread out the menu, and started a lively discussion about what to eat and drink. They couldn't decide for a while, saying that this wine would go well with the food, but in the end they ordered a bottle of wine, one white and one red, and ate well, drank well, and talked well. I was completely overwhelmed. I thought that this was the true joy of French cuisine. So when I went to Paris in 1995 and 1996 , I asked a student from Meiji University to accompany me, and we went to bistros for lunch and star-ranked grand maisons for dinner, and ate every day for more than a week. Of course, we ordered wine by the bottle for both lunch and dinner. I eat small meals and one bite is enough for me, so I always go out with people who eat a lot. At Grand Maison, ala carte was the norm at the time, so I would only order three dishes: hors d'oeuvre, main course, and dessert, but for some reason, it was always almost 12 o'clock before I realized it. We made reservations at 7 o'clock, but the French people usually arrived around 8 o'clock, and even when we were about to leave because the date was about to change, they were still sitting down and chatting. That's because even I had a budget of 20,000 to 30,000 yen per person per meal at the time, so I was amazed at the natural way the French people were, trying to enjoy the time and space to the fullest for the money they spent. Therefore, as someone who doesn't like eating out to begin with, when I go out to eat, I almost only go to French restaurants. Of course, it's also because it costs money and I can't eat out often.
Being such a writer, I can't stand the silence when I'm eating alone at home, so I turn on the TV, but there are no good programs on during the New Year holidays, and most of them are gourmet programs. I don't feel like watching informational programs with a lot of comedians and celebrities repeating the same old idiot phrase "delicious, delicious", and what I hate even more are programs where chefs come on and judge products from convenience stores and family restaurants. There used to be a program called "Iron Chef", but that program was better because the chefs were the ones being judged, not the ones doing the judging. Moreover, I don't think it's right to criticize products that are outside of their expertise. As expected, trouble arose. An Italian Michelin chef disqualified a convenience store rice ball or something because it looked bad and it wasn't worth eating. Viewers flooded in with criticism. And unfortunately, even an Italian chef's restaurant with a similar name was flooded with complaints, causing serious damage to its reputation. Furthermore, internet intellectuals who pretend to be industry insiders? However, I was shocked to hear people say that they felt sorry for the chef because he acted according to the TV station's script. If the chef was acting according to the script, he didn't judge the food himself, and may lack the ability to judge. Or rather, if he was a real Michelin chef, he wouldn't appear on such a show. There's no need for him to appear. It's just a farce.
Meanwhile, I was watching TV Tokyo's "Solitary Gourmet" all the time. At the end of the year, there was a day when they were rebroadcasting it for nine hours straight, and I would go down to the living room for breakfast and lunch, and when I turned on the TV, I would see a scene of "Goro Inogashira", played by Yutaka Matsushige, eating a meal by himself. In the end, I ended up watching a special program of "Solitary Gourmet" on New Year's Eve and welcoming the new year.
As you may have noticed, I also love "The Solitary Gourmet," but the crucial difference between me and other fans is that I never eat like the main character. In other words, I never go to the restaurants introduced in the show, at least not alone. Furthermore, Goro Inogashira doesn't drink any alcohol, and usually orders oolong tea. He's also a big eater and loves carbohydrates. I always have dessert, so I basically don't eat any carbohydrates until then. Not just rice, but noodles too. Even when I go to a French restaurant, I almost never touch bread.
When the main character stopped by a Western restaurant in Yokohama, he ate a hamburger steak or something, and then ate a Neapolitan, which was amazing. His eating was impressive, and I was impressed that Mr. Matsushige really does eat. I would like to go to that restaurant, but I definitely can't do it alone, so I would like to go with a few people, order a single dish, taste the other people's dishes, and drink wine if there is one... Well, the possibility is extremely low. In the same Chinatown in Yokohama, Goro also happened to go to a small Chinese restaurant when he happened to pass by it when he was going to "Scandia" with his friends, but there was a line, and I thought, I want to go, but if I can't make a reservation, it's impossible.
In that sense, I also really enjoyed watching "Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san," which aired after the New Year holidays. High school girls who love ramen go around trying different ramen shops, but after waiting in line for hours, they finish eating at a ramen shop. And when it comes to noodles, they're the food I have the least connection with, but for some reason I find myself fascinated by them. Why?
Inogashira Goro eats in silence, but his inner voice flows throughout the meal, and he speaks eloquently about what is delicious. Koizumi-san also talks and talks about the ramen he is eating, not to mention the blissful expression on his face when he finishes eating. You can even hear the owner's stories and explanations of his hardships. In other words, when he talks in detail about the food, even though it is something the author would never say out loud, it gets my imagination going and just imagining how delicious it must be makes my brain happy, or rather, makes me feel happy.
The repeated "delicious" statements by celebrities and the statements by Michelin chefs that food is not worth eating because it doesn't look good are nothing more than empty "words" that lack any imagination. Words that stimulate the imagination are what those who talk about "gourmet food" must polish and hone. If that is the case, then I must constantly reflect on myself and think about what the future holds.
This month's recommended wine
"If you can't find Bordeaux, use Cahors or Madiran."
"Cahors 2015 AOP Cahors Domaine Les Rocs de Cana" 2,800 yen (excluding tax)
Nowadays, any casual, stylish restaurant will have wine on offer. In that case, the selection is likely to be worldwide. In such cases, Bordeaux and Burgundy are expensive and highly specialized. Therefore, you will likely find that they are not on the list in many cases. In such cases, when you want to drink a rich wine with Bordeaux-like tannins (strong astringency), it is surprising to see wines from place names (appellations) such as "Cahors" and "Madiran" on the list. In fact, these wines are produced in the upper reaches of the Garonne River that flows through Bordeaux, an area collectively known as the Southwest region.
Among them, "Cahors" is a wine made from at least 70 % Malbec, a grape used as a secondary variety in Bordeaux, so it is inevitably related to Bordeaux. "Cahors", made from Malbec, known locally as Cau (Cotte), is also known as "black wine", has a dark color, is rich in tannins, and can be aged. It can be thought of as a rustic Bordeaux wine. However, Chateau Lagrézette, run by Chanel, is a sophisticated wine, and although it is a little expensive, it is worth trying once. Also, even without Cahors, the climate of Argentina seems to suit Malbec, and Argentina produces affordable 100 % Malbec varietal wines, so you may be able to find it on the list of stores. It may be a good idea to compare Cahors and Argentine Malbec.
By the way, "Madiran" is mainly made from the grape variety Tannat, which is also a rich wine with plenty of tannins. "Chateau Montus" made by Alain Brumont is a famous wine that represents Madiran, and it is famous that Tom Cruise is said to come to buy it on his private jet.
The "Cahors" we will introduce this time is a historic domaine that was one of the first vineyards planted by the Gauls when they invaded Rome about 2000 years ago. It is made from 100 % Malbec organically. It is said to be able to withstand aging, so you can enjoy a moderately mature taste. The price is also reasonable, so please give it a try.
For inquiries about the wines featured,
To 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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