A Taste of Japan [Paperback]

Donald Richie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1993

This volume aims to enlighten anyone who dines in Japanese restaurants and wishes to have a better understanding of the various dishes on the menu and how to eat them.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This slim volume, based on a series of magazine articles, explains Japanese cuisine in the context of Japanese culture. A brief introduction to the cuisine's aesthetics is followed by 14 handsomely illustrated chapters, each devoted to a different type of food. The coverage is by no means complete; Richie discusses the history and customs associated with Japan's more popular and unique dishes. Recipes are not included. Readers wanting a short, entertaining look at the subject should enjoy this book. Those seeking an in-depth introduction to the cuisine would do better to consult Shizuo Tsuji's Japanese Cooking: a simple art (Kodansha, 1980). Bruce Hulse, Columbia Univ. Libs., New York

Copyright 1985 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Donald Richie, born in Ohio in 1924, has lived in Japan for many years. Formerly Curator of Film at the New York Museum of Modern Art, he is well known as the foremost Western authority on the Japanese cinema (see A Hundred Years of Japanese Film), and has also written many books on the country and its culture, including the classic The Inland Sea, The Japanese Tattoo, and Zen Inkings.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Kodansha International (JPN) (July 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4770017073
• ISBN-13: 978-4770017079
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,192,678 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Graceful essays, December 31, 2000

By 

Susan Porjes "Food writer" (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Taste of Japan (Paperback)

A long-time resident of Japan, Donald Richie fondly explores the relationship of Japanese foods to Japanese history and culture in a series of graceful, eminently readable essays. If you want to know how tempura came to Japan, why the Japanese play Russian roulette with fugu (blowfish), or why riceballs are standard picnic fare, this is the book for you. (Note: This book does not contain any recipes.)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Japanese Food Explained, February 16, 2007

By 

Marco Antonio Abarca (Colorado) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Taste of Japan: Food Fact and Fable, What the People Eat, Customs and Etiquette (Hardcover)

Donald Richie first went to Japan in 1947 as part of the American Occupation Forces. He soon fell in love with Japanese culture and decided to make Japan his home. Richie has lived in Japan for more than fifty years and is best known as the foremost Western critic of Japanese Cinema.

Donald Richie has carved out a niche as the great "explainer" of Japanese culture. "A Taste of Japan" is Richie's attempt to explain Japanese food to a Western Audience. He dedicates chapters to such topics as Sushi, Tonkatsu, Fugu and Tempura. Each chapter tries to explain what each of these foods means to the Japanese. If you are looking for a cook book or an etiquette guide, this book is not for you. The value of this slim and entertaining volume is as guide to food and its relationship to the the Japanese people.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous introduction to Japanese eating culture, July 24, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: A Taste of Japan (Paperback)

This book is a great introduction to the culture

of eating and drinking in Japan. The colour

photographs are sensational and the text is clear

and well laid out. By reading this book I have

been able to get much greater pleasure from

eating and preparing Japanese food.