Japan's Family Food

Kiritanbo-nabe, the entire family's pot.

One key component of any culture is its food, but how that food is eaten and who that food is eaten with is also important. From what I've seen and experienced with my host family, if Japan society-wise is often group-oriented, then Japan cuisine-wise is often family-oriented, not just as a feature of who it is eaten with but how it is eaten. Yakiniku, sukiyaki, nabe–all of these are more commonly eaten as a family (or a group of friends). While other foods like ramen, donburi, and others are often bought for oneself, the more family-based foods are unique in that they are shared with the family, not just something to eat by yourself, thereby making you include yourself within the family (or group of friends) through eating.

My own dish from the kiritanbo-nabe.

With my host family, I've been able to have some Japanese food that, while I could get at a restaurant, loses some of its touch when its not eaten at home with a family. Just yesterday we had nabe, specifically kiritanbo-nabe.  For those who have never had any sort of nabe ryori, it is basically a hot pot (literally, 鍋 nabe refers to the pot the food is served in) in which a various mix of vegetables, meat, and practically anything imaginable depending on the dish is boiled together, and everyone takes what they want from the nabe with a smaller dish of their own. In doing so, the nabe becomes both the center piece for the meal as well as a center for the family or conversation, as everyone shares instead of staying isolated with their own personal bowl of rice or noodles. In addition, while kiritanbo-nabe is a specialty of Akita Prefecture and neither of my host parents are from Akita, the reason we had it was because one of their previous host students currently works in Akita and had suggested we try it, which also includes a sort of family-factor in our meal choice.

Not just at home but at restaurants as well, sharing seems very common. At a restaurant, for example, it's common to buy a large mix of items and try them all with your friends. (One of the most popular places for this around Kansai Gaidai is probably Torikizoku, where food is relatively cheap, allowing you to focus on being with your friends and enjoying the experience without having to really worry about the price!) Even the Italian restaurant near my host family's house is family oriented–the last time we went, we bought several types of pasta, pizzas, and salads and shared them all, partially so we could figure out what tasted best, partially because we were there as a family and so we thought it would be best to share. In contrast, at an Italian restaurant in America, for example, I think the more common thing to do even if you're with your family is to buy one meal for yourself, and if you share, it's not much more than a bite or two, whereas in Japan, the whole meal, regardless of whether it's Italian, Japanese, or any specific kind of food, is often based around sharing, which makes it more family-like. Granted, I am generalizing and there most likely are people who share whole meals in such restaurants in America, but in general from my own experiences, I think that it seems much more common in Japan.

Meat for the yakiniku

My host family's yakiniku

Another food eaten often as a family (perhaps most famously) is sukiyaki, which, as it is a type of nabe ryori, food is shared from a collective dish. Currently my host family is waiting for one of their previous host students to visit so we can all go together to their favorite sukiyaki restaurant like one large, extended family, in a way. In addition, I recently had yakiniku with my host parent's parents (my host grandparents?), which was also very family-oriented, as even though we were cooking our own meat, the fact that we did so collectively over the same grill made it another sharing experience.

Both meals at a restaurant in Japan as well as at home are often very family-oriented, although I have to admit I prefer eating at home to eating at a restaurant. It's one thing to eat a nice meal as a family at a restaurant, but to have yakiniku with your family after having been warming up under a kotatsu makes the experience much more memorable.