Cultural Immersion

Ryokan Etiquette

Ryokan Hakuun

Perhaps it would be better to say up front that we didn’t quite master the fine art of “Ryokan Etiquette”.  However our hosts at Ryokan Hakuun were most accommodating and our days spent in the lovely village of Takayama passed way too quickly. 

So, let’s begin!  We arrived full of expectation.  Shoes were removed at the front door.  Then we were shown to our large room screened off with shoji (rice paper) screens and tatami mat flooring.  Only a single low table was centred in the room.  On the table we found our arrival tea waiting for us. 

 

Our traditional inn had a hot spring (onsen) although only a few guests followed the Japanese custom of the hot communal soak.  Some of the rooms had a traditional timber tub and we learned that the custom is to shower and soap yourself first before stepping into the tub (no soap – soaking only).  We also discovered the (toilet or bathroom) slippers routine and were caught out more than once in embarrassing circumstances. 

 

Doors to our rooms

 

After bathing, we went to our dining room dressed in a provided blue & white cotton yukata (wrapped left over right thank you) to meet up with our fellow travellers for a sumptuous feast of assorted Japanese foods.   We finished it off with a taste of sake…hmmm…not so sure about that!

Our first night's dinner

We retired to our beds - futons had been laid out on tatami mats.  All that cool country air, picture perfect streets in the old town, doses of cherry blossom and now a nice warm bed!  It was all very relaxing. 

Seafood Dinner

A wonderful view through every door

 

Travelling with Locals

Cherry Blossom

Next morning we met to begin our tour.  On the way to the bus station and through the Kyoto Train Station, we explored food options including a huge food hall (depachika) in the Department store basement.  DJ’s, move over!  Here we came into contact with Japan’s favourite takeaway, the bento box lunch.  We were able to collect our Japan Rail passes inside the train station. Thus armed, we took off by bus to explore Kyoto’s offerings.  

We made our way up “Tea Pot Hill” climbing steep cobblestone paths lined with wonderful pottery shops.  Our destination, providing we didn’t stop too often to admire delicate Japanese tea sets, was Kiyomizu temple. 

The temple is a vast complex of shrines and pagodas built into a hillside with wonderful views across Kyoto.  Kiyomizu means “pure water” and many Japanese visit to take the sacred waters of the Otowa-no-taki Falls that flow through the complex. 

We were lucky enough to catch site of some maiko in beautiful traditional costumes amongst the madly flowering azaleas.  It was too late in the season for that burst of sweet pink cherry blossom (sakura) though.

Maiko with their red collars



Gion, on the eastern bank of the Kamogawa River is Edo era Japan and was developed to suit the needs of travellers and tourists in medieval times.  It became known for its tea houses (ochaya), famed for its geisha (geiko), and popular for its auspicious temples.  We learned that apprentice geisha are locally called maiko and their quarters, okiya. 

After exploring the Heian Shrine and its beautiful surrounding gardens (where we met an Australian exchange student), we made our way to the Museum of Traditional Craft & Industry.

Sadly I can’t remember a lot about this museum, however I have a couple of photos of some delightful silk fabrics that were on display.  Many silks are only woven in Kyoto and some are still loomed by hand.

Perhaps one of the best references I have for Japanese textiles is the book written by Sunny Yang and Rochelle M. Narasin "Textile Art of Japan" (2000).

  

Silks from the Museum of Traditional Craft & Industry

Go Really Wild for Flavours

Ingredients & Couscous Steamer, Ait Benhaddou

Learn to cook with Mr Action. Fresh seasonal vegetables are his secret. Layer them “just so” in the base of a *cooking tagine then cover with chunks of meat. Flavour variety is added with preserved lemons, olives, mint or eggs. Add your blend of 7** secret herbs and spices (better yet the prepared mix of 35 available in the souk) then put over a slow fire until done. Serve with lashings of fresh bread to soak up the flavoursome gravy. Mr Action also serves homemade couscous (semolina), a time consuming process that had us all making “notes to self” that the “instant” supermarket variety would be ok – unless you were preparing dinner for a Moroccan!

*Don’t confuse a cooking tagine with a decorative one. The decorative ones, whilst most attractive, can contain lead (in the glaze).   

** Garlic, saffron, turmeric, coriander, cumin, pepper and salt

Care for a date or two?

Pigeon b’stilla in Fes as guests of Dar Hatim's gourmet chefs.  Pigeon meat, eggs, almonds and raisons mixed then flavoured with lemon, saffron, sugar and cinnamon. All wrapped in a light pastry (warkba) and baked. Rich, crispy and very delicious!

Really fresh sardines, Essaouira

Seafood feast in Essaouira. Grilled lobster, sweet sole, prawns and fresh sea bass.

Mint Tea in an Azib (seasonal shelter)

Mint tea is the beverage of choice, a sweet concoction of green tea, mint and sugar. Alcohol is rarely served but can be found in tourist areas. Bars line streets and in the evening customers, mostly men, face out to“people watch” and gossip. I’d prefer a pomegranate champers to a beer but sometimes that’s all there was on offer. Wine is produced locally and we made the effort to sample a few bottles.

Local camel butcher, Fes

Salads were plentiful, many with a citrus or tomato base were garnished with olives, fresh chillies, green or red capsicum, red onion and coriander just for added oomph! Served with lashings of olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice. Sadly we often looked at, rather than ate, salads due to poor water quality. We always, always drank bottled water....

Bread - always fresh and so, so tempting. Available every day in many varieties.

Baker's shop in Essaouira

Go Wild for Flavours

Grains and other household necessities for sale in Fes

One thing about travelling in Morocco is that you are readily served fresh local foods - not watered down "westernised" versions but real, healthy, hearty foods. Some of our favourite flavoursome experiences were:

No Harira? Then try snail broth at a local street stall perhaps...

Harira is a flavoursome and fragrant soup. We were never served the same twice as it is considered a household speciality. Traditionally, harira is made from a concoction of lamb or goat, fragrant spices (home secrets) and lentils. Chickpeas, tomato, onion, coriander and parsley add further flavour to the base. Served with chunks of bread and eaten with relish.

Camel burgers on the grill in the Meknes souk

Camel Burger. Try this souk snack made with camel meat grilled over open coals, garnished with smoked, roasted tomatoes and onions served on a locally made (and very fresh) bread roll. Add a little harissa (red chillies, capsicum & pepper sauce) if you dare!

Delicious Tagines and Couscous
served in our desert camp, Merzouga

Tagines under Saharan stars. Slow cooked stews of meat and veg looked superb and tasted even better.

Seafood selection for the outdoor grill, Essaouira

Roti Canai for Breakfast

Still the best Asian cookbook out there
(from Book Depository)

Back to the travelogue. I can't leave Malaysia without some comment on their glorious food.  Despite the obvious influx of western style foods, there are still plenty of food halls (and open air market stalls) selling delicious local food. Back then, we used to eat out regularly in the local style, trying most of the restaurants and stalls in PD and beyond. Our local night market was also an opportunity to sample out-of-town specialities.  Best of all was the little man on his scooter who delivered fresh goodies to our houses.

Delight of the Orient  - for some!

I learned to cook special curries from our acquaintances and loved to shop with the locals at the Seremban market for fresh, seasonal fruit and vegies. Pork, located in a separated complex, was available as was mutton (goat), beef (buff) and quite an array of birds, aside from the usual chicken - all melt-in-your-mouth.  I even found a man that sold frozen New Zealand lamb - well, it was perhaps best described by those of us with a taste for lamb, as mutton or really ancient sheep - but at least we were able to get our fix.  Malays find the taste of lamb too strong.... beats me how they can taste it over all that chilli heat!! 

Malaysian hospitality is wonderful and I loved their all-inclusive style of celebration called "open house" and method of serving food in "banana leaf" style - no plates or cutlery, just a variety of curries and  condiments served on a banana leaf and eaten with your fingers. A very free and relaxing way to run a party or entertain!  Here's a few of our favourite dishes that we encountered back then and hoped to re-sample this visit:

Nasi Lemak.  Rice in coconut milk served with cucumber, egg, peanuts, ikan bilis (small fried fish) and finally, lashings of a fiery, chilli sambal.  To make it more of a meal, a meat or vege curry such as beef rendang or sotong sambal could be added. Of course, it's best served banana leaf style.

Noodle Dishes. Char kway teow made with fresh vege and flat rice noodles, stir fried in a wok and prawn laksa, a rich coconut "soup" with prawns served over rice vermicelli rank as my favourites. We were often served these dishes at the Port Dickson Club on weekends. Mee, thick yellow wheat noodles, were also good either stir fried (mee goreng) or in a soup dish.

Other Staples. Roti canai, papery thin breads whirled over your head by the cook as you wait for this breakfast treat. Add some curry gravy, dhal or perhaps a little ayam curry and I'm in heaven.  Karipaps (curry puffs) helped fill in those gaps when you felt a bit hungry!!
  
Stall Specials.  Nothing beats chilli mud crabs.  Coat freshly caught & steamed mud crabs in chilli sauce, eat with your fingers and try not to get too emotional! 

Chicken satays fanned whilst being cooked over hot coals, then served with peanut sauce are too good to pass up on hot, steamy nights.

Kitchen Essentials.  Belacan - smells ghastly but adds that special zing to your curries.  Charmaine Solomon has written extensively about food in South East Asia. Try one of her comprehensive cook books. And a wok - can't live without my wok! 

Deserts. With an abundance of fresh fruits such as lychees, bananas, mangosteens etc, etc - too many to list - we only tried a few very sweet deserts or cakes such as dolol - coconut cakes wrapped in banana leaves to make cute triangles, then steamed.  Most memorable however, was ais kacang; shaved ice served in a tall glass with toppings of cendol (small gelatin cubes), peanuts, cincau (black jelly), red or black beans, rose syrup, coconut cream (santan) and finally gula melaka.  Makes your teeth rot just thinking about it!  I can't finish without mentioning durian. Yes, we tried it and it tasted to me like creamed garlic. Mind you I had my fingers firmly holding my nose at the time. 

Drinking.  Finish it all off with a Tiger Beer or a foamy teh tarik (stretched tea - you'll understand once it is served!). 

Of course you can't really cook up a storm without the help of Charmaine Solomon.  Her Cookbook has been around for years and is still the best available if you want an authentic recipe or several.