Congrats! Japanese Cuisine Now Listed As World Heritage

Dec 10 • Blog, Japanese Food, News • 29121 Views • 2 Comments

As some of you food lovers may already be aware, Japan has just become only the second nation after France to have its national cuisine designated heritage status last week. Below is from AP news:

“The United Nations cultural organization (UNESCO) has added traditional Japanese food to its cultural heritage list, making it only the second national cuisine to receive the prized designation. A UNESCO committee announced the decision Wednesday at a meeting in Azerbaijan. Previously only French cooking had been distinguished as a national culinary tradition. UNESCO has also recognized specific dishes from Mexico and Turkey, and added the Mediterranean diet — the tradition of sharing food and eating together — at this week’s meeting. Known as “washoku,” Japan’s traditional cooking embraces seasonal ingredients, a unique taste and a style of eating steeped in centuries of tradition. Japan hopes that UNESCO recognition will both send a global message and boost efforts to save washoku at home. Purists fear that Japanese are turning away from the often time-consuming traditional cooking, as fast food and western cuisine become more popular and people lead busier lives.”

I sure am happy to hear this news as someone who has cycled up the entire country to introduce Japanese food to the people around the globe. There seems to have been a collective thought inside and out of Japan that this “good stuff” is still mostly hidden from the rest of the world – though unintentional. For somebody to understand a foreign cuisine with so much variety and history could be a rather daunting task. (From looking at my blog, you should know it’s waaay more than just sushi.) UNLESS!, you eat your way around the place to get to know it for yourself. But, how many people can afford the time and money, AND also be passionate enough about it to do that? Not so many. This is why I wanted to do it myself and share it with the rest of the world to be a fun and unique introduction.

I am seeing this UNESCO recognition as a stepping stone for my own project as well, to review what I have and havne’t done yet, and to continue to be the bridge between people from different cultures. Although not so vocal on this blog, 2013 has been an interesting year for me with such experiences as occasional guiding for guests from Czech Republic, Taiwan, and Italy as part of work. Naturally in such times, there were Japanese meals, which all of them were so excited about and enjoyed. I was able to explain what some of the mysterious beauties on their plates were, and even better, I got to ask them about their food culture too, which I am always fascinated with.

One major thing we all have in common, no matter where we are from, is that we eat. Experiencing different cuisines is a borderless way to get to know other cultures even without knowing the language. It lets us wonder what kind of places the ingredients are grown and how the dishes were established long ago (or recently). This news has made me realize once again that my dream is to connect the world and bringing people together with delicious findings for more smiles, which I believe contributes to world peace. (of course with bicycles!)

2014 planning, here we go.

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