CultureGrams

CultureGrams - JAPAN > Photo (c) Setsuko Yoshizuka > __//Goma-ae//__ > **Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing** > **Ingredients:** 1 pound spinach > >  2 tablespoons white sesame seeds > >  1 tablespoon sake > >  1 tablespoon sugar > >  1 teaspoon soy sauce **Directions:**
 * Recipes that Japanese people make:
 * [[image:http://0.tqn.com/d/japanesefood/1/I/H/P/hourensougomaaemed.jpg caption="Spinach Gomaae"]]Spinach Gomaae
 * 1) Wash and boil spinach. Drain well. Cut spinach into 2-inch lengths.
 * 2) Put sesame seeds in a grinder and grind them. Add sugar, soy sauce, and sake in the grinder and mix well.
 * 3) Add to spinach and stir well.

 __**//Yakisoba//**__ <span style="color: #7d7d7d; display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 10px; text-decoration: inherit;"> pinach Gomaae Yakisoba Photo (c) Setsuko Yoshizuka

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**Pan-fried Noodles** <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> **Ingredients:** <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> 100 grams pork, thinly sliced

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> 1 tablespoon cooking oil

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> 2 packages Chinese yellow noodles

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> 90 grams Yakisoba sauce or Bulldog Worcester sauce

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> Quarter head of cabbage, chopped into small pieces

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> Half a carrot, julienned

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> Half an onion, julienned

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> Half a green pepper, julienned

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> //Beni-shoga// (red pickled ginger), if available

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> //Aonori// (seaweed powder flakes), if available

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> //Katsuo bushi// (bonito fish flakes), if available <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> **Directions:** <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> **Yields:** <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> 2 servings
 * 1) <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> Boil noodles. Drain and set aside.
 * 2) <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Heat oil in a large frying pan or wok. Heat the pork slices until they change color. Add noodles and toss together.
 * 3) <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Add cabbage, carrots, onion, and green pepper and continue frying.
 * 4) <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Mix in the sauce (to taste) with the noodles, meat, and vegetables.
 * 5) <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Sprinkle toppings of //beni-shoga//, //aonori//, and/or //katsuo bushi//, and serve.






 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Population - Japan - 126,804,433
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Urban Population - 67%
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Capital - Tokyo
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Head of State - Emperor Akihito
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Head of Government - PM Naoto Kan
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Currency - Yen
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Area in square miles - 4,244
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">GDP per capita - $32,600
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">GDP in billions - $4,149
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Internet users per 1,000 people - 752 people
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Cellular telephone users per 1,000 people - 742 people
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Telephone landlines users per 1,000 people - 460 people
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Adult literacy 99%
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Caloric daily intake - 2761 calories
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Probability of not surviving to age 40 - 2%
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Doctors per 1,000 - 198
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Maternal mortality - 6 out of 100,000
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Longest coastlines-18,486 miles\
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Largest population in nations - 127 million
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Smallest population under 15 - 13.50
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Largest population above 65 - 22.20%
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Highest GDP - 4.3 Trillion
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Exports GDP - 542 billions annual exports
 * <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%; line-height: 24px;">Imports GDP - 500 billion

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;"> Learning about Japan and their way of life is very different then mine in the United States. Japan has more people per square mile on the small island that populates 126,804,433 people. Japan has very little diversity with 98% being Japanese. Japan gets struck with over one thousand earthquakes a year. Many of them cause little damage. The Japanese love their sports baseball is one of their favorites along with golf, volleyball, soccer, tennis, and sumo wrestling. Among one of the famous sports personalities is Ichiro Suzuki, he was awarded most valuable player three times in baseball for Japan. They also, love to sing karaoke, especially, American songs. Japan has one of the largest populations over 100 years old. Japanese is the official language spoken, but English is also taught in school. One of the differences in Japan is that they read books from the back to the front and from right to left, which is opposite of how we read in the U.S. The children have a more rigorous schedule growing up. They attend school six days a week and sometimes in the evenings as well. This does not leave much leisure time for children as seen in the U.S. The families are relatively small with up to two children with modest homes or apartments. The children sleep in the same room together using bed rolls, that are similar to a thin mattress on the floor. The children have fun playing video games, computers, movies, and fashionable clothes. Another difference is religion, the U.S. is predominately Christian based and Japan is mainly Buddhist with respect to Shinto.

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Arial Black',Gadget,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">Some of the history of Japan is well known with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Japan wanted to have control of the Pacific. The United States defeated Japan when two atomic bombs were dropped on the people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The United States went to work to help rebuild the destroyed country after the war. Japan became one of the leading countries in the industrialized world. Their economy began to thrive and became one of the wealthiest countries. Japanese people took pride in their country and worked hard to become a world power again. The Japanese have many of their own holidays and traditions differing from the U.S. They have a variety of parades, costumes ornately adorned, and dancing festivities. One of the biggest holidays is New Years and it goes on for close to a week. Rice is the staple of their food source with seaweed, fish, tofu, and Ramen type noodles. Japan's emperor is more of a figure head and does not have any real authority. The Japanese are big importers of food because there is very little land to utilize for agriculture. The U.S. is a huge exporter to Japan. Many families in the cities use mass transportation to get around. The Japanese people are very polite and proper and showing respect to one another is part of their culture and upbringing.