About this item
Japan is arguably the preeminent food nation on earth, a Mecca for the world's greatest chefs, with more Michelin stars than any other country. The Japanese go to extraordinary lengths and expense to eat food that is marked both by its exquisite preparation and exotic content. Their creativity, dedication, and courage in the face of dishes such as cod sperm and octopus ice cream is only now beginning to be fully appreciated in the sushi and ramen-saturated West. Food and travel writer Michael Booth takes the culinary pulse of contemporary Japan, learning fascinating tips and recipes that few westerners have been privy to before. Accompanied by two fussy eaters under the age of six, he and his wife travel the length of the country, from bear-infested, beer-loving Hokkaido to snake-infested, seaweed-loving Okinawa. Along the way, they dine with - and score a surprising victory over - sumo wrestlers; share a seaside lunch with free-diving, female abalone hunters; and meet the greatest chefs working in Japan today. Less happily, they witness a mass fugu slaughter, are traumatized by an encounter with giant crabs, and attempt a calamitous cooking demonstration for the lunching ladies of Kyoto.
About the Author
Michael Booth is an award winning English author and journalist.He has written seven books: - 'Just As Well I'm Leaving - To the Orient with Hans Christian Andersen', which was shortlisted for an Irish Times first time author award; - 'Sacré Cordon Bleu', a BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week. - 'Sushi and Beyond', which won a Guild of Food Writers award and was adapted for television. - 'Eat, Pray, Eat', which was shortlisted for a British Press Award. - 'The Almost Nearly Perfect People - Behind the Myth of the Scandinavian Utopia,' winner of the biennial Guild of Travel Writer's Best Narrative Travel Book (2016) .- 'The Meaning of Rice', shortlisted for Guild of Food Writers', Fortnum and Mason's, and André Simon food writing awards (2017) .- 'Three Tigers, One Mountain: A Journey Through the Bitter History and Current Conflicts of China, Korea and Japan'. (2020) .He is a broadcaster and public speaker, and writes regularly for a variety of newspapers and magazines around the world, including the Guardian, Monocle, The Times and Condé Nast Traveller.
