The second session of Fram’s Setouchi Food School was held on July 12, 2015 at the Kitagawa International Specialty School in Takamatsu. Despite the rainy weather, 103 participants attended. The program was broken into morning and afternoon workshops on The Food and Flavors of Sanuki.
Guest lecturers were Masahiro Mitsuya, chairperson of the Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Association, Keiichi Yamamoto, president of Kagawa Uoichiba Company, a marine product wholesaler, and Yoshinori Saito, president of Takamatsu Seika Ltd., a produce wholesaler. They shared their extensive knowledge of ingredients particularly suited to Kagawa’s land and climate along with traditional culinary approaches that bring out the flavors of those foods.
Their presentations captivated both students and staff alike, and covered content that ranged from the inside story on specific ingredients to issues confronting Kagawa’s farming and fishing industries—things that even those who live here had never heard before.
That said, Fram’s Food School is much more than just sitting and listening to lectures! Participants were invited to look, feel and eat the ingredients. Mr. Mitsuya prepared typical local dishes known as kankan zushi (pressed vinegared rice topped with pickled mackerel) and anmochi zoni (miso soup with bean-paste-filled rice cakes); Mr. Yamamoto provided octopus and the classy ako (red spotted grouper), both fresh from the Seto Inland Sea; and Mr. Saito provided Mitoyo eggplant, Sakaide kintoki sweet potatoes, hakuto peaches, Pione grapes, and obarabeniwase oranges, all ingredients that are known for their sweetness and rich flavor.
Participants learned that providing “food” involves much more than simply cooking ingredients to serve customers. Rather, presentation and interaction with one’s guests are important “seasonings”.
The staff members can’t wait to see how the participants apply what they have learned from this session to develop their image of “food”.
For the next session, we’re going to the Echigo-Tsumari Triennale 2015 where we’ll get hands-on experience in the field. The Echigo-Tsumari Triennale has devoted much effort to this topic on the grounds that “food” and “cooking” is the most basic and elementary expression of culture and art. This is sure to be a great learning opportunity, and the staff members are already gearing up to make it another resounding success.
Guest lecturers were Masahiro Mitsuya, chairperson of the Kagawa Prefecture Tourism Association, Keiichi Yamamoto, president of Kagawa Uoichiba Company, a marine product wholesaler, and Yoshinori Saito, president of Takamatsu Seika Ltd., a produce wholesaler. They shared their extensive knowledge of ingredients particularly suited to Kagawa’s land and climate along with traditional culinary approaches that bring out the flavors of those foods.
Their presentations captivated both students and staff alike, and covered content that ranged from the inside story on specific ingredients to issues confronting Kagawa’s farming and fishing industries—things that even those who live here had never heard before.
That said, Fram’s Food School is much more than just sitting and listening to lectures! Participants were invited to look, feel and eat the ingredients. Mr. Mitsuya prepared typical local dishes known as kankan zushi (pressed vinegared rice topped with pickled mackerel) and anmochi zoni (miso soup with bean-paste-filled rice cakes); Mr. Yamamoto provided octopus and the classy ako (red spotted grouper), both fresh from the Seto Inland Sea; and Mr. Saito provided Mitoyo eggplant, Sakaide kintoki sweet potatoes, hakuto peaches, Pione grapes, and obarabeniwase oranges, all ingredients that are known for their sweetness and rich flavor.
Participants learned that providing “food” involves much more than simply cooking ingredients to serve customers. Rather, presentation and interaction with one’s guests are important “seasonings”.
The staff members can’t wait to see how the participants apply what they have learned from this session to develop their image of “food”.
For the next session, we’re going to the Echigo-Tsumari Triennale 2015 where we’ll get hands-on experience in the field. The Echigo-Tsumari Triennale has devoted much effort to this topic on the grounds that “food” and “cooking” is the most basic and elementary expression of culture and art. This is sure to be a great learning opportunity, and the staff members are already gearing up to make it another resounding success.
