One of the most delicious ways to eat Kobe Beef is to try Japan’s Wagyu beef served as sashimi sushi.   This dish is prepared by thinly slicing the prime rib section of Kobe Beef lightly marinated in soy sauce and served with dashi sauce and green onions.

Japanese home cooked meal Recipe vol.04

If you do not like steak tartare you might prefer Kobe beef prepared in a different manner.  If you have tried German style tartare like tiger meat you will find out that there is nothing to compare to Kobe Beef with its tenderness and great flavor from the marbleized fat that give it the best beef sashimi experience possible.

Indulgence Kobe Combo – 2 Ribeye (12 oz), 2 NY Strip (12 oz), 2 Filets (6 oz), 4 Burgers (8 oz)

Kobe Beef and Wagyu Beef are often confused although the distinction is very easy.   Wagyu Beef is actually a breed of cows similar to Holstein or Angus.  This particular breed of beef is found primarily in Japan and other parts of Asia, although some have been exported to places like the United States and Australia.

A Wagyu cow

Kobe beef is a cut of beef that comes from a Wagyu Beef Cow that was raised in the Kobe region of Japan and followed the very detailed plan for butchering a very tender piece of beef that is thoroughly marbleized with fat that gives it a very unique flavor and taste.

Deliscious Kobe Beef Burger

D’Artagnan Kobe-Style, American Wagyu Beef Prime Rib Roast Whole Roast, Boneless 15 lbs. Minimum Weight

Kobe Wagyu Beef Rib-Eye Steaks – 2 x 14 oz. Steaks (Only $9.95 2nd Day Shipping!)

Odori-don

Japanese restaurants serve this dead squid in a large blue and white glass soup bowl and call it Odori-don.  The squid is served as seen on top of roe and chili paste with a side of wassabi and ginger.  After the waiter serves the dish he uses a small tea pot to pour soy sauce on the squid tentacles. This is where the crazy stuff starts happening. When the soy sauce touches the tentacles the neurons fire and cause the squid to dance in an animated fashion.

It seems similar to the “chicken with its head cut off” saying. Not so sure if I’d be entertained, disgusted, or be so busy pouring soy-sauce all over it that it wouldn’t be any good to eat by the time you’re done.

Are You Playing With Your Food?

Besides, I don’t know if this is a good idea, because doesn’t this violate the “don’t play with your food” rule Mom always had?

Squid: The Definitive Guide

Wel-Pac – Saki Ika Regular (dried squid) 2.0 Oz.

Did you know that aside from water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world? Sweet, warm, and soothing, each cup of tea is unique and has its own advantages. For centuries the people of Japan, China, India, Thailand, and many other countries have been drinking green tea, but why? What is so special about a cup full of leaves and water? Well, aside from tasting delicious (when made properly) Green tea has many health benefits, and is very inexpensive. I have been drinking green tea for several years, and I love how healthy it makes me feel. But I’m sure you’re wondering, what exactly is green tea? What makes it different from other teas? Where did it come from? How does it benefit you? Well, let me start with what it is.

Ito En (Oi Ocha) Japanese Green Tea, 16.9-Ounce Bottles (Pack of 12)

Green Tea is simply tea leaves that are not processed the same way that other teas are. Tea comes from the leaves of a plant called Camellia Sinensis (kah-MEAL-e-a sy-NEN-sis) The leaves are harvested and dried, with a different drying process for each kind of tea. Green tea, is not fermented the way Black and Oolong teas are. Instead, the leaves are simply steamed. This process allows the leaves to retain more of their healthy properties than the fermenting process would.

Though no one is sure where green tea originally came from, it has been used medicinally for thousands of years. Some people believe Green Tea was first discovered in India. Some people believe it was first found in China. The Japanese legend, according to Yukihiko Hara, author of the book “Green Tea Health Benefits and Applications (Food Science and Technology)” is that in 2737 B.C. Emperor Sheng Nung discovered the plant and taught his people how to brew it into a medicinal drink.

So why should you drink green tea? Green Tea is Beneficial to your body and your mind. Green tea protects and strengthens your body in several ways. Green Tea contains powerful antioxidants called polyphenols that protect against potentially damaging free radical compounds that naturally occur in the body. Green Tea can also aid digestion, assist weight loss by boosting metabolism, protect against heart disease, reduce the risk of cancer.
Though there is not much clinical research on the medicinal properties of green tea, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports that in population based clinical studies green tea seems to prevent coronary artery disease and protect against cancer. Another study by the University of Maryland showed that men who drink green tea are more likely to have lower total cholesterol than men who do not.
Harvard Medical School reports that green tea is the best food source of a group called catechins, which are more powerful than vitamins C and E in stopping oxidative damage to cells
The U.S. National Library of Medicine states that green tea is even possibly effective for reducing the risk or slowing the onset of Parkinson’s disease, and preventing bladder, ovarian and pancreatic cancers.
Green Tea is also good for your mind. Though it does contain caffeine, Green Tea has a smaller amount than most other caffeinated beverages. The small amount of caffeine can reduce headaches and improve mental alertness. Also, because the caffeine content is not high, Green Tea does not have the side effects of other highly caffeinated beverages such as jitters, withdrawal headaches, dizziness, or nausea.

Green Tea is a readily available and inexpensive way to protect against many potentially expensive health problems. A box of green tea at Wal-mart is about 2 dollars for 20 tea bags; that is only 10 cents for each cup of tea. Making a cup of tea takes less than ten minutes. To make a cup of green tea you simply heat boil water and let it cool for about 4 minutes, and pour it over a tea bag. Let the teabag sit in the hot water for three minutes, then take it out and add sweetener if you like. Our health is one of the most important things we have, and drinking one cup of green tea a day is an easy way to preserve such a valuable asset.
Kirkland Signature Ito En Matcha Blend (Green Tea), 100% Japanese Green Tea Leaves, 100 Tea Bags

Radiation Impact on Kobe Beef from Japan

The tsunami in March 2011 has had a far reaching impact on the food sources in Japan. It is disturbing during the first twenty four hours to hear news reports on how the tsunami was going to impact the sushi and fish that is shipped from Japan to the US. However several weeks later there has started to be great concern about the impact of the radiation leak from Fukushima Daiichi Reactor. Radiation levels are thousands times higher than safe levels in the immediate area. Japan has evacuated everyone within nineteen miles but now radiation levels are high in the ocean water near the reactor and more than fifteen states one either coast of the US have started to report slightly elevated levels of radiation including radiation found in milk.

Kobe Beef High Risk for Radiation

Kobe Beef is at higher risk for radiation along with milk and other dairy items as well as certain fresh produce items. The reason for the risk especially with any product from cows is that the radiation is dispersed through rain and dust and falls on the grass, as the dairy cows or beef cows graze the radiation is picked up and spreads through their muscles and into the milk. Not all milk and not all beef will be impacted at the same level. The proximity of the farm to the Fukushima reactors will determine the level of exposure to radiation unless their are significant storms the disperse the radiation around the country.

Kobe Beef Price Hike

The impact of transportation interuption following the tsunami and the loss of production as well as the radiation will spike the price of Kobe Beef immediately. Kobe Beef by nature is high priced as anyone who has bought a kobe beef burger knows. However the price of Kobe Beef will sky rocket throughout the rest of 2011.

Kobe Beef Price