Christmas is only 9 days away! I hope everybody has the holiday spirit and is ready to celebrate. All around the world, people eat different types of dishes on Christmas day including ham, roast beef, duck, and turkey to just name a few. Today, let’s talk about what people eat in New England and how we can make it at home for the holidays! First of all, where is New England? It is a region of the northeast United States which includes the states of Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. This area was particularly important in early American history, and one tradition that is very important to the people of New England is making clam chowder! This is such a popular dish in winter, and many New England residents make an extra special chowder for Christmas. So, if you are interested in this delicious dish, please follow the recipe below to make a New England Clam Chowder that you will never forget!
AMAZING NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
Ingredients
104 grams of pancetta, cut into thin strips (Pancetta is highly recommended but if you can't find pancetta, you can use bacon.) 2 tablespoons of butter 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 2 ribs of celery, chopped 2 cloves of garlic, minced 32 grams of all-purpose flour 950 milliliters of fish broth or dashi 60 milliliters dry white wine (e.g., sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, chardonnay or cooking sake is also okay) 6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5 cm cubes 1.5 teaspoons sea salt 5 teaspoon black pepper 1.5 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme 2 bay leaves 30 quahogs, 本美之主貝 (ほんびのすがい) OR 552.816 grams of canned clams, drained 232 grams of heavy cream (whipping cream is also okay) 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley oyster crackers for serving (optional)
Directions
*If using fresh clams: Put the clams and 4 cups of water in a pot and boil them. Cook just until the clams have opened, about 8-10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, throw away any unopened clams. Use a big spoon to remove the cooked clams, let them cool, then remove the meat and roughly chop it. Save them for later.
Slice the pancetta (or bacon if using) into thin strips. Fry in a medium pot until crispy and then remove with a slotted spoon. Leave about a tablespoon of the grease in the pot.
Add the butter to the pot along with the onions, celery and garlic. Cook for 6-8 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the flour and stir to combine and cook for a minute.
Add the broth and white wine and stir so that the flour doesn’t clump. Simmer the soup and stir constantly. Add the potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper and half of the pancetta/bacon.
Simmer the chowder for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Take out the bay leaves. (*The color of your chowder might be different than the picture but it is okay)
Add the clams, cream and parsley and heat for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
Sprinkle the remaining pancetta, fresh parsley and oyster crackers (optional).
Recently, the Japanese government made a decision to give families 100,000 yen for each child that they have. This payment should be received sometime in spring of 2021, and it is intended to help families who are struggling with financial problems because of COVID-19 and to stimulate the Japanese economy. People that earn over 9.6 million per year will not qualify for this money, but interestingly, about 90% of Japanese families are eligible. Prime Minister Kishida promised to help people in need when he was campaigning earlier this year.
In the United States, we call this a “stimulus check” because people traditionally received a paper check from the government that they could deposit at the bank. However, these days, most people receive an electronic direct deposit to their account without doing anything at all, so we call it a “stimulus payment,” too. During the COVID-19 pandemic, American people have received 3 stimulus checks so far.
April 2020:$1,200 per person ($2,400 for married couples) + $500 per child December 2020: $600 per per person ($1,200 for married couples) + $600 per child March 2021: $1,400 per person ($2,800 for married couples) + $1,400 per child
Some Americans feel that the government should not be giving people this much money, but other Americans feel that this is not enough money to survive this difficult time. What do you think? Also, do you think that the Japanese government has helped people too much or not enough during the pandemic? Let's talk about these issues the next time you come to Bridge.
As many students at BRIDGE already know, I recently moved to Nagoya in September of 2021, and I am still getting to know the city. One of my favorite things so far in the city is the food, and from tebasaki to miso katsu, I have really been enjoying the great restaurants in Nagoya. Today, I’d like to share my experience from last weekend at a great restaurant near Nakamura Koen.
I visited the restaurant, Kushikatsu Taiko, which is 2 blocks southwest of Nakamura Koen. Although it is quite small, there is a 4-person counter, a few regular tables, and one traditional Japanese table where you sit on the floor. It is a family-owned place, and when I went there, it was easy to notice that because the staff worked together so well. My friend and I sat at the counter, and it was a pleasure to see how they prepared all the dishes. Of course, their recommended item was kushikatsu, and we enjoyed a couple skewers that were served with red miso. We also enjoyed some maguro sashimi, kaki furai, dote-ni and beer. Everything was so savory and extremely delicious, and the service was fantastic. So,if you have a free afternoon, I suggest going to Nakamura Koen for a nice walk in the park and then stopping at Kushikatsu Taiko for some great food and great times.
*I know it is hard to translate Japanese dishes into English. Please look below for some helpful ways to describe the food I mentioned above.
kushikatsu: deep-fried pork, chicken or vegetables on skewers
kaki furai: deep-fried oysters
dote-ni: boiled pork or beef guts coated with red miso
sashimi: thin slices of raw fish served with soy sauce and wasabi
