Omedetai

Once reasonably, sort of, quasi-refreshed, we joined Koji-San and Naoko-San at the table for Osechi-Ryori—that special, once a year, magically delicious bento eaten exclusively on January first.

Naoko-San, assisted by The Princess, produced our sumptuous rendition of this exciting meal. My only contribution was the flowers which I had bought from Yagi Florist the day before—go me!

This little flower fell from the bouquet during a cat attack, but Hisachan saved it. That’s why she’s the Flower Princess, 花姫 (hana-hime)!

Between the shapes, colors, and names of the items served in Osechi-Ryori, each element symbolizes a different wish for the new year: long life, good health, happiness, culture, scholarship, hard work, fertility, and so on…

As there are already some great online sources listing these specifics of Osechi-Ryori (links at bottom of this entry), we will not here endeavor to reproduce what others have rendered with greater skill and accuracy elsewhere.

The sweet omelet, datemaki, depicted here, is fan-friggin’-tastic! It tastes like the bastard child of a pancake and a french omelet. It’s amazing. The rolled up shape represents a scroll of knowledge, and thus a wish for culture and scholarly achievement in the new year. Plus it’s delicious, in case I didn’t make that clear already.

I think it does have some kind of fish or shrimp paste mixed in there somewhere, though. While in Japan, I practiced what I came to call “visual vegetarianism,” meaning that if I couldn’t tell that something was not vegetarian by sight, smell, or texture, I didn’t worry too much about it.

You gotta pick your battles, don’tchya know!

We also ate tempura, which isn’t standard Osechi-Ryori fare, by my understanding, but it was delicious nonetheless!

Suffice it to say that our New Year’s meal was matched in the extent of its beauty only by the quality of its flavor.

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Happy New Year!

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Symbolism of Osechi-Ryori:
J-Higa
Rocket News
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