Japanese Food Adventures In LA

Well, we've got some strange, but fun Japanese foodie events happening soon. We have a rice lecture. Yes, a real rice lecture and tasting. We also have a LACMA sending off its Japanese art exhibit, Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art with both a special tour and dinner celebrating the subject. And it happens to be Vegan.

Rice Lecture & Tasting

Sat, Nov 23, 2pm or 4pm

JAPAN HOUSE Salon, Level 5

6801 Hollywood Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90028

Free, Must RSVP

*Yes, really a rice tasting

Since 1971, the Japan Grain Inspection Association has conducted rice taste sensory tests on a national scale, ranking each regional variant through rigorous scientific assessment to determine the best tasting rice every year. (*) This workshop features a lecture led by the National Agricultural Research Organization of Japan (NARO) in which participants will learn about Japanese short-grain rice and its regional variants, and the best way to cook rice and how to pair side dishes to complement its flavor.

Following the lecture, participants will join in a professional-level sensory test of rice, sampling four types of cooked white rice. Participants will also receive a souvenir as a small token of appreciation to take home.

Osechi Made Easy

Saturday, December 7, 2019 | 10 am–4 pm

Japanese American Cultural & Community Center
244 S. San Pedro St. Los Angeles
$90 JACCC MEMBER | $100 GENERAL

LEARN TO MAKE YOUR OWN JAPANESE NEW YEAR TRADITIONAL OSECHI!

Yoko Maeda Lamn, founder of Hakko, returns to JACCC’s culinary team to create several traditional Japanese New Year dishes. Learn the craft of regional styles of soups and vegetable-based dishes with explanations of the historical basis on this traditional cuisine.

Make Your Own Toshikoshi Soba with Sonoko Sakai

Saturday, December 7, 2019 | 10 am–12 pm

Japanese American National Museum  

244 S. San Pedro St. Los Angeles
$80

Make soba using fresh, stone-milled artisanal flour from Japan and authentic soba tools. This soba will be served in the classic way: cold with fresh soy-based dipping sauce, toppings, and spices. 
Soba is a type of noodle traditionally made from buckwheat flour, or a combination of buckwheat and wheat flours. In Japan, many people celebrate special occasions by eating soba. For example, many celebrate New Year’s Eve by eating toshikoshi soba or when moving into a new residence, people will serve their new neighbors hikkoshi soba.

Cur-ATE: A Vegan Adventure in Japan

Sun, Dec 8, 2019 5:30 pm–8 pm 

Smidt Welcome Plaza  |  LACMA 

$100 LACMA members, $134 LACMA members with wine-tasting; $110 general public, $144 general public with wine-tasting

Start this fun evening with a tour of the exhibition Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art, which celebrates one of the most distinctive aspects of Japanese art: the depiction of animals. Underpinned by Japan's spiritual heritage of Shintō and Buddhism, the Japanese reverence for nature—and the place of animals within that realm—is expressed in a variety of artworks. You will find artistic representations of animals real and imagined, including lions, dogs, cats, fish, insects, dragons, and phoenixes. Learn about the various roles animals have played in Japanese culture.
Then move to Ray’s & Stark Bar to enjoy a creative vegan Japanese dinner specially designed by executive chef Phillip Martin, featuring seasonal ingredients. The vegan menu is inspired by the Buddhist ritual of releasing captured animals that was practiced in Japan.