January 3rd...aphrodisiacal rice

This is tororo, grated nagaimo or Japanese mountain yam, a root which is allegedly an aphrodisiac. When the yam is grated (with mortar and pestle or flat grater), it turns into a snowy white sticky mess. Some people are allergic to something in the root so when they grate it, their hands and arms turn blotchy red and itchy. I noticed I have a minor allergy to whatever substance it is and now handle the stuff with care. Again, who knew food could be so treacherous? (read the entry on mochi)

The Japanese eat this topped on rice on the 3rd of January. It is believed to promote health and as mochi rice cakes, longevity. It's again eerily similar to mochi in that it doesn't have much taste on its own. As you eat it, gooey strands trail your chopsticks and sometimes end up slapping your chin unexpectedly. Like spaghetti marinara, it's definitely not the ideal food to have on a date. ^_^ I ate it on the 3rd...ha ha, I'll poll my students to find out how many followed this outdated tradition. Even Hiro's mom didn't know about it until we saw it in a supermarket ad. Figures. Leave it to commercialism to remind us of 'tradition.'

I just noticed that there are a fair number of days in Japan where tradition has it they eat 'X' type of food or 'Y' type of drink. To date, in my blog, I've already listed: touji day, soba noodle day, and tororo rice day... For the most part these days exist out of superstition or vague health/vitality/longevity reasons. The queerest (or not so queer after all) thing is, I love these kind of outdated and obscure days. It's fun shopping for such foods and creating new traditions in my life...gives me something to look forward to year after year! I don't recall having to eat particular types of foods on certain days back in the West. Can someone provide me of some examples of such?