Sushi, anyone?

Yesterday I was in the library and the book Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat caught my eye. I'm not a huge fan of Asian food. I like Chinese maybe twice a year, and I had my first sushi in September at a greasy chopstick in Florida. (Just joking, the food was actually very good.)

I wasn't sure what to think about this book, but I found it facinating. Granted, I probably won't be fixing wasabi anytime soon, nor any of the other dishes that are mentioned, but the author does a great job of explaining some of the reasons that the Japanese don't have an obesity epidemic like the United States does. Some of the reason are quite obvious -- such as walking most everywhere you go. One thing she suggests is to serve each type of food in a different dish, and to get smaller plates. She said the looks of a meal are as importatnt as the food, and the different dishes add beauty. With the small plates and bowls she comments you can have seconds or thirds and still be eatting less on average as one average American plate.

She also goes through the different foods that are important in the Japanese diet saying why they are so important and gives tips for cooking them if you are so inclined. There's plenty of recipes to help you out should you wish to do so.

Also, she recommends eatting with chopsticks. I know this slows down eatting, and when you eat slower you often don't eat as fast. (Plus, some people find eatting with chopsticks pretty impressive.) LOL!