アメリカに住んで良いことの一つは世界各国から来た様々な人に会えることです。特に各国の家庭料理のレシピを友人達と教え合うのは楽しいものです。友人達と料理をしていると「日本人って普段は何を食べているの」と良く聞かれます。その質問にここでお答えしたいと思います。
伝統的な和食は主菜、数種類の副菜、ごはんとみそ汁という組み合わせで、主菜は大抵魚、副菜は野菜、あるいは豆腐です。
魚は大抵焼くか「だし」で煮ます。野菜はゆでるか、あるいは酢の物にします。和食は基本的に塩、醤油、味噌で調味していて、油やにんにく、香辛料などは使いません。それが和食は健康的だと言われる所以です。油を使わずに、野菜や魚を食の中心に据えています。
外国の人は伝統的な和食を好きなんだろうかと疑問に思うことがあります。というのも伝統的な和食の味付けはとても繊細なので、あまりにも繊細で味が無いという人もいます。しかも基本的には醤油か味噌で味付けされているので、どれもこれも同じ味に思えるという人もいます。
我が文化伝統の名誉のために、少しだけ説明させてもらうと、日本人は素材そのものを味わうことを大切にしているために、味付けをほんの少しに抑えています。和食はとても簡素に見えますが、素材そのものの味を引き出すために細心の注意が払われ、手間ひまを掛けて作られているのです。
実はといえば私は外国の友達に本当に伝統的な和食を作ったことがありません。もしかしたら彼女達の口に合わないのではないのかと、恐れているのです。大概は唐揚げやポテトサラダ、お好み焼きのような新しいタイプの和食を作っています。もし「本当の和食」を食べてみたい人がいたら、教えて下さい。きっと食べたあなたを幸せにも、また不幸にもさせられる自信があります。日本には奇妙な食べ物がたくさんあるからです（一例は納豆ですが、まだまだあります。）それについてはまた別の機会にお話しします。
写真の献立（上から時計回りで）：わかめとタマネギとねぎのみそ汁、かぼちゃの煮付けと焼いた太刀魚、ごはん、青菜の蒸し煮、揚げ出し豆腐
A traditional Japanese meal consists of a main dish, which is usually fish, several kinds of side dishes, which are usually vegetables or tofu, miso soup and cooked rice.
Fish is usually simply grilled or simmered with "dashi," a Japanese fish broth made of water and dried bonito shavings. Vegetables are usually boiled or marinated with vinegar and soy source. We basically season things with salt, soy sauce, and "miso," fermented soy bean paste. We don't use oil, garlic, or spices for traditional Japanese food. That is the reason why people say Japanese food is healthy. We don't use much oil and we eat lots of vegetables and fish.
I sometimes wonder if traditional Japanese food is appealing to the people from other countries because the taste of traditional Japanese food is very delicate. Some people say it has no taste because the taste is too subtle for them. Some people say everything tastes the same because it is basically seasoned with soy sauce or miso.
Let me explain something for the honor of our tradition. We Japanese think that it is very important to taste its own flavors of ingredients. Therefore, we use just a little bit of seasonings. We never use too much of them. Japanese food might look just a simple dish, but a much effort is carefully made to subtly draw the natural taste of ingredients.
I confess that I have never cooked a real traditional Japanese meal for my international friends. I have been afraid that they might not like it. I usually cook a new type of Japanese food, such as Japanese-style fried chicken, potato salad, and "Okonomiyaki," a Japanese-style savory pancake. I think that they look more familiar to them. If somebody is interested in trying "the real Japanese food," just raise you hand. I am sure I can make you happy, but also I can make you regret because there are many kinds of strange food in Japan. (For one, that is natto. But, there are more.) I will talk about them another time.
The menu on the photograph (clockwise from top): Miso soup with seaweed, onion, and scallion. Kabucha squash simmered with soy sauce and dashi, grilled sword fish, cooked rice, braised Asian cabbage, fried tofu with ground Asian radish with soy sauce.
