Musashi wrote:
> " > wrote in message
> ...
>> Hi -
>>
>> I have picked up and examined the Japanese curry packs in my local Asian
>> supermarkets many times, puzzling over the ingredients and wondering how
>> the stuff came about. It looks kind of like an Indian curry base, but
>> it seems to be a bit sweet and quite mild, or at least so I surmised.
>> What it did not look like was anything that I think of as 'typically
>> Japanese', whatever that might be.
>>
>> Happily, I don't have to wonder any more. An article in the
>> NYT/International Tribune devotes itself to describing a certain
>> Japanese food subculture - 'Yoshoku' - i.e. Japanese-style 'Western
>> Food'. It turns out that Japanese Curry is their take on the British
>> Navy's take on Indian curry!
>>
>> Its a fun article, and you can read it here, if you are so inclined:
>> http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/03/...japan-food.php
>>
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Ian
>
> Yes that's true. During the Meiji era about
> 100-130 years ago there was a huge influx of all things western including
> foods. This is where the practice of having replicas of the dishes out in
> front of the restaurant
> started so the local people would have an idea of what the dish looked like.
> Kare- Raisu, or Curry Rice
> did take root in Japan at that time and the origin is the British Royal Navy
> which served as a model for the
> then fledgling Japanese Imperial Navy. The relationship continued right
> ythrough the Anglo-Japanese Alliance of
> 1902 and throughout the Russo-Japanes War of 1904-05. Admiral Heihachiro
> Togo, who defeated the
> Russian Far East Fleet at the battle of Tsushima is also credited with
> having originated the Niku-Jaga, an interpretation of the Beef Stew served
> in the Royal Navy. Both dishes are common authentic Japanese dishes now.
> Musashi
>
>

Its interesting how a culture takes things in and makes them their own.

A local Chinese restaurant here (VA, USA) has a 'traditional' (read:
authentic) menu and a second 'American Chinese' menu for those who want
the Americanized Chinese dishes they have come to expect.

And I recently microwaved a lunch of 'Pho', as envisioned by a Korean
manufacturer. A Vietnamese co-worker laughed when I showed it to her. It
tasted pretty good, but it was not Pho, which is readily available from
the many real Pho places in this area. As with any other culture, the
Koreans have bent the cuisine to conform to its society's warp & woof.

Cheers,

Ian