Nancy and I went to a convention of sorts locally. It was the annual
Food and Sake show. There were like 20 booths with all their sakes
laid out. We tried a boatload and they were generlaly fabulous. I was
surprised to find that most told me their products were not currently
being distributed in the US. For the most part I couldn't figure out
what the damned show as for.

At $40 a head just to wander around a tradeshow I was already curious
to know what the heck was going on. Once there, packed to the gills
with a few thousand people I had even less understanding. They
certainly weren't all business folk from Chicago and Dallas considering
a new supplier of products. Most folks seemed to be local and not
industry folk. But I don't know. Maybe everybody was handing out
freebie tickets at their local sushi bars to come to this event. I
figure the gaijin-to-Asian ratio was about 1 to 100 or so.

So the point: Among the many packaged goods we tried (in the "food"
part of the show were instant miso, non-instant dashi, noodle and beef
dishes prepared using a company's noodles or prep-kit, packaged
"shredded" wasabi (really good too, by the way) and so forth. None of
this stuff was for sale, just for testing and blabber.

One booth had what looked like kool-aid or some such in little cups.
We tasted and were blown away. It was shiso juice, I'm guessing. The
guy who knew everything spoke no English, the gal who was translating
wasn't all that good. But it was incredibly tasty stuff. Great to
make a cocktail out of (the first thing I thought), also great to make
a salad dressing out of (the first thing Nancy though). The stuff was
good. After our profuse praise, the guy wound up giving us a bottle!
We couldn't believe it. We're lucky too, because we did verify that
they aren't distributing it in the US.

Here's a web-link to the product, but it's in Japanese. If any Japanese
readers would like to impart recipes or suggestions found there, great!
Additionally perhaps they say what is in the bottle other than shiso
juice. We don't know. We haven't opened our bottle yet. It looks
like it's expensive or gifty kind of stuff, with a gold-foil top and
fancy label.
--
Dogmatism kills jazz. Iconoclasm kills rock. Rock dulls scissors.

On 2009-03-06 12:20:28 -0800, Gerry > said:

> Nancy and I went to a convention of sorts locally. It was the annual
> Food and Sake show. There were like 20 booths with all their sakes
> laid out. We tried a boatload and they were generlaly fabulous. I was
> surprised to find that most told me their products were not currently
> being distributed in the US. For the most part I couldn't figure out
> what the damned show as for.
>
> At $40 a head just to wander around a tradeshow I was already curious
> to know what the heck was going on. Once there, packed to the gills
> with a few thousand people I had even less understanding. They
> certainly weren't all business folk from Chicago and Dallas considering
> a new supplier of products. Most folks seemed to be local and not
> industry folk. But I don't know. Maybe everybody was handing out
> freebie tickets at their local sushi bars to come to this event. I
> figure the gaijin-to-Asian ratio was about 1 to 100 or so.
>
> So the point: Among the many packaged goods we tried (in the "food"
> part of the show were instant miso, non-instant dashi, noodle and beef
> dishes prepared using a company's noodles or prep-kit, packaged
> "shredded" wasabi (really good too, by the way) and so forth. None of
> this stuff was for sale, just for testing and blabber.
>
> One booth had what looked like kool-aid or some such in little cups.
> We tasted and were blown away. It was shiso juice, I'm guessing. The
> guy who knew everything spoke no English, the gal who was translating
> wasn't all that good. But it was incredibly tasty stuff. Great to
> make a cocktail out of (the first thing I thought), also great to make
> a salad dressing out of (the first thing Nancy though). The stuff was
> good. After our profuse praise, the guy wound up giving us a bottle!
> We couldn't believe it. We're lucky too, because we did verify that
> they aren't distributing it in the US.
>
> Here's a web-link to the product, but it's in Japanese. If any Japanese
> readers would like to impart recipes or suggestions found there, great!
> Additionally perhaps they say what is in the bottle other than shiso
> juice. We don't know. We haven't opened our bottle yet. It looks
> like it's expensive or gifty kind of stuff, with a gold-foil top and
> fancy label.

Ooops! The link:

http://www.shiso.net/goods_02.html

--
Dogmatism kills jazz. Iconoclasm kills rock. Rock dulls scissors.

Gerry wrote on Fri, 6 Mar 2009 12:23:46 -0800:

>> Here's a web-link to the product, but it's in Japanese. If
>> any Japanese readers would like to impart recipes or
>> suggestions found there, great! Additionally perhaps they
>> say what is in the bottle other than shiso juice. We don't
>> know. We haven't opened our bottle yet. It looks like it's
>> expensive or gifty kind of stuff, with a gold-foil top and
>> fancy label.

> Ooops! The link:

> http://www.shiso.net/goods_02.html

There is a Japanese grocery that I sometimes visit and I will have to
look for the juice. Is there an English language name or transliteration
since I will never learn much Japanese?

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

James wrote to Gerry on Fri, 6 Mar 2009 17:41:50 -0500:

>>> Here's a web-link to the product, but it's in Japanese. If
>>> any Japanese readers would like to impart recipes or
>>> suggestions found there, great! Additionally perhaps they
>>> say what is in the bottle other than shiso juice. We don't
>>> know. We haven't opened our bottle yet. It looks like it's
>>> expensive or gifty kind of stuff, with a gold-foil top
>>> and fancy label.

>> Ooops! The link:

>> http://www.shiso.net/goods_02.html

> There is a Japanese grocery that I sometimes visit and I will
> have to look for the juice. Is there an English language name
> or transliteration since I will never learn much Japanese?

Further to my post, there are a number of Google hits on "shiso juice".

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On 2009-03-06 14:41:50 -0800, "James Silverton"
> said:

> Gerry wrote on Fri, 6 Mar 2009 12:23:46 -0800:
>
>>> Here's a web-link to the product, but it's in Japanese. If
>>> any Japanese readers would like to impart recipes or
>>> suggestions found there, great! Additionally perhaps they
>>> say what is in the bottle other than shiso juice. We don't
>>> know. We haven't opened our bottle yet. It looks like it's expensive
>>> or gifty kind of stuff, with a gold-foil top and
>>> fancy label.
>
>> Ooops! The link:
>
>> http://www.shiso.net/goods_02.html
>
> There is a Japanese grocery that I sometimes visit and I will have to
> look for the juice. Is there an English language name or
> transliteration since I will never learn much Japanese?

Not that I know of. If you saw the pictures, you know what I know!
--
Dogmatism kills jazz. Iconoclasm kills rock. Rock dulls scissors.

On 2009-03-06 14:44:29 -0800, "James Silverton"
> said:

>>> Ooops! The link:
>
>>> http://www.shiso.net/goods_02.html
>
>> There is a Japanese grocery that I sometimes visit and I will have to
>> look for the juice. Is there an English language name or
>> transliteration since I will never learn much Japanese?
>
> Further to my post, there are a number of Google hits on "shiso juice".

I just snooped out a bit. I think Nancy has planted another shiso plant
recently. In any case we may well do that in volume with the intent of
getting some of this stuff happening. I don't really know how it would
be used, other than the drink that is mentioned in googling it. But it
seems like it could be used in other ways.
--
Dogmatism kills jazz. Iconoclasm kills rock. Rock dulls scissors.

"James Silverton" > wrote:
> Gerry wrote on Fri, 6 Mar 2009 12:23:46 -0800:
>
> >> Here's a web-link to the product, but it's in Japanese. If
> >> any Japanese readers would like to impart recipes or
> >> suggestions found there, great! Additionally perhaps they
> >> say what is in the bottle other than shiso juice. We don't
> >> know. We haven't opened our bottle yet. It looks like it's
> >> expensive or gifty kind of stuff, with a gold-foil top and
> >> fancy label.
>
> > Ooops! The link:
>
> > http://www.shiso.net/goods_02.html
>
> There is a Japanese grocery that I sometimes visit and I will have to
> look for the juice. Is there an English language name or transliteration
> since I will never learn much Japanese?

Shiso leaves are Beefheart leaves. Get a couple of pounds and juice them.
Maybe purple basil would work, too. I haven't tried any of these.

--
Nick, KI6VAV. Support severely wounded and disabled Veterans and their
families: https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/ Thank a Veteran!
Support Our Troops: http://anymarine.com/ You are not forgotten.
Thanks ! ! ~Semper Fi~ USMC 1365061

On 2009-03-06 16:01:39 -0800, Nick Cramer > said:

> "James Silverton" > wrote:
>> Gerry wrote on Fri, 6 Mar 2009 12:23:46 -0800:
>>
>>>> Here's a web-link to the product, but it's in Japanese. If
>>>> any Japanese readers would like to impart recipes or
>>>> suggestions found there, great! Additionally perhaps they
>>>> say what is in the bottle other than shiso juice. We don't
>>>> know. We haven't opened our bottle yet. It looks like it's
>>>> expensive or gifty kind of stuff, with a gold-foil top and
>>>> fancy label.
>>
>>> Ooops! The link:
>>
>>> http://www.shiso.net/goods_02.html
>>
>> There is a Japanese grocery that I sometimes visit and I will have to
>> look for the juice. Is there an English language name or transliteration
>> since I will never learn much Japanese?
>
> Shiso leaves are Beefheart leaves. Get a couple of pounds and juice them.
> Maybe purple basil would work, too. I haven't tried any of these.

There are many kinds of shiso. The kind I get in sushi bars and at
Mitsuwa for use in soups and stiff is called "ohba" on the deli
packaging. It is green on both sides of the leaf. I have heard this is
also called "perilla" in the west. But then the "beefsteak plant",
also called perilla and only rarely called "shiso" is purple on the
underside of the leaf. Taste and vision tells me these guys are
realted, but honestly--they should have different names.

I'm still trying to find these distinguishing naming characteristics.
They are not the same in my mouth.
--
Dogmatism kills jazz. Iconoclasm kills rock. Rock dulls scissors.

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate...rUrl=Translate

The extract of the leaf of the purple ? which is produced at the respective
company farm of production information publication JAS standard recognition
was designated as the concentrated juice. Royal purple ? the extract 500 or
more is included in these 1. Please appreciate per mouth which is made the
refreshing fragrance clearly.
The water and at the hot water approximately 3 times, diluting in the
thickness which is the taste, not only drinking, with idea circumstance or
also width of application spreads to with the hiding taste of seasoning to
the cocktail which you like including low-class distilled spirits whiskey
carbonic acid.

On 2009-03-07 04:44:08 -0800, "Vipera berus" > said:

> http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate...rUrl=Translate

The
>
> extract of the leaf of the purple ? which is produced at the respective
> company farm of production information publication JAS standard recognition
> was designated as the concentrated juice. Royal purple ? the extract 500 or
> more is included in these 1. Please appreciate per mouth which is made the
> refreshing fragrance clearly.
> The water and at the hot water approximately 3 times, diluting in the
> thickness which is the taste,

Hey! That was handy information!

> ...not only drinking, with idea circumstance or
> also width of application spreads to with the hiding taste of seasoning to
> the cocktail which you like including low-class distilled spirits whiskey
> carbonic acid.

Excellent! Many thanks. Curiously, this morning we found a CD in the
"booty" we collected at the show and it has a about 24 folders in which
there are two MS Excel spreadsheets, one each in English and Japanese.
In the one named Aoshiso Farms (the maker of this stuff) I find an
entry for this product, which is apparently called: "Midoridensetsu
360ml (Shiso juice)". There is also a 720 ml bottle. The notes there
include these:

"This condensed green perilla juice contains essence for more than 500
leaves of green perilla in one bottle. (ed: They say the same 500 in
their blurb for the 720 ml. bottle too, so I assume this one is
acutually 250 leaves.)

It tastes pleasant with a fresh flavor.

When you drink it, dilute it with water 3-5 times according to your taste.
It is also used for cocktails with shochu, whisky, soda or hidden
flavor as a seasoning."

I note they also have blurb for their green-leaf perilla noodles and
(Called "Midori Somen") and with red perilla extract their "Ume Somen".
--
Dogmatism kills jazz. Iconoclasm kills rock. Rock dulls scissors.

this certainly is worth looking into!

"Gerry" > wrote in message
news:2009030612234675249-somewhere@sunnycalif...
> On 2009-03-06 12:20:28 -0800, Gerry > said:
>>
<snip>
Maybe everybody was handing out
>> freebie tickets at their local sushi bars to come to this event. I
>> figure the gaijin-to-Asian ratio was about 1 to 100 or so.
<snip>
>>

Just to be accurate, Gaijin (foreigner) includes all Asians except Japanese.
Chinese, Koreans, Thai, etc etc are just as much Gaijin as are Europeans,
Americans, etc.

Musashi

On 2009-03-08 05:18:14 -0700, "Musashi" > said:

>
> "Gerry" > wrote in message
> news:2009030612234675249-somewhere@sunnycalif...
>> On 2009-03-06 12:20:28 -0800, Gerry > said:
>>>
> <snip>
>>> Maybe everybody was handing out
>>> freebie tickets at their local sushi bars to come to this event. I
>>> figure the gaijin-to-Asian ratio was about 1 to 100 or so.
> <snip>
>
> Just to be accurate, Gaijin (foreigner) includes all Asians except Japanese.
> Chinese, Koreans, Thai, etc etc are just as much Gaijin as are Europeans,
> Americans, etc.

That's true, I actually typed gaijin-to-Japanese, then realized I had
no idea wehre the Asians were from and particularly in Garden Grove,
the chances of lots of them being Korean is quite good, and so modified.

Last night I poured an ounce of the midorisensetsu and four ounces of
distilled water over ice and shared it with some friends just to see
what they thought of it. This would be people who know sushi well
enough and certainly know what shiso is

They flipped. I did too--agin. I love this stuff!
--
Dogmatism kills jazz. Iconoclasm kills rock. Rock dulls scissors.