- Something about Kyoto - by Kyoto Cuisine "Mibu"

<The world of "Wabi" & "Sabi" in Kyoto cuisine> by the Chef of Kyoto Cuisine "Mibu"
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		"Wabi" means quiet elegance which comes from the origin of "Wabishii" meaning desolate, and "Sabi" means elegant simplicity which comes from the origin of "Sabishii" meaning lonely. "Wabi" for the tea ceremony describes mental calmness in a simple life. When the tea ceremony is originally considered as an artistic life in practical days and "Wabi" as a some kind of the views of the world developed with an historical background of religious spiritual awakening, the history of Kyoto cuisine can be called as a long way to a state of "Wabi" and cooking Kyoto cuisine is to search and long for the embodiment of such a state. In my opinion, the food culture in Kyoto is desolate and lonely.
Though Japanese food culture is said to be sea food culture, being surrounded by sea and having many rivers & rakes in mountains, the sea food delivered to Kyoto had been always desolate and lonely in the view points of the grade and freshness since when Kyoto became a capital; Herring & Cod - called "cat stride" as being stridden over even by cats, the big fish lovers in Japan. Mackerel - called "alive rotten" as goes off very quickly. Sharp-toothed eel - immediately processed into fish cake as no other usages for too many bones. The grade of these was the lowest of the lowest. It took half a day from Osaka and an entire day from Wakasa of Japanese sea to deliver sea products to Kyoto, so that we could not have any fresh, good ones.
		They, however, became the stars of Kyoto cuisine, by one is cooked with other products, one with ingenious ideas, and one with unbelievable skill of cook's tenacity. You can enjoy them in "Saba sushi (mackerel sushi)", "Imo bou (boiled cod & potato dish)", "Nishin soba (noodle with herring)", and various "Hamo (sharp-toothed eel)" dishes as the representative of Kyoto cuisine. The ancestors in Kyoto made the desolate and lonely food culture the top of food elegance and sophistication with such originality and invention, and which is the secret of Kyoto cuisine.

The Chef of Kyoto Cuisine "Mibu"

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