Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture

Finalist for the 2016 IACP Awards: Literary Food Writing

A creative new interpretation of the movement direct, Rice, Noodle, Fish translates Japan's exceptional food culture through a blend of top to bottom story and insider guidance, alongside 195 shading photos. In this 5000-mile venture through the noodle shops, tempura sanctuaries, and teahouses of Japan, Matt Goulding, co-maker of the massively famous Eat This, Not That! book arrangement, explores the crossing point between food, history, and culture, making one of the most aspiring and complete books ever expounded on Japanese culinary culture from the Western viewpoint.

Written in the very reminiscent voice that drives the honor winning magazine Roads and Kingdoms, Rice, Noodle, Fish investigates Japan's most captivating culinary orders in seven key locales, from the kaiseki convention of Kyoto and the sushi experts of Tokyo to the road food of Osaka and the ramen culture of Fukuoka. You won't discover inn proposals or transport plans; you will locate a splendid story that interlaces vivid food news-casting with personal representations of the urban communities and the individuals who shape Japan's food culture.

This isn't your common manual. Rice, Noodle, Fish is an uncommon mix of motivation and data, ideal for the brave and easy chair voyager the same. Consolidating artistic narrating, key insider data, and elite plan and photography, the final product is the first since forever manual for the new time of culinary the travel industry.

About the Author
A James Beard Award–winning writer, Matt Goulding has never been better, writing in complete harmony with the book’s innovative design and the more than 200 lush color photographs that introduce the chefs, shepherds, fisherman, farmers, nonne, and guardians who power this country’s extraordinary culinary traditions. From the pasta temples of Rome to the multicultural markets of Sicily to the family-run, fish-driven trattorias of Lake Como, Pasta, Pane, Vino captures in a breathtaking tribute the diversity of Italian regional food culture.

I guess Matt Goulding's Rice Noodle Fish (2015) is essentially a travel book, but it is a also a collection of stories about people, known as shokunin, who have devoted themselves to perfecting an aspect of the food culture of Japan. Although some of the people profiled by Goulding are not Japanese by birth. The book starts out with a correspondence with Anthony Bourdain-in which Goulding gets his blessing for the project. The book is divided into the different regions that he traveled (Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Noto) followed by Plus-a feature that focuses on some aspect of Japanese culture as well as other mini-essays on Japanese food and other things Japanese. Much of the information was somewhat redundant for me, but I did learn some things about the food culture. I enjoyed the stories. But I enjoyed meeting Ken Yokoyama, former hotel concierge that helped Goudling navigate kaiseki ryori in Kyoto, and Fernando Lopez the Guatemalan Hiroshima style Okonomiyaki grill chef, as well as the Flatts (an Autsralian / Japanese couple), who run a ryokan on the Noto peninsula and keep the food culture of the region alive. I enjoyed Goulding's food journey and look forward to reading his second book, Grape, Olive, Pig:Deep Travels Through Spain's Food Culture. --Patrick Mc Coy

A different view of Japan highlighting the cuisine rather than its many temples, shrines and magnificent scenery. He artfully provides views of off-beat places with menus to try and interweaves them with characterizations that add depth to an understanding of why things are the way they are in these back alley places and haunts that the casual visitor would miss. Perhaps not for the faint of heart since he does delve into ingredients not normally found in your California Sushi Bistro or Local Grinds lunch wagon. Vegetarians beware! While a some of his narrative would please the palate of even the most dedicated vegans the majority of the book is dedicated to a carnivore diet. --Sello

This book explores the complex and varied food of Japan. The author travels to several destinations and explores speciality dishes of the various regions with the help of chefs and assorted locals, for example covering sushi in Tokyo, ramen in Fukuoka and okonomiyaki in Hiroshima. It is not a restaurant guide or cookbook or even a travel guide in the usual sense, but you do a real sense of each cooking style covered and some history of the assorted cities and regions. It does not pretend to be comprehensive, and is an outsider's view, but an outsider who clearly has a genuine passion for Japanese food and a deep love of the country. Above all, Mr Goulding can write very well (he previously published "Eat This, Not That, which has sold 8 million copies and counting). He has a knack of capturing an insight into the places he visits that go beyond guidebook superficiality, and he is not afraid to admit his own limitations, such as his difficulty in understanding of kaiseki, that subtlest and most elaborate of culinary styles. Nor does he gloss over controversial issues, such as the treatment of the Ainu people in the chapter on Hokkaido. I have been to Japan eleven times so far but this book is packed with information that eluded me on my travels there, and the author seems to have chosen his local guides and advisors very well. Above all you will get a sense of the the fascination that Japan and its food holds to many of us. Whether you are familiar with Japan and its food or are just curious to learn more, I highly recommend this book. --Handy Hayler

Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture