Untangling My Chopsticks: A Culinary Sojourn in Kyoto Book

Two years out of Harvard and with a degree from Le Cordon Bleu, Victoria Riccardi left a boyfriend, a rent-controlled New York apartment, and a plum job in advertising she hated, and moved to Kyoto to study tea kaiseki, the exquisitely refined meal served before the Japanese tea ceremony. Riccardi arrived in Kyoto, a city she had dreamed about but never seen, with two bags, an open-ended plane ticket, and the ability to speak only sushi bar Japanese. She left a year later, proficient in both the language and the art of tea kaiseki. Kaiseki is an ancient Japanese practice that dates back to the thirteenth century. Beginning as a modest vegetarian meal that Buddhist monks ate in Kyotoâ??s Zen temples, it developed into a highly symbolic, uniquely Japanese ritual. Riccardi, through special introductions and favors from numerous Japanese contacts, was able to attend one of Kyotoâ??s most prestigious tea schools, where she was taken under the wing of an American expatriate who became her kaiseki master. Riccardiâ??s story is not only a journey into adventure and adulthood but also an engrossing, knowledgeable account of Japanese culture, food, and the romance of Kyoto. During her year in that city, Riccardi lived with a Japanese couple, taught at the English language school they ran, and explored the world of Japanese cuisineâ??the restaurants, food shops, supermarkets, and many fast-disappearing culinary customs. Her memoir is enhanced with twenty-five recipes, so readers can replicate some of the dishes Riccardi encountered.Read More