Japan’s Whisky Rebellion

As the aging, emphatically not-a-bullet-train Seibu Red Arrow clattered west, double stacked highways and densely tangled power lines slowly gave way to the running streams and forest passes of the Kanto mountains. Even though our destination was only fifty miles from Tokyo, the landscape became increasingly remote, ghostly, and incredibly beautiful. As a rolling fog wended through the trees, it was easy to see why Saitama Prefecture has long attracted renegades, dissidents, poets and pilgrims.

My friend Yukari and I were on a pilgrimage, but we were not seeking salvation at one of Saitama’s many temples. We were pursuing a more worldly deliverance: whisky… Roads & Kingdoms

The HU - Yuve Yuve Yu

Sichuan Peppercorns

An essential ingredient in Sichuan cooking, Sichuan peppercorns (huā jiāo, 花椒) give spicy Sichuan dishes their unique mouth-numbing quality. Along with spicy Chinese chilies, they create a flavor known as mala (麻辣), or “numbing-spicy.” This unique taste profile is characteristic of dishes from Sichuan Province in southwestern China. Chinese chefs also use this ingredient in more subtle ways, which we’ll discuss… The Woks of Life

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