By Yusi Bai
Japanese cuisine is full of distinctive flavors and seasonal appeal, a trait that many people mistakenly believe is due to the Japanese people’s reverence for nature and their desire to enjoy the beauty and flavors of the seasons to the fullest. Actually, the Japanese are pursuing two ancient methods of staying healthy: learning from nature and “shindofuji,”which means to become one with the soil.
People nowadays have more faith in modern science than in traditional wisdom, thus they have abandoned the custom (and often necessity) of eating locally grown foods that are in season. Moreover, modern transportation enables us to enjoy produce from all over the world at any time. However, eating foods that are not acclimatized to our own environment is the cause for many modern health issues of both mind and body.
Harmonizing With the Seasons
Japanese cuisine, from its ingredients to its cooked dishes, changes with the seasons. Even the bento boxes sold throughout Japanese cities showcase seasonal elements. For example, during the late autumn, the kuri gohan (chestnut rice) might be decorated with two red leaves; the red, white, and yellow colors symbolize the colors of autumn. Come winter, the steaming hot pots and assortments of root vegetables evoke cozy memories of spending the evening chatting around a fire. These thoughtfully decorated dishes are thus a feast for both the eyes and the soul.
As winter ensues, elementary and middle schools across Japan send out reminders to parents through the monthly school menus to serve their children the right seasonal vegetables as the seasons change. Turnips, spinach (eaten with the root), taro, and other root vegetables are always recommended in early winter. The schools emphasize that it is best to eat locally grown produce because local vegetables do not need to be transported, which requires time and manpower.
Not only is eating local produce economical and practical, but it also means that the vegetables taste better because they are consumed close to the day they are harvested and still retain their nutrients. By eating foods that are delectable, satisfying, and nutritious, minds and bodies are sure to be healthy, free from anxiety, and joyful.
The reverence for nature in traditional Japanese food culture is based on ancient concepts of health and methods for maintaining it.
Learning From Nature
The classic Chinese text Dao De Jing, written by Lao Zi, the founder of Daoism, states that “Humans follow the earth, the earth follows heaven, heaven follows the Dao (the Way), and the Dao follows nature.” It does not take a Daoist scholar to understand what these words mean. If one is unable to study ancient knowledge in depth or have the guidance of a great teacher, the best and easiest solution would be to learn from the patterns of nature. One can follow what one observes in nature with the changing of the seasons.
Why do we benefit by living according to seasonal patterns? How is the consumption of seasonal produce a way of learning from nature? How can we remain healthy by learning from nature?
For example, observe what changes winter brings to the earth. When winter comes around, much of nature appears to have withered away. The world, encased in frost and snow, looks frigid and desolate. What life and warmth remains is concealed deep beneath the earth. During summertime, well water is cold, yet it becomes warmer during wintertime.
One can come to a better understanding of this through the Daoist teaching of yin and yang: Yin is associated with coolness and yang with warmth and life. During summertime, yang energy rises to the earth’s surface and yin energy sinks below, which is why life flourishes in the summer, and the water underground is cold. In winter, yin energy rises to the earth’s surface and yang energy sinks below. There are little to no signs of life above ground, yet the water underground is warm. Thus, it is only natural that root vegetables grow well during colder seasons.
This is why radishes and other such root vegetables produced in winter, when warm energy is trapped beneath the earth, are healthier and larger in size, and therefore taste better and are more nutritious. Eating seasonal produce is the best way to provide one’s body with natural nourishment.
In winter, the Japanese enjoy eating boiled and stewed root vegetables, or root vegetable tonkatsu soup, in which daikon radish is the main and most important ingredient. Additional ingredients include various kinds of other root vegetables such as taro, potatoes, and yam. Such a hearty diet brings comfort to the mind and body.
The Body Mirrors the Earth
Chinese medicine views the human body as a small universe. To embrace this concept, one only needs to observe the earth to discover how the patterns and laws of the natural world are mirrored in the human body. During winter, the earth’s warm yang energy is absorbed below the surface. The human body does the same; in order to keep out the cold, the pores on the surface of the skin shrink and no longer release heat. Instead, they preserve one’s yang energy within one’s body, ensuring that the inner body remains warm when the days are cold.
This means that one’s abdomen and intestines are kept warm; it is why winter is when the body is most able to digest and absorb any supplements that are taken, and the best time to consume tonic foods. According to traditional Chinese medicine, seafood and aquatic products are considered a yin, and therefore a “cold,” type of food. Winter is the best time to consume these foods because the body absorbs their nutrients better, and one is less likely to develop digestive or intestinal issues.
In the summer, yang energy is released to the surface, and one’s inner body is cooler. Although the weather may be very warm, it is not the best time for eating seafood, which may easily lead to diarrhea or stomach pains. The body is also weaker at absorbing nutrients, which is why summer is not the best season for consuming tonic foods. Those with weaker bodies should seize the opportunity winter brings to eat the correct supplements and reset one’s body, thus laying a good foundation for a healthy year ahead.
Winter is best for eating meats paired with root vegetables that are high in enzymes and vitamin C, stimulate digestion, and strengthen the immune system. Such vegetables include radishes, taro, and yams. There is much joy to be found in learning from nature and eating the appropriate foods for each season, which is both easy to do and beneficial to one’s health.
The Benefits of Eating Locally
“Shindofuji” is a term that is sometimes brought up when the Japanese speak of diet and health. It means “the body and the land cannot be separated,” specifically the land in which one lives. Therefore, one must eat local produce, drink local water, and breathe local air. It is said that during the Edo period, there were more specific customs. For example, it was considered best to use produce sourced within a vicinity of four to five miles, as produce sourced from further away is not good for one’s health. This is the Japanese way of saying that the land nurtures the people.
Human beings are part of nature, and wherever we live, we must adapt to the local land and be in harmony with the local environment. When one travels far from home and eats foreign foods, it is natural for one’s body to react negatively. The body will likely find foreign foods dangerous and unfamiliar, and thus react aberrantly, causing discomfort in the digestive tract and triggering intense reactions such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, or even vomiting and fever. This is a form of allergic reaction the body uses to protect itself.
However, today’s advanced means of transportation make it very easy to eat produce and delicacies from all over the world. Many unexplainable symptoms of discomfort, allergies, anxiety, and other mental issues are actually connected to this kind of eating. The body’s well-being directly affects one’s emotions, which in turn affect one’s body.
