We have a funny custom on White day (Mar.
13) in Japan. On Valentine’s Day, ladies
declare their love through giving chocolates. There is also giri-choco, obligation chocolate for friends or co-workers. White day is the day that men give women
presents in return. I believe these customs
started from commercial promotions of chocolate and sweet makers.
Cookies or chocolates are often given on
White day, but I didn’t want to flow the scheme, haha (^^;; So
today, I went to a Japanese confectionery shop.
Traditional sweets could also be good for this, I guess. In the showcase, lovely confections are displayed. In this season, the colors used on them seem
brighter than winter’s. I picked a few items
with pastel color for the present.
I bought another one for myself. It is dark colored one with a hidden
beauty. You will soon notice that there
are white sprinkles and a small flower on the top. They represent frost and plum bloom of this
season. But, take a close look. It has an indistinct pattern under brown
jelly. I love the demure design. I don’t know what this design means, buy it might
be trying to express the upcoming bright spring, I think.
Once you put a piece into your mouth, roast
sweetness reminiscent of caramel occupies your sense. Two different texture, chunky jelly and soft
paste amuse you. The sweetness goes
away momentary and only its scent remains, which pleases your nose.
It’s cold and I found needle ice this morning. But, the weather is fair and I feel that it’s
going to be a fine day. Now, mild breeze
are blowing. The name of this confection
is Kochi東風, literally East wind. It means
the breeze from east in the early spring. This is a perfect confectionery for
today. This sweet seems to bring a real
spring with Kochi ^^
Posts
That sweet looks almost too beautiful to eat! Lovely.
ReplyDeleteYes, absolutory beautiful! But, not only the appearance, I love the taste of this sweet.
DeleteThe roasted sweetness of brown jelly is one of my best favorites. I think it is a flavor of brown sugar. Umm... yummy (^-^)
The pattern looks like 'asanoha' or hemp leaf. :)
ReplyDeleteHere are some images: http://tinyurl.com/78nm8dy
Hi, Tsukimichan-san,
DeleteThanks for the link! Right, it’s “asanoha”. Can you think of why this pattern is used on this confectionary? I wonder if there is a message for using “asanoha” here, or there is not meaning.
Asanoha is a 'seasonless' theme when used on kimono, so it can be worn all year. But I think there is a reference to 'growth' too, because of how fast and strong hemp grows. So, perhaps it is hope for Spring to come and 'grow' quickly!
DeleteHi, Bebe Taian-san, I see … it’s ‘seasonless’ for kimono and it symbolizes “growth”. It’s very interesting. Thank (^^)
DeleteI have been wondering, do any tea sweet shops use preservatives or artificial ingredients, or are they mostly all-natural? The Japanese tea sweet shop that has a branch in New York City seems to have artificial ingredients, but I can't tell about the other shops that only have stores in Japan.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know about this issue for sure. But, I assume that this type of confectionery (that I introduce in this entry) don’t include preservatives or artificial ingredients. Because, it has a short life; it only lasts for one day, or a few days. On the other hand, the sweet shop in New York City seems to have sweets with a long life. So, I think the type of confectionary is different.
Delete