4.0
The Gaijin Cookbook
ByPublisher Description
Ivan Orkin is a self-described
(guy-jin), a Japanese term that means "outsider." He has been hopelessly in love with the food of Japan since he was a teenager on Long Island. Even after living in Tokyo for decades and running two ramen shops that earned him international renown, he remained a
.
Fortunately, being a lifelong outsider has made Orkin a more curious, open, and studious chef. In
, he condenses his experiences into approachable recipes for every occasion, including weeknights with picky kids, boozy weekends, and celebrations. Everyday dishes like Pork and Miso-Ginger Stew, Stir-Fried Udon, and Japanese Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce are what keep the Orkin family connected to Japan. For more festive dinners, he suggests a Temaki Party, where guests assemble their own sushi from cooked and fresh fillings. And recipes for Bagels with Shiso Gravlax and Tofu Coney Island (fried tofu with mushroom chili) reveal the eclectic spirit of Ivan's cooking.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Gaijin Cookbook Reviews
4.0
“Excellent introduction of Japanese home cooking from the view point of extraordinary outsider. Ivan outlined the most of our comfort Japanese foods but might be less known than sushi or ramen. His recipes are concise and easy to follow yet have several his original touches. Each recipe is accompanied with his brief cultural introduction of its position in Japanese table, which I really enjoyed reading.”
“Some great, more simple than expected reviews for Japanese classics. Although not super authentic, the author does explain why this is. I was a little put off by the random shifts in tone and swearing, as another reviewer stated, but that's a minor critique. It was a little weird reading this from a white author, as there are sometimes overtones of "this is a super weird foreign thing but I've learned to appreciate it" and "ooh Japan is so cool" in almost a fetishizing way. I'm not sure about this one.”
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