Thank you to NetGalley and Stone Bridge Press for an eARC of Tabemasho! Let's Eat!: A Tasty History of Japanese Food in America by Gil Asakawa in exchange for an honest review.

The title explains it all. This is an exploration of how Japanese food has evolved from its culinary roots to adapt to popularity in the United States. The book is broken down into chapters by food category (noodles, rice, meat and vegetable dishes, desserts, drinks, etc.) detailing the history and modern iterations of Japanese foods. I learned a great deal about the Japanese American experience by reading this book and appreciated that I got to learn about some of my favorite foods within their cultural and historical context. However, beginning in the chapter 8 discussion of desserts, the author introduced some fatphobic language and for the rest of the book continued to demonize / prescribe certain foods as healthier than others. Not only did this make the book overall a less enjoyable experience, but fatphobic rhetoric is always harmful and contributes to the systemic rise of disordered eating.

Delightful & very readable history of Japanese food in the US by a Japanese-American who has done his research and eaten widely. The resources at the end of the book are a great way to continue your own exploration of this wonderful cuisine.

Itadakimasu!
First of all, when requested this book I thought I applied for Japanesse food recipes book haha.. But this misunderstanding bring me to another fun journey through book.

Tabemasho! Let's eat is a fun history book about how Japanesse Food become one of accepted food in America. I instantly hooked with the voice author using as his storytelling style. He explains each food topics with friendly and light tone while highlighting some important and fun facts about it. This make the reading and learning process become so enjoyable. Although this book not offer any recipes but the author give alot recommendation cookbook and place who sell authentic taste of Japanesse food. Highly recommended!

Thank you Netgalley and Stone Bridge Press from Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for provided my copy. I learning something new and my thoughts are my own.

Thanks To Net Gallery for this Book,
In Short, This is the Ideal Book for Anyone who Loves Japanese Food, Makes Japanese Food or for Anyone Visiting Japan for the First Time.

I'm not sure this book is really easy to categorize as it covers quite a bit. I'd say it's part food related, part memoir, part cultural insight, and 100% enjoyable! I really enjoyed reading this and loved the author's memories and stories of his family. While there are not recipes, there are memories and tidbits that are just as delicious!

It wasn't what I was expecting and that it was a really pleasant surprise!

Tabemashoo! Let’s Eat! is an interesting look at the history of Japanese food in America. I love Japanese food. I was an exchange student at University in Japan in the 80’s, and was stationed there with the military for a total of ten years. I’ve traveled extensively around Japan and eaten 99% of the food Mr. Asakawa talks about (I refuse to eat natto!). I also lived in Hawaii for ten years so I know a thing about local cuisine. But even before that, my parents lived in Japan in the early 60’s, before I was born, and they brought back with them the treasured “Sukiyaki, Teriyaki, and Tempura”. Those foods were part of my growing up, made with whatever ingredients my mom could find. And I remember saving to go eat sushi after I’d returned from studying in Japan. Japanese food was very exotic and expensive, unlike today where Benihana type restaurants abound and you can get sushi in the supermarket.

This book is divided into categories, like sushi, rice bowls, candy and sweets, etc. In each chapter the author gives us anecdotes about his Mother’s cooking traditional Japanese foods, and spending part of his childhood in Japan. He also presents the history of foods from their origin in Japan to their trip across the Pacific. How food molds a culture and moves through social classes is fascinating to me, so I enjoyed the anecdotes.

While there are no recipes for any of the dishes he presents, there are notes about restaurants in the US that either started a trend or are currently open. There are also photos of some places and some food.

This book is a nice starter for people interested in Japanese food, but it’s not that in depth. It was a very quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers and the a

This was just great. I learned so much that I didn't know. Great book. It literally explained everything I didn't know since I'm not familiar with Japanese food. I would prefer a little more historical facts about Japan, but otherwise was a really good book.

I must admit when I requested this book, I made a judgement on the cover on what to expect! I thought it would be aimed at a younger audience and have a lighter level of content.

However, that was my own mistake, and I was pleasantly surprised and impressed by the actual content of the book. This info-filled non-fiction is packed full of interesting historical and foodie tidbits, which tracks the development of Japanese-American culture, with some lovely image highlights of adverts or people from the time.

The writing itself is a little dense but light-hearted, full of personality and humour, and a clear affection & respect for the topic. Hearing about the writer's childhood, family and experiences within the culture was so interesting, and it's presented in a really open & understandable way.

It feels a bit like listening to a favourite relative recount their life and passion growing up, and with so many delicious descriptions, it definitely leaves you craving!

While a little heavy on detail at times, overall it was a fascinating read, and definitely one aimed at a reader with a specific interest in Japanese-American food and culture over the years,

Firstly I love Japanese food a lot,
But this was such an odd book. It went from it seeming like it was written for kids, to very serious and deep with wars and racial tensions.
I'm not quite sure what I wanted this book to be, but the book was both too personal and too broad, which sounds confusing and unfocused but that is how I read this book.
Pity.

Thank you to the author, Stone Bridge Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fascinating read about the evolution of Japanese food in America from unknown, exotic and viewed with suspicion, to amazing heights of popularity. Equally fascinating was reading about how other countries have influenced certain dishes that are viewed as quintessentially Japanese: the Chinese introduced tofu, the Portuguese introduced tempura, and a Norwegian advertising campaign elevated salmon's status. Each chapter has a focus on one ingredient/food, such as rice, sushi, noodles, desserts, and even drinks. The author is not afraid to broach the topics of cultural appropriation and America's racist history of Asian exclusion - in my opinion something the average reader sorely needs to engage with.

I devoured ( ˘▽˘)っ♨ this book and loved reading it!

Gil had a great tone, passionate, informative, and funny. He was present throughout the book, without taking away from any of the information he was sharing. His enthusiasm made me even more excited to try new Japanese foods in the future!

I was constantly taking notes, and was happy the end of the book featured a great glossary as well as resources for learning more. There are so many restaurants I want to try someday! I am definitely an Otaku, and I do my best to try cooking Japanese food at home. In rural AZ I am a bit starved for ingredients, but I'm still enthusiastic!

Gil's life experience gives him a lot of personal insight into the rise of Japanese food popularity from obscurity. It's amazing when such a short time has passed since the atrocities of Internment happened to so many Japanese Americans.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who's a food and or history nerd. Great read, and now I'm starving!

Thank you so much NetGalley and Stone Bridge Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review!

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fun and fascinating read! You learn about much more than the classic Japanese foods depicted, sushi and ramen. It was cool to see which other foods I've had or heard of.

Tabemasho! Let’s Eat! was a fantastic read. The author’s conversational prose engages the reader and makes the historical facts easy to absorb. I enjoyed reading the way other countries have historically influenced certain Japanese dishes. For example, the Chinese introduced tofu, the Portuguese introduced tempura, and a Norwegian advertising campaign elevated salmon's status. Additionally, there’s a lot of interesting information about the ways Japanese dishes evolved to become successful in America: sukiyaki, teriyaki, and tempura being popular before sushi gained attention in the 1980s.

Growing up, I was exposed to different countries’ foods including authentic Japanese cuisine, called “washoku.” This was mainly thanks to having my mum’s adventurous eating habits and being from Singapore, which is one of the best places to eat authentic cuisines from around the world. Because I didn’t grow up in the United States, I was able to learn quite a bit about the evolution of Japanese food in America from the Japanese American author’s research and experiences. I remember conveyer belt sushi restaurants. I also remember having a similar reaction to the California Roll - an American invention - as Asakawa’s mother did.

This is a great book for anyone who loves Japanese food and wants to learn about its history. The images included in the book, Gil Asakawa’s own memories, and the side bars of quotes by Asakawa’s friends add a personal touch to this nonfiction. Food is personal and tied into our childhood memories after all, and this book is a nice blend of facts and personal testimonials.

Japan has been influenced by other cuisines for as long as other countries have been able to trade with them. Tabemasho! Let’s Eat! goes back through history to see how other countries have changed how the Japanese have cooked. Unfortunately, when I read the back of this book, for some reason I expected to see a lot of recipes; so if you are like me and expect to see some traditional Japanese recipes then you are out of luck sorry.

Surprisingly a lot of countries have had a major influence on Japanese cuisine. A lot of research has gone into this book, with no stone left unturned in the search for how each dish has changed over the centuries. Dishes such as sushi, ramen and yakitori are some that explain how they originally were made, and how the influence of cultures have changed them; as well as how they have been introduced to there countries. This book has a heavy focus on the American influence, and how Japanese cuisine made its way over and adapted to survive in the USA.

A good book about the history of the influence that other cuisines have had on Japanese, but I went in expecting some recipes so I was left a little disappointed.

Having lived in Japan for 13 years and being fairly knowledgable about Japanese food in America, I enjoyed this thorough accounting of the journey of Japanese food and the different origins. Someone like me is not likely to learn very much that is new, but I can attest to the accuracy and also add that I am impressed with the A to Z coverage of all types of Japanese food. PS. I love takuan. And I agree that natto is natto good! An excellent book for those with an interest in Japanese food.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It is yummy!

Finding Gil Asakawa’s Tabemasho was one of those happy accidents on Netgalley. I hadn’t been on the home of temptation for a long time which meant when I did to catch up on reviews, I went a little mad. Into every category went I. Now I don’t always look at the Food category there, but if it keeps having books like Tabemasho, that’s going to change.

Tabemasho does exactly what it says on the tin. It’ll teach you about Japanese food’s history in the USA, and unless you have a mind like steel, it’ll be tasty as you’ll get Japanese food shortly after. Or during. I paused my read of this book to cook some chicken teriyaki. The side veggies leaned a little Chinese but I think that’s okay, as one of the things I learnt was how much Japan’s food history is intertwined with Chinese influence, both in Japan and in the US.

I also learnt about the trinity of sukiyaki, teriyaki and tempura. I learnt about how teriyaki sauce took off an accompaniment to grilling and led to a different usage than in Japan, and how tempura was adopted from Portuguese traders. I learnt about the rise and change of sushi, and Japanese food in the US, and a bit about Japanese-American relationships in general. Asakawa handles all these subjects with enthusiasm and assurance. He doesn’t go into huge detail but he goes into enough, and I think the book benefits for not getting bogged down.

I think the book is less strong when giving a general overview of Japanese food. It is good background information, but it lacks the personal touch and detail if the Japanese-American sections and at times feels a bit of a losing proposition. Either I want a history of Japanese whisky and want more detail, or I don’t and just want the next section.

That is a quibble. This a fascinating subject and Asakawa does it justice. Tabemasho was a delight to read and recommended for everyone with a passing interest in the subject.

Besides, how can you not root for an author who once DJed as the Cosmic Teriyaki Cowboy?

Thank you to the Stone Bridge Press and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this wonderful book. This well-written, entertaining book discusses the history of Japanese cuisine in America. Each of the 10 chapters talks about a well known (and some not so much) ingredient/food of Japanese cuisine like rice, sushi, different noodle types, desserts, and even drinks. I really enjoyed learning about the history of Japanese cuisine and recommend it to anyone who likes Japanese food.

Not a cookbook. More of a history of foods and how they have adapted also. Very informative, there are some photo's a well. If you love studying culture and foods and how they adapt and change overtime this is a great book

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I enjoyed reading about Japanese food history along with some of the cooking methods. The photos were a nice touch as well. I like there was books and websites one could peruse to get more into the history of Japanese food and culture. I do wish there’d been a few recipes added as well.

Ramen: Originally from China. Adapted to Japanese tastes. Tonkotsu remains the most popular variation in the US. I like shio.

Salmon: Used to be considered a trash fish. It was only eaten cooked. Norway produced an amazing marketing campaign that brought salmon to a global level.

Soba: Buckwheat noodles. If you're ever in Dallas, visit Tei-An.

Spam: Spam musubi is distinctly Japanese-American. At McDonalds in Hawaii, you can order rice, eggs and spam for breakfast. Try before you deny.

Sukiyaki: Not the song. (The song isn't even about the food. I hate song/drama renamings.) A beef dish that is considered 1/3 popular JA foods.

Sushi: Originally fermented fish on rice, most likely mackerel. Nothing like we're used to today. Regional variations exist. The California roll (blasphemy) is considered a gateway drug to Japanese cuisine in the US.

Tempura: Introduced by the Portuguese.

Teriyaki: In Japan, this is just the sauce, which is not as sweet as its JA variant. In the US, it's the entire dish, whatever meat or fish is swimming in sauce.

Tofu: Formerly a very Buddhist heavy nation, Japanese people used to eat little to no meat. Foreigners consider them to be one of the healthiest nations.

Tuna: In 1970, tuna was considered too fatty for Japanese tastes. This changed by 1990.

Vienna sausages: I grew up with a pantry full of these. Didn't realize it was a JA thing.