Hot Summer, Cold Food

Summers in Japan are like Michigan summers, hot, wet, heavy tests of endurance. Osaka wilts under a lead grey sky in the low 30s and 95+ humidity. Kyoto is a bowl of suet and sweat. Yet Japanese businessmen will insist on black business suits and stoic expressions. The smarter gaijin are free to get away with offending the locals with t-shirts and shorts. Ah, freedom.

But there is respite. Noodles are the staple in Asia next to rice. You can find noodle dishes in every corner of Japan but what many Westerners may not know is that noodles can be eaten...cold!

Somen is a kind of limp white noodle that is best served in a deep dish, soaked in ice cold water and dipped by the strandful in a soy-sauce type of juice called 'yu-tsu'. The more adventurous will soak sliced mushrooms in the yutsu and quartered tomatoes and tofu in the somen dish. Very little garnish is needed.

Somen is best served and eaten cold with a side dish of edamame or green onion. This happens to be my favorite hot weather food. Once you try this, I hope I've made a convert of you!