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i_love_audiobooks's review against another edition
4.0
such a different food culture over there. so interesting!
ladyjane95's review against another edition
5.0
I love Japanese food, combined with the March reading prompt from the #readingwithmuffy 2021 reading challenge; I knew I had to pick up this book. Naomi Moriyama's writing style is delightfully informal and easy to read. I love the handy hints on what kitchen tools to use and essential ingredients to buy. I had no idea that a wok could do so much.
crystalisreading's review against another edition
4.0
I listened to this on audio, and enjoyed hearing the author read her own work. Her accent and her proper pronunciation of Japanese terms added to the telling of the book, which was sort of like an extended love letter to Japan and Japanese culture. The diet, as explained, does sound both tasty and healthy. It just sounds like a bit more bother than I'm used to, so I'm not sure I'll follow through on any of the recipes.
The audio is abridged--a newer audio would probably have an additional disc with the recipes and quotations and such available for access on a computer, but this didn't. So I supplemented with the physical book, admiring the recipes that I may or may not try.
A good challenge to eat healthier and live a healthy lifestyle, as the Japanese people have clearly been managing to do for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Also a really interesting little primer on Japanese culture and history. Being a short, easy read doesn't hurt either.
The audio is abridged--a newer audio would probably have an additional disc with the recipes and quotations and such available for access on a computer, but this didn't. So I supplemented with the physical book, admiring the recipes that I may or may not try.
A good challenge to eat healthier and live a healthy lifestyle, as the Japanese people have clearly been managing to do for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Also a really interesting little primer on Japanese culture and history. Being a short, easy read doesn't hurt either.
noveladdiction's review against another edition
3.0
The title of this book almost turned me off, but I am interested enough in Japanese culture and cuisine that I gave it a shot. And really, I'm glad I did. I enjoyed reading this book - I thought the author walked a good line between storytelling (her own past and present), history, culture, and cookbook. I liked several of the recipes enough that I jotted some of them down, though I will have to search out vegetarian/vegan versions since I cannot eat fish/seafood. And now I have a list of things I will have to look up at my local grocery/international food market (Jungle Jims!).
mcampany's review against another edition
3.0
Not a recipe book, but an interesting book on the good points of a Japanese diet.
suzemews's review against another edition
3.0
Eh, there were some great bits and some boring bits. While the author is right that the Japanese diet has more balance tan the American one (in general), it seems to me that she has no idea what actual Americans actually eat. She claims to live here, but she's constantly harping on how we Americans are ALWAYS eating pizza and burgers, and that we don't understand what true Japanese cooking is since it is not just sushi and noodles. Well news flash: the American home cooked diet is very different than just pizza.
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walrus's review against another edition
2.0
This book is extremely condescending and reads like a second grade book report. Some of the recipes do interest me, though I haven't cooked any yet. This should've just been a cookbook with short intros to each section instead of pretending that she could fill a full book's worth of text.
yonnyan's review
4.0
I rather enjoyed this book very much. It is my first health book experience and it was rather enlightening. Moriyama lays out her tips and tricks in a very neat and organized manner making it easy to read. She offers recipes and personal experiences that make her suggestions more available to people who are attempting a lifestyle change.
One of the things that I really enjoyed about the book were the facts that she presented. She didn't base all of her material solely on experience, but included statistical facts and information from health care professionals. Another thing that I really liked about the book was her presentation of tools. She provides the reader with a list of ingredients and tools necessary to start a lifestyle similar to Japanese people, but the best part is her in-depth reasonings as to why one would need these specific things (or why they could go without it).
It was an uplifting and inspirational read that I recommend to anyone looking for information on getting healthy. I will admit that the vast majority of her comparisons are between Japan and the US, but in my opinion (and based on the facts that I saw), she is comparing one of the countries with the worst health and the country that has the best health. I didn't find it to be racist or egotistical in regards to Japanese people as many others did.
One of the things that I really enjoyed about the book were the facts that she presented. She didn't base all of her material solely on experience, but included statistical facts and information from health care professionals. Another thing that I really liked about the book was her presentation of tools. She provides the reader with a list of ingredients and tools necessary to start a lifestyle similar to Japanese people, but the best part is her in-depth reasonings as to why one would need these specific things (or why they could go without it).
It was an uplifting and inspirational read that I recommend to anyone looking for information on getting healthy. I will admit that the vast majority of her comparisons are between Japan and the US, but in my opinion (and based on the facts that I saw), she is comparing one of the countries with the worst health and the country that has the best health. I didn't find it to be racist or egotistical in regards to Japanese people as many others did.
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