From : theoldtokaido
Added: Sep 28, 2007
Description Vintage Japanese restaurant-style cold soba noodle serving tray. Cold soba is called either zaru or mori soba (mori refers to the absence of cut seaweed sprinkles which are found on the top of zaru soba). This tray comes from a 50 year old soba noodle shop located in downtown Shizuoka City, Japan. The restaurant is owned by an elderly couple who together have served generations of patrons from their cozy little restaurant. The couple has recently decided to retire and we were fortunate to acquire some of the service items from their business. About the Listed Item This soba noodle tray is made of lacquer-coated plastic. The trays are more than 40 years old and the owner of the soba noodle shop where these trays were previously used took care to inform us that when these trays were new they were a very unique and special item. Plastic was still a relatively new item in Japan 40 years ago and these trays are interesting as they are finished with a true coat of high-quality Japanese lacquer. The fact that the lacquer coating is today in relatively good condition despite decades of daily use is testament to this fact. The tray is without cracks though there are some marks, scratches and lacquer chips as evidence of past service. The tray includes a high-quality bamboo mat which may be removed for cleaning. Size: Height: 1.9 inches (4.8 centimeters) Diameter: 8.1 inches (20.8 centimeters) Weight: 9.6 ounces (273 grams) Long Noodles and Long Luck - Soba Noodles in Japan on New Years Eve An interesting end-of-year tradition in Japan is the consumption of soba noodles on new years eve. Like the midnight kiss western couples commonly exchange to ring in the new year, the Japanese enjoy their own tradition of gathering at soba noodle restaurants for the year's final meal. This interesting tradition has its roots in the curious equation of "long noodles" with "long luck," and includes religious overtones as soba noodles were once the stock-in-trade of many feudal era Buddhist temples, who sold bowls of the delicious buckwheat fare to hungry pilgrims arriving at their gates. Buddhism and noodles actually have a long association in Japan, where it is thought Buddhist priests first introduced noodles from China during the 9th century. As for our family, we favor a small soba shop in our community which certain members of our family have patronized for over 40 years. The restaurant is called Iwaichi and is run by three generations of the Kobayashi family. Working from 7 AM until past midnight six days a week, the Kobayashi family make both noodles (men) and soup (tsuyu) from scratch in an establishment that seems to have its menu prices forever stuck in the decade of the 70's. Visitors to Iwaichi are invariably greeted upon entry by the kind-faced mother of the family (mid 60's) while in the back the rest of her family (including a very elderly yet spry pair of grandparents) can be seen busily preparing savory bowls of soba for eager customers. Our daughter Emily especially enjoys visiting Iwaichi which has a small bookshelf well stocked with children's books for auntie Yoko to read to her. Emily also enjoys the treat of fresh fruit she invariably receives after her meal, complements of the kitchen staff. item code: R2S1-3382 category code: (KITTOT) ship code: G6
Category : People

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