Stories from the Far Yeast
Stories from the Far Yeast
The unexpected rise of Japanese Bagels
Part one, how to make a Japanese Bagel:
• Get one supermarket quality white bread hamburger bun.
• Stick index finger in center, creating hole.
• Place in sun on sidewalk, preferably on hot day.
• Let sit for two hours or when outside is getting stale.
• Enjoy.
Part two, bread:
What’s up with Japanese bread? After coming here I found that the bread in Japan is different than real bread. We all know what real bread is; it’s what we ate before we went somewhere else. What’s authentic, what’s real, we know. And we know that Japanese bread is well…just not right.
The main problem revolves around softness; a sort of dense mushy softness, like a Twinkie. Sure, this softness is great with a certain kinds of bread, and pastry. Oh, and Japanese do make delicious pastries. This kind of refined flour softness seems to be the only sort of dough that Japanese bakers understand. To San Franciscans reading this, beware; if you come to Japan prepare to say goodbye to hardy sourdoughs, homey wheat and wholesome ryes and say hello to starchy heartburn paste-bread.
Part three, bagel overview:
So, where does that leave us with Japanese bagels? First we need to acknowledge that the bagel is a complex thing; at best it’s warm and inviting, a firm but giving shiny crust and soft (not too dense) flavorful inside. It’s not easy to make a bagel. My father, perhaps the foremost bagel expert on the American west coast; views the advantages of the superior bagel to be as subtle as the water mineral content and the air quality of the environment. A true bagel production facility requires many deft hands and a focus on consistency. The equipment involved and the temperatures can be surprisingly elaborate and difficult to operate. Because of these numerous factors, it has been only recently that bagels have established a beachhead in Japan. In the mid nineties one would be hard pressed to find a bagel monger. In an act of 1990’s cultural defiance, my friend Joseph actually tried to make bagels at home. Needless to say after burnt fingers and a mind boggling gas bill, he never ventured back to bagel production. He and many other foreigners awaited the coming beat of the bagel drum from over seas.
And depending on who you speak to, we’re still waiting. As we will examine in my unprecedented attempt at rating the bagels of Tokyo, none of them meet my demanding standards.
Part four, rating the bagels.
All bagels were eaten raw, in their pristine, uninhibited form. Unless otherwise mentioned all bagels sampled were in plain style in order to evaluate more fairly.
1. Bagel and Bagel, New York Style Bagel. 147 yen. Sampled in Shinjuku train station, south exit: A bagel stand that is situated throughout Tokyo serves individually plastic wrapped bagels in a variety of flavors. Straight from the play-do fun factory for the unexpecting consumer. Bagel and Bagel tops my list as #1 looser bagel. As one web sight mentioned, “As authentic to New York as it would be to Papua New Guinea.
2. Afternoon Tea, bakery. 75 yen. Sampled in Sendagaya near Nalishima bike shop. This pretentious bakery/ café are usually seen in designer showrooms and boutique centers They got the outside right! I think they basically got the idea. For a space saving measure the softness inside caused the bagel to flatten down and fit in your pocket. Good try.
3. Vie De France, Nakano Sakaue Train Station. 125 yen. A popular bakery/ café that is everywhere in Tokyo. Vie De France serves edible breads and decent sandwiches as well pastries. There was no plain bagel so I ordered the Wheat Germ bagel. This was good as bread, and would not be surprised to see it featured in their ham and cheese sandwich special (with mayonnaise).
4. Junoesque Bagels; Sampled in the Takashimia food court. 137 yen. My quest for ranking the bagels took me to one of the notorious food courts located in the basement of almost all the big department stores in Tokyo. So bad that I laughed out loud upon my first bite when I realized all the fun I would have criticizing it. Junoesque bagels were pleasantly reminiscent of unbaked pizza dough. The producer of these flavorless bread nuggets has the audacity to stamp their name on each one with a sort of branding embossment.
5. Anderson bakery; Isetan food court. 105 yen. In a strange way this was my least favorite bagel to taste because it hinted at a true bagel taste, but didn’t really deliver. Despite feeling betrayed and teased by this dry and over-baked slightly rubbery pseudo-bagel, I decided to make a note of the place. Just in case I got desperate.
6. Hokou bakery, Shinjuku Nishijuchi exit of Shinjuku train station near Kaio department store. 126 yen. This bagel sucked! As those who have ventured to Japan know, the bakeries always have a tray and tongs to self serve the pastries. When my tong clasped the Hokou bagel there was no resistance, just soft and spongy, bready bouncy bagel. Basically it tasted like a bad version of Junoesque Bagels. So bad! Dang, where’s the Tums!
7. Meidiya grocery store bakery, Hero-o. 125yen. I realized if I was to complete my Bagel review I would have to head down town to the “foreigner”, section. Hero-o is a place of European and American ex-pats living on company subsidized rents. Stores here cater to the needs of the wealthy Japanese and Westerners. My first stop was at the very prestigious grocery store, Meidiya. Their bakery (which spells bagel, bagle) sent industrial spies next store to a conveniently located Bagel and Bagel, creating a similar bagel (bagle).
8. National Azabu grocery store, Hero-o. 307yen for three bagels. National Azabu market is a great place to walk around a pretend your back in the USA. All sorts of American products and produce, even English radio wafting about. They had Tribeca bagels, three per bag. I was about to discard this believing they were imported from the states frozen, like H and H bagels. However, Yoshiko read the bag and assured me they were made in Chofu, about ten miles west of Tokyo. They were edible bagels and the best I’ve tasted in Japan. Boring.
9. Pan-ya (pan means bread in Japanese) Z bakery, Ebisu. 120yen. The weirdest bagel ever. This tiny organic bakery serves up straw baskets of really nice looking rolls, but I was there to dare, and I snatched up one of their tiny soft-as-cake bagels (spelled bagle). Here’s the kicker, it tasted pretty good. But it was like someone peeled the outside of the Bagel off and left a quality inside. Maybe they should meet Afternoon Tea.
Well there it is; the most comprehensive Tokyo Bagel guide ever. Please enjoy the attached drawing of a bagel trapped in a plastic bag, yearning for freedom from its pre-packaged nightmare. Thanks for reading!
The unexpected rise of Japanese Bagels
Part one, how to make a Japanese Bagel:
• Get one supermarket quality white bread hamburger bun.
• Stick index finger in center, creating hole.
• Place in sun on sidewalk, preferably on hot day.
• Let sit for two hours or when outside is getting stale.
• Enjoy.
Part two, bread:
What’s up with Japanese bread? After coming here I found that the bread in Japan is different than real bread. We all know what real bread is; it’s what we ate before we went somewhere else. What’s authentic, what’s real, we know. And we know that Japanese bread is well…just not right.
The main problem revolves around softness; a sort of dense mushy softness, like a Twinkie. Sure, this softness is great with a certain kinds of bread, and pastry. Oh, and Japanese do make delicious pastries. This kind of refined flour softness seems to be the only sort of dough that Japanese bakers understand. To San Franciscans reading this, beware; if you come to Japan prepare to say goodbye to hardy sourdoughs, homey wheat and wholesome ryes and say hello to starchy heartburn paste-bread.
Part three, bagel overview:
So, where does that leave us with Japanese bagels? First we need to acknowledge that the bagel is a complex thing; at best it’s warm and inviting, a firm but giving shiny crust and soft (not too dense) flavorful inside. It’s not easy to make a bagel. My father, perhaps the foremost bagel expert on the American west coast; views the advantages of the superior bagel to be as subtle as the water mineral content and the air quality of the environment. A true bagel production facility requires many deft hands and a focus on consistency. The equipment involved and the temperatures can be surprisingly elaborate and difficult to operate. Because of these numerous factors, it has been only recently that bagels have established a beachhead in Japan. In the mid nineties one would be hard pressed to find a bagel monger. In an act of 1990’s cultural defiance, my friend Joseph actually tried to make bagels at home. Needless to say after burnt fingers and a mind boggling gas bill, he never ventured back to bagel production. He and many other foreigners awaited the coming beat of the bagel drum from over seas.
And depending on who you speak to, we’re still waiting. As we will examine in my unprecedented attempt at rating the bagels of Tokyo, none of them meet my demanding standards.
Part four, rating the bagels.
All bagels were eaten raw, in their pristine, uninhibited form. Unless otherwise mentioned all bagels sampled were in plain style in order to evaluate more fairly.
1. Bagel and Bagel, New York Style Bagel. 147 yen. Sampled in Shinjuku train station, south exit: A bagel stand that is situated throughout Tokyo serves individually plastic wrapped bagels in a variety of flavors. Straight from the play-do fun factory for the unexpecting consumer. Bagel and Bagel tops my list as #1 looser bagel. As one web sight mentioned, “As authentic to New York as it would be to Papua New Guinea.
2. Afternoon Tea, bakery. 75 yen. Sampled in Sendagaya near Nalishima bike shop. This pretentious bakery/ café are usually seen in designer showrooms and boutique centers They got the outside right! I think they basically got the idea. For a space saving measure the softness inside caused the bagel to flatten down and fit in your pocket. Good try.
3. Vie De France, Nakano Sakaue Train Station. 125 yen. A popular bakery/ café that is everywhere in Tokyo. Vie De France serves edible breads and decent sandwiches as well pastries. There was no plain bagel so I ordered the Wheat Germ bagel. This was good as bread, and would not be surprised to see it featured in their ham and cheese sandwich special (with mayonnaise).
4. Junoesque Bagels; Sampled in the Takashimia food court. 137 yen. My quest for ranking the bagels took me to one of the notorious food courts located in the basement of almost all the big department stores in Tokyo. So bad that I laughed out loud upon my first bite when I realized all the fun I would have criticizing it. Junoesque bagels were pleasantly reminiscent of unbaked pizza dough. The producer of these flavorless bread nuggets has the audacity to stamp their name on each one with a sort of branding embossment.
5. Anderson bakery; Isetan food court. 105 yen. In a strange way this was my least favorite bagel to taste because it hinted at a true bagel taste, but didn’t really deliver. Despite feeling betrayed and teased by this dry and over-baked slightly rubbery pseudo-bagel, I decided to make a note of the place. Just in case I got desperate.
6. Hokou bakery, Shinjuku Nishijuchi exit of Shinjuku train station near Kaio department store. 126 yen. This bagel sucked! As those who have ventured to Japan know, the bakeries always have a tray and tongs to self serve the pastries. When my tong clasped the Hokou bagel there was no resistance, just soft and spongy, bready bouncy bagel. Basically it tasted like a bad version of Junoesque Bagels. So bad! Dang, where’s the Tums!
7. Meidiya grocery store bakery, Hero-o. 125yen. I realized if I was to complete my Bagel review I would have to head down town to the “foreigner”, section. Hero-o is a place of European and American ex-pats living on company subsidized rents. Stores here cater to the needs of the wealthy Japanese and Westerners. My first stop was at the very prestigious grocery store, Meidiya. Their bakery (which spells bagel, bagle) sent industrial spies next store to a conveniently located Bagel and Bagel, creating a similar bagel (bagle).
8. National Azabu grocery store, Hero-o. 307yen for three bagels. National Azabu market is a great place to walk around a pretend your back in the USA. All sorts of American products and produce, even English radio wafting about. They had Tribeca bagels, three per bag. I was about to discard this believing they were imported from the states frozen, like H and H bagels. However, Yoshiko read the bag and assured me they were made in Chofu, about ten miles west of Tokyo. They were edible bagels and the best I’ve tasted in Japan. Boring.
9. Pan-ya (pan means bread in Japanese) Z bakery, Ebisu. 120yen. The weirdest bagel ever. This tiny organic bakery serves up straw baskets of really nice looking rolls, but I was there to dare, and I snatched up one of their tiny soft-as-cake bagels (spelled bagle). Here’s the kicker, it tasted pretty good. But it was like someone peeled the outside of the Bagel off and left a quality inside. Maybe they should meet Afternoon Tea.
Well there it is; the most comprehensive Tokyo Bagel guide ever. Please enjoy the attached drawing of a bagel trapped in a plastic bag, yearning for freedom from its pre-packaged nightmare. Thanks for reading!
posted by lyle Nisenholz at 6:00 PM
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