ACF 698: Celebrate local Japanese dishes at "Soul Food Festival" this Sunday

Soul Food Festival
Sunday, September 26th, 2010
From 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Upper East Side
Lexington Avenue between 94th and 95th Streets

Tomorrow's Soul Food Festival will celebrate the local Japanese dishes—or "soul food"—unique to specific regions of Japan, showcasing the rich diversity of Japanese cuisine beyond commonly-known dishes such as sushi. This festival will focus on the regional specialties of Kyushu, Japan's southernmost island. Several Kyushu prefectures and New York restaurants will acquaint New York with some of Japanese cuisine's best-kept secrets.

Many Japanese localities have popular dishes made with traditional recipes and local ingredients, just as Philadelphia has cheesesteaks and New England has clam chowder. Participating New York Japanese restaurants will serve the soul food from their respective hometowns. Hakata Tonton's collagen-rich tonsoku and Hide-Chan Ramen's yaki ramen, both from Fukuoka, and Umi No Ie's fresh hand-pulled thin udon delivered daily from the Goto Islands will inspire visitors with a taste for more authentic specialty Japanese food.

Vendors arriving from Kyushu prefectures of Nagasaki, Oita, Saga, and Kumamoto will occupy one block of the festival and exhibit their traditional and modern dishes. Look for ikinari dango (a dumpling of potato and red bean), taipi-en (vermicelli of Chinese origin with a local twist), nikumai onigiri (juicy pork-wrapped rice balls), and even pet health supplements from Kumamoto. Fukuoka will dish up its famous kamaboko (fish cakes) made from a technique used since the Edo era and the Yuzusco brand citron pepper seasoning. Takeo City of Saga prefecture will have zesty lemongrass green tea, herb tea, and cider.

Additional eats include warabimochi (a kinko-smothered confection), Japanese curry from Go! Go! Curry!, okonomiyaki, yakitori, and konnyaku. Besides food, there will be regional Japanese products, entertainment, raffles for airline tickets, Japanese accessories and anime products for sale. Come visit the JapanTown Soul Food festival on September 26th to taste the uniqueness of Japan!

Directions to the Soul Food Festival:

Location:
Lexington Avenue between 94th and 95th Streets (Map)

Subway:
6 train to 77th St.; 4, 5, 6 train to 86th St.; 6 train to 96th St.