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dining tables and chairs were adopted by a growing number of Japanese
households, they were labelled ‘traditional’. 19
The second concern in the reform of family meals was related to the
quality and variety of the food to be served on the new tables. As I noted
earlier (see chapter Two), a differentiated gastronomy has operated in
urban areas since the seventeenth century. Restaurants and food stalls were
a regular feature of urban life, and professional caterers often delivered
food for special occasions to homes. Even rural households relied on such
services for big celebrations, such as wedding banquets. 20
In contrast, home meals in pre-modern Japan were austere, even in
relatively wealthy families (see chapter Three). The average urban citizen
subsisted mainly on rice and pickles, supplemented by miso soup and a side
dish for lunch and dinner. Compared to what Japanese consume on a daily
basis today, the number of side dishes served with rice and soup was much
smaller and their variety very limited. Tōfu in hot broth or fresh tōfu,
seafood preserved in soy sauce (tsukudani) and ubiquitous simmered vegetables
(nimono) were served day after day, occasionally interrupted by
grilled or simmered fish. 21 Since most women relied on a narrow range of
recipes, the only variation in home menus was provided by the (seasonal)
availability of ingredients. Their range, however, must have been rather
narrow, if we consider that the assortment provided by the food pedlars
who delivered foodstuffs to most urban households was restricted by what
they could carry. All these aspects combined suggest that monotony was
the dominant feature of daily menus. Little variation in home-cooked
meals was observed and none was expected.
Seafood pedlar,
from Shiki mainichi
sanshoku ryōrihō
(1909).
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