Lost in Translation and Umeboshi Onigiri

3/8/2017 Lost in Translation and Umeboshi Onigiri

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LOST IN TRANSLATION AND UMEBOSHI ONIGIRI

Lost in Translation is an odd sort of love story, but one that left me sobbing at the end. It’s not sad, and nobody dies or anything. It’s just a very moving story which looks at an unconventional type of intimacy between two abandoned souls. Aging movie star Bob Harris (Bill Murray!) is in Tokyo ﬁlming ads for Suntory Whisky and escaping the clutches of his nagging wife. Charlotte (Scar-Jo) is left alone in Tokyo when her nerdy photographer husband takes a job at the other end of Japan. The two meet up and explore the wickedly weird city of Tokyo together. Karaoke ensues, and since nothing good ever comes of that, they end up forming a sweet, but awkward bond. Life secrets are shared, emotions are bared, and Scar has http://contentmanagementone.com/lostintranslationandumeboshionigiri/ 1/3 3/8/2017 Lost in Translation and Umeboshi Onigiri pink hair. It’s all very subdued, with lots of physical tension running just under the surface. It’s the sexiest movie I can think of without any actual sex in it. As their time in Tokyo comes to an end, a good- bye is inevitable, and each one learns something from the other. The parting scene is bittersweet and the mystery of the secret whisper will haunt you forever.

This movie is paired with umeboshi (sour-plum) onigiri because it strikes the perfect balance between sticky sweet and pleasantly sour – just like this ﬁlm. It’s a love letter to Japan, and a love story for all the lonely souls who crave something they know they cannot have.

UMEBOSHI (SOUR-PLUM ) ONIGIRI

INGREDIENTS

Cooked Japanese sticky rice Umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums) Mentaiko (spicy cod roe) Nori (ﬂat black seaweed sheets) Salt Black sesame seeds

PREPARATION

1. Rinse and massage your rice in water before cooking. This removes some of the starch. 2. Cook the rice in a rice cooker and let it cool. 3. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir in a little salt (to your own taste) 4. Grab a handful of rice and shape it into a triangle. You can dip your hands in a little water to keep the rice from sticking to you. 5. Make an indentation in the centre of the rice ball. Put one pickled plum in the centre. 6. Wrap a strip of nori around the rice ball to hold everything in place. 7. Dust the top with black sesame seeds, or Mentaiko if desired. http://contentmanagementone.com/lostintranslationandumeboshionigiri/ 2/3 3/8/2017 Lost in Translation and Umeboshi Onigiri 8. You can make as many as you like until you run out of ingredients. If you want to prepare them ahead of time, don’t wrap the rice balls in nori. You can keep them in the fridge until  you are ready to eat them. You can microwave the rice balls for 15 seconds before eating, and add the nori just before you eat them. That way, the nori doesn’t go soggy.

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