Healthy Hakko: Part 1 Talk with Dr. Rath and Dr. de St. Maurice

Sushi and miso soup are often served together in Japanese restaurants. But what does sushi have to do with fermented food? What other uses are there for miso aside from making soup? In this first part of our Healthy Hakko series, Dr. Greg de St. Maurice (Keio University) and Dr. Eric Rath (University of Kansas) sit down to discuss the little-known history of fermented sushi, regional variations of miso, and the gastronomical possibilities of these foods today.

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Greg de St. Maurice is tenured Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Business and Commerce at Keio University. He also serves as Vice President of the Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS). He received his Ph.D. in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh in 2015. His key research interests include globalization, taste, “place” and place brands, culinary heritage and local foodways, and Japan. The focus of his recent research is the dynamism of local foodways and agricultural systems in the context of globalization. This research has appeared in the journals Gastronomica, Food, Culture, and Society and several edited volumes. Current projects study the transcultural transmission of culinary skills and knowledge, apply critical nutrition studies to the Japanese context, and examine cuisine as craft.

Eric C. Rath is a professor of history at the University of Kansas where he teaches courses on food history and premodern Japan.  A specialist in Japanese food, his books include Food and Fantasy in Early Modern Japan (2010), Japan’s Cuisines: Food, Place and Identity (2016), and the forthcoming Oishii: The History of Sushi (Reaktion Books, 2021).  He is also a member of the editorial collective of Gastronomica: The Journal for Food Studies.

HEALTHY HAKKO Talks and Discussions

Jan. 15-17 > Dr. Eric Rath (premodern dietary culture) and Dr. Greg de St. Maurice (cultural heritage and food)

Jan. 22-24 > Dr. Victoria Lee (fermentation science in modern Japan) and Dr. Stephen Lyman (Epidemiologist and Shochu expert)

Jan. 22-24 > Kaori Ishii (director of the film The Genealogy of Sake) and Michael Tremblay (Sake Samurai, Sake sommelier)

Jan. 29-31 > Sandor Katz (fermentation revivalist, author and educator) and Shiori Kajiwara (koji specialist, Koji Flowers, Hidamari)

HEALTHY HAKKO Documentary Films

Jan. 15-17 > Dashi, Essence of Japan & Shoyu, the Secrets of Japanese Cuisine Directed by Shohei Shibata

Jan. 22-24 > The Genealogy of Sake Directed by Kaori Ishii

Jan. 29-31 > Katsuo-Bushi Directed by Yu Nakajima

Jan. 29-31 > Fermented Directed by Jonathan Cianfrani