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Embark on a sonic sojourn to the bustling streets of Tokyo as my buddy George and I navigate the city's marvels, both edible and audible. While George regales us with tales from the Land of the Rising Sun, we'll pull back the curtain to reveal the alchemy of podcast magic. Hear how tools like Descript and BuzzSprout, along with the crisp clarity of Rode tech, transform our chats into auditory gold. It's an insider's tour from the hum of Tokyo's trains to the meticulous craft behind each episode, proving that a great story is just a play button away.
As the aroma of perfectly grilled yakitori wafts through the conversation, George leads us into the heart of Tokyo's culinary temples, where the yakitori masters wield their skewers like brushes on a canvas. The sizzle of Japanese charcoal becomes the backdrop for an exploration of the intimate dance between chef and ingredient, where each skewer tells its own tale. From the bustling izakayas to the tranquil simplicity of a Japanese breakfast, our tastebuds travel on a journey as rich and intricate as the culture from which it springs.
Finally, we raise our cups to the sake renaissance, a narrative steeped in tradition but buzzing with innovation. The evolution of sake from its warm, rustic roots to the delicate notes of chilled Daiginjo is a testament to the craftsmanship of its brewers—and we're here to share that story. Through anecdotes and analogies, we connect the dots between sake's complex character and the familiar world of fine spirits, even contemplating its place alongside classic American fare. And because no trip is complete without a touch of homesickness, I reminisce about the signature dishes of my favorite Chinese spot back home, and the undeniable comfort of the foods we love. Join us for these stories, stitched together with the thread of friendship and a shared appreciation for life's finer flavors.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everyone, this is Steve from A Better Life.
This podcast is brought to youby our sponsors, premium
Botanical.
They are the makers of HerbalSpectrum, which is a full
spectrum hemp-based CBD.
They make salves, liquids andthey have a great mixed berry
gummy.
You can check them out atwwwmypbcbdcom.
(00:22):
Now our podcast, the bestpodcast.
Hello everyone and welcome toour podcast, a Better Life with
George and Steve.
(00:42):
Tonight is a special nightbecause George is on location in
Japan.
Are you in Tokyo?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yes, I am.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
In Tokyo, can you imagine.
So this is the first time we'reusing this technology that
we've had for so long, but weare using it.
How are you, george?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
No, it's great, Fantastic.
The flight was a breeze.
Direct flights are the way togo and I got a good night's
sleep.
I got up this morning at fiveit's currently 8.30 AM over here
in Tokyo and I texted you andwe were like yeah, let's do it.
Yeah, now we're going live onour podcast.
(01:21):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Yeah, so we're not really live.
Actually we're recording, butit's pretty much what we always
do and it sounds exactly thesame.
I don't even know if we had totell them you were in Tokyo, but
tell us so you had a directflight.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah, yeah, it's pretty common.
It's a 14 hour flight from JFKto Haneda, which is the closer
of the two airports for Tokyo,and once you get to Haneda, you
take the train.
It's three bucks to get intodowntown Tokyo, and you just
then take the subway and youfind where you need to go.
(01:56):
You surface and voila, you'reback in a mix.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Interesting, interesting.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
It's so convenient and I sometimes wonder why I
continue life in New York.
It was a $90 Uber ride for mefrom my apartment to JFK and
then from the airport to whereI'm staying in Tokyo.
It was $3.50.
So it's crazy and theconvenience level and the
(02:28):
timeliness, it's very convenient.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Great Sounds great, you sound great.
I mean considering.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, and I can't wait to hear the final product
because I'm on earbuds.
What are they called?
Earpods?
It's a little bit.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
It's not as full as it usually is here, but you're
not running through a lot of thetechnology that we usually do
here.
You're not running throughbecause you're coming in.
You're not coming through overthe microphone.
The difference is earbuds andan expensive road microphone is
absolutely.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I purposely wanted to go off the wire just to see
what the worst case scenario is,because, if this passes, we
could be podcasting from anyspot on earth with the same gear
.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
That is true.
I think it sounds great.
You know that we run throughtwo different softwares before
it hits the well, maybe youdon't, but so when I edit, just
for the edification of everybodyout there, it goes through two
different systems where it workson the sound.
(03:39):
The first one, it really justconverts it to a file that you
can upload to a full roundedfile.
It cuts out the extra noise, itdoes some mastering of our
voices, because it's just ourvoices.
(04:01):
There's really no music otherthan the lead-in and then it
makes a transcript.
I'm guessing using AI makes atranscript of everything, and
then I edit it through thetranscript Like you would edit a
Word document.
You take out the extra spaces,you take out the extra words,
things that don't sound right,you delete it.
(04:22):
There's any noise or anythinglike that?
You delete that.
And it's on an online softwarethat you have to be a member of
and pay a fee.
It's called Descript, and thenit exports a file and then that
file goes into Bus Scout andthen I'm sorry, it's not Buscat,
it's Buzz something and thenBuzz then takes it, inputs.
(04:47):
It does the exact same thing,makes a transcript, reads it,
identifies both softwares, askme questions about who's
speaking, how many people, whatare their names?
Because when they make thetranscript, they assign names to
it.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Right, so the initial tag.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And then it does something called music mastering
and it's M M something.
M?
M.
I can't think of what it is,but what it does is it makes a,
it goes through, it takes thehighs and lows out, it makes it
all sound the same and thenconverts it to a file.
That, and converts to a file,gives you some ideas for titles
(05:27):
based on the words, and we editit and then it gets uploaded and
then Buzz Scout uploads it toall the major systems.
So it really is quite a.
It takes you have to listen toit and it's a little bit longer,
probably 10 or 15 minuteslonger than it is in the final
part.
Buzz Sprout I'm sorry, buzzSprout does magic mastering,
(05:49):
it's called, and theyautomatically goes through
everything.
It optimizes for spoken word ormusic, if you.
That's what you were doing.
So it really does a great joband it gives it the next level.
I think our podcast stuff foundsound fantastic, I think every
time not as much as thebeginning, but I think we're
(06:10):
we're always surprised at howgood it sounds, considering we
do it.
We have road we have roadmicrophones that are what's
called the pod mic, specificallyfor podcasting.
We also have the road what theheck is this thing called?
We have a road recorder thatbasically uses that makes
(06:30):
everything sound great.
You adjust it for themicrophone, you adjust it for
who we are and what our voicesare, and then it'll cast their
pro.
That's what it is, and then italso we also go through a cloud
preamp before it even goes intothe road cast or pro, so it's
all recorded.
The recording is then uploadedto an Apple computer and then
that's how the whole, the wholepodcast comes in.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Thank goodness that you are an obsessive type of guy
that does a lot of researchbefore buying some heavy
equipment, but couldn't havecome out any better.
I think this is what a journeyreally.
In Tokyo.
We're we're, you know, doing arecording on Thursday morning,
wednesday night, and I gotta saythe weather is gloomy here.
(07:12):
It is, it's warm, it's probablyin the 50s today, but it is
going to be raining for the nexttwo, three days.
I have people who I'm meetingare gonna blame that I brought
the rain, but they were.
They just had a 70 degreespring day two days ago on
Tuesday.
Unlucky them, I brought alittle New York weather, but can
(07:35):
you believe that 70?
It was 70 degrees here in Tokyotwo days ago.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
I wish it was supposed to be warmer here next
week.
I don't know when you're comingback, but it's supposed to be
warmer here next week.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
By the time I get back.
I'm sure I'll bring the thedeep freeze into into it.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
It isn't this week.
You know that.
I thought it was too cold tofight.
Start wearing a coat.
I don't wear a coat.
Yeah, I started wearing a coat.
It was like this hugerevelation.
I was telling everybody theywere like idiot and we all been
wearing coats for a little kids.
You're the only idiot thatdoesn't wear coats.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Oh, so I got into Tokyo.
I had dinner yakitori, are youfamiliar with yakitori?
Oh yeah, I love it.
Yeah, so it's chicken, it'smostly chicken on a skewer and
then grilled over charcoal.
And it's the art of deboningthe chicken and skewering it so
the size, shape and how it cooksover charcoal flame, the
(08:30):
balance between everything andthe sauces and the seasoning you
do to the skewers, it was great.
I think we had seven skewerseach.
A salad, nice beverage, andthen I think we finished with
some ramen duck duck breastramen actually.
And yeah, I think I just sentyou some pictures so you can
(08:51):
post them on the website.
But things like this it's justthe convenience of great food
and reasonably priced.
This was probably like $40 mealeach head.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
It's nice.
It's funny.
I've watched some yakitorispecialists on YouTube or on
television or whatever chefs,and it really is something the,
for those of you are notfamiliar, it's really just like
a barbecue on a sphere, on askewer, and it really is such a
(09:29):
talent because each theyunderstand each type of meat,
like on a chicken, everydifferent the wing, the leg, the
breast, different parts of thebody that have different flavors
and are prepared Differenttextures, different flavors and
it's really a science.
(09:49):
And then they have and I almostbought one.
I have to stop sometime.
And I almost bought one of thegrills and you buy this.
And on MT, what is it?
Mtc, mtl, what is that?
Speaker 2 (10:02):
MTL Kitchen.
Mtl Kitchen.
They have the best selection ofJapanese cookery, kitchen
equipment, knives and also theingredients.
They're one of the largest andoldest importers of Japanese
goods in the country.
It's a one-stop-shop, but yeah,we go on that website and all
of a sudden, two, three hundreddollars later, you order in some
(10:26):
toys.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
But what I found most interesting is the charcoal.
The Japanese charcoal for thegrill is different than anything
I've ever seen, and I've used alot of charcoal in my life.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah, it's a whole different science, different art
form.
The charcoal is made so it'sall uniformly shaped, so there's
more predictability in terms ofhow you stack and how you lay
it out on the grill.
Obviously, when we grill, wehave a hot spot, we have a
medium and a cool spot.
Same thing goes with theJapanese grill for the acutory.
(11:01):
The chef will probably layermore charcoal on one side and on
the other side it will be thecooler zone and therefore you're
able to manipulate the heat andhow intense you want to cook
each skewer at.
I think some of the greatyakitori chefs, even in New York
City, these guys are so skilled.
(11:21):
I've spoken to a few of them.
Mr Kono, chef Kono is one of myfavorite chefs in the city and
he runs, I think he has aMichelin star for yakitori,
which is incredible.
But his food, his preparation Ithink he told me he can prepare
23 different dishes from onebird.
So he has the skill to breakdown the bird and accentuate 23
(11:46):
different variations.
So, whether it be the thigh,he'll take the thigh, he'll have
the inner thigh, the outerthigh.
That's two different portions.
The breast you have thetenderloin in the middle.
Everything is broken down to avery, very specific and doing
one of his tasting menus is oneof the coolest things you can do
as a foodie in the city.
(12:07):
I highly recommend anyone tryto get a reservation at his
counter and just watch thismaster at work.
In one hand he's got the fanand he's waving and manipulating
the airflow, the oxygen, sothat the charcoal gets hit with
more oxygen, meaning more heat,and sometimes he lets glow and
(12:28):
lets it cook at a lower temp,even though it's still in the
hot zone, and it's really just amarvelous thing to watch.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Yes, I haven't actually been to one, but I've
seen some and it's like going toa sushi chef.
It's that's.
The best way I can explain itto the audience is that it's
like going to sushi, where yougo in, you watch them and use
their knives and it's a verysimilar thing because they're
unbelievable with the knives,how they trim and how they
attach it to the skewer and thenand how they cook it and the
(12:58):
marinade and they're prettystraightforward marinades.
It's all in the knife work andthe meat and how they cook it.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
They keep it so simple.
I think that that's really thebeauty of a lot of Japanese
cuisine is, even though it looksso simple, the fundamentals of
their craft guides their styleand each chef has a certain
style.
It's undeniable.
You look at even the mostcommon, let's say, momo, which
is thai meat skewer, and you'lltake, let's say, top 10 yakitori
(13:32):
places in Tokyo.
If you take a closer look ateach guy's skewer, they're
tapered differently.
Some guys might have, let's say, four pieces, some guys might
have three, and then you look atthe first piece on the top and
it tapers down to the bottom.
It's sometimes a different sizeand configurations.
Essentially, the chef wants youto have a different experience
(13:52):
while you eat through that thaiskewer.
The big piece comes first andthen the smallest piece is the
third or fourth piece.
And it's undeniably it cooksdifferent.
If you have something that's20% larger versus the fourth
piece being 20% smaller, andyou're cooking on the same heat
(14:13):
rate and everything, it's goingto cook differently.
So, even though it's all fullycooked, those slight nuances,
those slight differences, giveyou a whole different experience
to that just one skewer.
You multiply that by eight or10 different portions.
Now you're doing breast meat,doing wing, you're doing the
(14:33):
neck meat, you're doing allthese different, and then you
have the innards, you have theliver, you have the heart, you
have the snagimou I think it'scalled the gizzard and you have
just this really amazing tastingmenu.
From One Bird, the broth comesout.
It's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
I bet you saw last night.
You were at the place.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
You were at an amazing place to be doing this,
yeah yeah, I was watching thechef in front of me fan the
skewers on that grill and youget to chat with them if you
want, or chat it up with yourfriend or whoever you're having
dinner with, and it's just thisinteractive symphony of foods
coming towards your way.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
So where are you going?
That's breakfast, right.
What do you have today?
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Breakfast.
I just made a quick breakfastSome eggs, some sausages, a
salad yogurt, granola, coffeeand juice.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
In the hotel room.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
No, I'm staying with my girlfriends.
I have, yeah, with jet lag.
I'm up at five.
I went to the local 7-Eleven.
Not only do they have preparedfoods but they have a nice
grocery store.
There's different styles of7-Eleven and this one happens to
have a little bit more of ahome grocery fair.
I just picked up someingredients, made breakfast and
(15:56):
had a nice breakfast in themorning, prepare to get some
work done before my conferencecalls later this afternoon, and
I thought it'd sneak in a nicepodcast session with you.
And here we are.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
I appreciate you did.
I hope everyone out thereappreciates it as well.
Are there full blown grocerystores like there are in the
United States, in Japan,especially in Tokyo, because
there's really not the room forit?
Is there?
Speaker 2 (16:20):
so we always think Tokyo is really cramped and it
is okay.
So I think it's one of the moredensely populated cities in the
world, but they use space soefficiently.
It's really nice.
As a kid I didn't reallyappreciate the compactness, but
now traveling traveled prettyextensively around the world and
(16:41):
I've seen a lot of differentways of life.
Way of life in Tokyo is I keepusing the word efficient, but
there's no really other, betterway of explaining.
I think people as a collectiveare aware of energy.
I think there's not thatexcessive.
As Americans right, we're allguilty of blasting our air
(17:02):
conditioners.
It's frigid.
There's really no need for theamount of air conditioning we
use as a country, but that's onething.
So I think, if people are aware, I think people are aware that
we don't need to drive fiveliter V8 engine cars.
For the most part, thegovernment slaps a pretty heavy
luxury tax sticker when yourengine goes past I think two
(17:26):
liters is it in Japan If itpumps out more than 280
horsepower, there's anotherluxury tax.
So there's certain ways to, Ithink, live life comfortably
without excessive behavior, andI think Japan does such a really
good job with that.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Well, gasoline is very expensive there, right?
Speaker 2 (17:47):
It used to be double, I think.
Now in the States, when we'rehitting $384 a gallon, I think
we're getting pretty close towhat we pay here, and with the
exchange rate I think it'spretty much the same now.
Right, the best is for the mostpart, expensive, but people
just drive really small carshere.
(18:08):
The cars are tiny, but no one'sslamming the pedal and peeling
out of their parking lots.
It just unheard of.
Also, the funny thing aboutdriving here is nobody hunks the
horn.
It is incredibly polite.
It is, unless it's your direneed of alerting someone of an
emergency.
With a horn, you just don't honkthe horn.
(18:29):
And I've driven through Tokyo,I've driven in the countryside
here and on the other side ofthe road Everyone drives on the
left side, the steering wheel ison the left side, on the right
side now, and the fact that youdon't honk the horn, even for
just a little bit of a hey,what's up, it just doesn't
happen.
So it's a whole differentculture.
In that sense as well, I can'timagine going a day driving
(18:52):
through New York City withouthonking the horn, right?
Speaker 1 (18:55):
I don't know, I rarely honk the horn.
I know you don't believe that,but I rarely honk the horn.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Yeah, I'm just saying it's a very different way of
life here.
It's very peaceful actually.
I just find a lot of serenityliving in a very just, peaceful
society.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Sounds good.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Yeah, I'll be traveling throughout the whole
honshu the island of Honshu,that's a big island throughout
Japan.
In the few days Meeting mycolleague and we're going to
meet a lot of customers andclients.
We're lining up new productlines for 2025, 26, and just
meeting a lot of the owners andbreweries and brewmasters
(19:35):
throughout the country as thingsget a little bit more secured.
I can't wait to share all thisgreat news.
But I will be re-entering theworld of sake Japanese towards
the end of this year and I thinkwe have a tremendous
opportunity within the culinarylandscape of the United States
(19:55):
to really showcase some of thegreatest brewed products in the
world.
Japanese sake this is my tagline.
It's brewed like a beer, sipslike a wine, it's really just
this beautiful.
If you enjoy sans serres, oreven chardonnay with a little
bit more gravity, or somethingon blancs with a little bit more
(20:16):
crispness, Sake has it all andit has a tremendous amount of
umami, has tremendous amount ofacidity.
It is food paring forward thatI think we have a really we're
budding on a renaissance, Ithink, in the States, and I
can't be more excited toshowcase that to everyone and
(20:37):
all our listeners down the road.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Okay.
So now that we're reallytalking about it, I'm going to
tell you something I've nevertasted sake in my life.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Okay, fair enough.
Most times when I talk toAmericans, their first entry
into sake are either sake bombsor they'll have it really piping
hot and they'll just shoot itat, like the Hibachi restaurants
or some sushi restaurants, andthere's no right or wrong way.
I want to get that out of theway here.
(21:06):
If you like your tequila, ifyou like shooting them, fine.
If you have now discovered theworld of reposado, a niehos, and
now you're sipping tequilaslike you would sip bourbon or
other whiskeys, that's just yourjourney into the world of
tequila.
And the same thing goes withsake.
(21:26):
Sake traditionally was drunkwarmed, probably to body
temperature, if not slightlyhotter, but not piping hot.
But that is just to bring out alot of the nuances you wouldn't
taste at room temperature orchilled.
Through technology, throughrice polishing technology, we're
(21:47):
able to now polish the rice,grind out the outer core to the
finer white center where thestarch is, and produce some very
aromatic and floral sake.
And that's why the shift fromwarm sake to chilled sake became
so popular.
And this was probably from the80s to the 90s in Japan, and
(22:07):
you'd give yourself a 10-15 yearlag for the Western world so
early on in 2000s, 2010,.
This must be drunk, chilled.
Movement happened and for themost part that's correct,
because a lot of Daiginjo thatis the funny Japanese word for
premium high polish came to beand you definitely want to serve
(22:28):
that sake around 35, 40, maybe45 degrees Fahrenheit, like you
would serve a high endchardonnay or high end sauvignon
blanc.
And there is just educationneeded to be had right.
The more you know, the more youcan enjoy, like anything else
in the world cognacs, whiskeys,scotches same thing with sake.
I think the industry as a wholehas done an amazing job.
(22:51):
We have so many talented,educated and passionate
educators of sake throughout thecountry.
A lot of distributors, a lot ofimporters have poured a lot of
money into the education of sakeand I can see the next five, 10
years being an even biggergrowth to what we've seen the
past 10 years.
Again, I'm just so excited tocome back into this world and
(23:14):
showcase and really talk aboutsomething I'm really passionate
about.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Yeah, I could see it.
I could see that.
I think people are out therelooking for something different,
something that complementstheir food in a way that hasn't
been complimented before, and Ithink sake is the answer.
I think sake is like you saidit's ready for a renaissance,
it's ready for somethingdifferent.
It's paired as we know.
(23:41):
It's paired very well with food.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
It always has been but it really shouldn't be
limited to just Asian influenceddishes, and I think a lot of
yeah, go ahead A lot of times, Ithink in the 80s and 90s, just
the fact that something foreignwas a little bit harder to
embrace in the States.
But you know, we are so open toanything in the world, anything
(24:09):
from the world that is ofquality and I think Japan has
done a tremendous jobpositioning themselves as
producers of quality goods andhas been going around, has been
brewed for 200 plus years forthe type of sake that we're
talking about, but historicallywe can trace that back to
(24:32):
probably 1500 years of a brewedbeverage per day, but for all
intents and purposes, highlypolished rice milling sake with
conventional top fermentingyeast and the product that we
are actually producing today.
Give or take a few decades, but200 years of history.
Leave it to the Japaneseartisans.
(24:54):
We're going to create someamazing juice, and that's no
surprise to me that, going totaste things and just talking to
brewers, juice always somethingwithin their repertoire.
That fits with some of myfavorite dishes here in the
States, whether it be pizza,whether it be barbecue, whether
(25:15):
it be even just Mexican foodTex-Mex, socal, southern
California, mexican food, thebarbecue from Texas, barbecue
from South Carolina, from StLouis, and pizzas from the New
York area, or even Chicago stylepizza.
We have so many differentamazing American dishes that can
(25:36):
go well with and it doesn'thave to be just wine, doesn't
have to be just beer, butJapanese sake is truly a vessel
that can really take on thisparability aspect and really
enhance anyone's meal andexperience.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Right, I think it's going to take a little bit of
educating people.
Much like my CBD business, ittakes a little bit of educating
people.
It's really out there and itworks the same way as soon as
you get a few people to try itand you start advertising it and
you have purveyors of food outthere that share in it and then
(26:13):
share it with the guests intheir restaurants.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
All about that experience, right.
All about sharing and then thehospitality and just trying
something new.
So, yeah, it's a reallyinteresting time and I really do
believe the sake of renaissanceis here to happen.
In the next five, 10 yearsWe'll see tremendous amount of
sake on more beverage menusthroughout the country, and it's
(26:41):
all for the better.
I can do a little bit of thatto help with the general cause.
I think I'll be a happy guy.
And who doesn't like?
I tell some friends I get paidto eat and drink, and that's
true, it's really.
I don't work a day in my life,right.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
You know me, I do 50 different thousand things and I
feel the same way.
People are like aren't youexhausted?
I said no, I'm actuallyenthusiastic.
I mean, I did crazy stuff todayand we don't need to go through
it, but you get excited aboutit.
You know, I'm happy that theseare my jobs, these challenges
(27:21):
that are rewarding, to makesomething out of nothing.
And we're always doing that.
We're almost like an artistpainting a picture.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
You know you're problem solving all day.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
All day and like, think about Michelangelo or any
of the great painters orsculptors, and they would look
at a piece of.
They always say they look at apiece of marble and they see the
sculpture in there and it's ablank slate.
And that's exactly where youare.
And you're taking newtechnologies and new efficient
(27:53):
processes and you're going tocreate something that's going to
change how everyone in theworld eats and it shares their
time with each other.
It's you have to be so excitedabout it.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's a great opportunity and Ithink things happen for a reason
right, so it's a blessing.
I take everything with atremendous amount of humility
and I'm just grateful, so Ican't wait to share more and
educate all our listeners aboutthe world of sake and how well
(28:30):
it pairs with the foods from theworld.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
So where are you going to dinner tonight?
Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
So I missed Valentine's Day with my
girlfriend.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Right, we're on the let's remember it's Thursday
there, so it's the day.
We're on Wednesday, I'm onWednesday.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
He's on Thursday, I have the day to spend and I made
a reservation at this reallynice Chinese restaurant.
Believe it or not, some of thegreatest Chinese chefs in
Chinese restaurants are locatedin Japan.
Surprise, I say that aboutpizza, I say that about other
Italian food, but it is true.
The precision and the sourcingof ingredients is so superior in
(29:13):
Japan that it makes cookingthat much easier, and I think a
lot of times chefs will choosethe ability to get a high
quality chicken versus whateverright.
Long story short, there's agreat restaurant here in Tokyo
and we are probably going to gowith the course menu.
It's a Michelin star Chineserestaurant and I actually don't
(29:37):
know so much about it, but I doknow of its gravitas within the
world of astronomy and I can'twait to experience it.
I will have in depth knowledgein about 12 hours of this
amazing restaurant here in Tokyo.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
I can't wait to explore that next week.
It's funny you bring up Chineserestaurants.
I had a friend, Bonnie, youknow.
She asked me for arecommendation to Chinese
restaurants and I sent her toOmandarin.
And then, which is in Hartstown,new York, but I had to do a few
gaviottes.
One, realize the food could bereally spicy, so watch yourself.
And two, don't go in there andlook for chicken and broccoli
(30:14):
because it ain't going to bethere, just going to have to go
with the flow in the menu.
I said, when I go, georgeusually orders so I don't have
to worry.
But there are different thingson the menu.
You have to be prepared to trythem.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
And for all of the kinds of purposes.
Old Mandarin in Hearth's Dailis my hands down favorite
Chinese restaurant in our areain Westchester.
They have handpicked a fewdishes from a variety of
different regions in China andmade it their own.
I wouldn't say it's the mostauthentic, but I would say it's
the most cared for and thoughtforward cooking that you'd get
(30:48):
in Westchester and it's always apleasant experience.
I hope she enjoys it.
The thing about eating Chineseis you definitely want to go
with more people.
The better, because then youget to try different dishes, you
share and you naturally createa banquet style tasting menu
experience.
So you have usually you startwith a soup, you then you go
(31:11):
with something lighter and thenall the different disciplines
something fried, somethingsteamed, something stir fried,
something braised, and then youhave some vegetables.
You want to mix up everythingthrough the course to have land
and sea and this is a marriageof textures and experiences,
(31:31):
whether it's protein, vegetable,land, animals, sea, animals.
All these things creates thetasting menu experience.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
So it's funny.
You said that probably one ofthe best Chinese restaurants
I've ever been to was inFlorence, italy.
So I was.
When I went to school in Italy,I went to the University of
Urbino, which is in the North.
We would, on weekends, we wouldtravel to every city you
(32:01):
possibly can, every littlevillage all over Northern Italy
and Tuscany, and all differentplaces, and then we ended up in
Florence.
We had a four days there wherewe studied with a visiting
professor from Cambridge and wewent to a Chinese restaurant and
(32:22):
it was the freakiest thing youever saw.
The food was Chinese, the menuswere in Italian.
You just didn't know what tothink and what to say, but
people were Chinese and they'respeaking Italian, so it was
really pretty interesting, butit was a great meal.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
Nice.
By that time I'd been there,I'd been in Italy probably eight
months, maybe 10 months, and Ihadn't had Chinese food,
obviously because in the Northit wasn't what they had.
We ate a lot of Napolitan pizza.
We ate a lot of pasta.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
What is it about human nature when we know we
can't have something, especiallyfoods?
Right, you want it more, man.
I remember even on my plane, onthe plane ride over here, I was
texting you and I was like Ireally wish I had a juicy
American burger.
And I know I'm not gonna haveit for the next 14 days while
(33:23):
I'm overseas because I wouldnever.
It's not like I'm wasting ameal, but I gotta fill myself
with foods I can't get back home, back in the States, and why
would I look to get a burger?
Plus, I feel like it would bejust too neat of a burger here
in Japan.
It'd be made with someengineering precision and it's
(33:45):
not the same.
I think a nice smashed burger.
I think that's where I'm headedthese days.
Well, I want a burger today.
I want something that's crustand it's got a lot of charred
that my yard reaction on thatdouble patty burger and Jesus
gotta be perfectly melted and ona toasted bun, and that's what
(34:07):
I'm looking for.
So I'm just looking for aburger right now.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
Have you ever been to the cabin?
And I know I must have spokenabout it.
You ever been to the cabin init's in Valhalla?
It's like from a cabin fromlike 1928.
And it's changed hands so itgot a little bit more well
rounded in what their foodselection.
But they're burgers, so theyhave a regular burger and it's
(34:30):
just really good.
I don't know how they cook it,flayne, it's really good and
then they serve it with trufflefries and it's really good.
So we're gonna have to go on aroad trip there.
I like the burger and theirwings are good too.
It's that kind of place andwhen you go watch the football
game, families go there.
It's big.
It used to not be so big but itgot bigger.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
And it's really I really love it there.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
So cabin restaurant, okay, white planes.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
No, Valhalla so it's actually on my street, you, when
you cross over and you justkeep following up, just follow
up.
Or the same street, to say,same street as Hard Steel Halsa
Pizza, and you just keepfollowing it straight up and it
just becomes into Valhalla.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
All right, that's another destination we have on
our short list.
The short list is not reallyshort anymore, it's become a
list.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
It is Cause we don't really, we don't really, we
don't really go anywhere.
We go to the same handful ofplaces.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
It's so hard, it's so hard to coordinate.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
So we'll be like, we'll make all these plans.
And then, like the other night,we I got out of work early and
he was going away.
So he was home and we went overand said, oh, let's go to the
steak place.
So we had plans, we invitedother people and then he was
done.
So it was like three o'clock,so I'm going to go over and have
a cigar.
I said, you know what, I'mreally done too, so I'll go over
(35:57):
and have a cigar.
Then we're sitting here havingcigars and the next thing is why
don't we just order our pizzaso we don't have to go anywhere?
Speaker 2 (36:03):
It wasn't so bad, I think, just courting with
buddies and getting excitedabout having the boys all
together for steak and some guyeither bails or says they can't
make it until way later.
It takes the wind out of thesales and then it becomes option
two and option three.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
You just wanted to order, have a pizza delivered
from Art Steelhouse of Pizza.
That's all, and it was good.
I don't know what it was, butit was great.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Oh, it was.
What was the grandma?
Speaker 1 (36:29):
It was sausage and broccoli rob, and I love sausage
and broccoli rob.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Everything they make there is pretty good.
I got to admit it is Even cold.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
It was good, because it was 20 below that day.
It was the coldest day of theweek.
I don't want to hold you up.
I think we've covered a lot ofground and we're talking about
Japan.
I'm waiting for the next, nextweek.
You'll still be there.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Yeah, next week I'm a little busier.
I have I'm just on a on a worldwind travel schedule Just going
from prefecture to prefecture.
But we can always squeeze in alittle time.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
Right, when are you?
When are you coming back?
You there for two weeks, areyou there?
Speaker 2 (37:06):
Yeah, something like that, all right.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
So it doesn't matter, because I'm not going to
process this one for a littlebit anyway, so I thank you for
taking your time out of yourworld wind road trip there.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
My pleasure and more updates to come.
Check your texts, I hope.
And, yeah, just post as much asyou can and we'll answer any
questions anyone has when theysend us the DMs and whatnot.
Please keep listening and hitthat subscribe and tell your
friends.
I think we're now, you know,expanding into close to 900
(37:36):
downloads and even more morepeople followings.
Thank you, thank you, and can'twait to report on more things.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
And that's I'm gonna leave it there.
Thank you very much.
Thank you everyone forlistening.
Please subscribe like evenreview.
I appreciate it all more tocome and George and Steve, we're
out.
Have a good night.
Good night, stehencolacom.
Hello everyone, this is Steve from A Better Life.
This podcast is brought to youby our sponsors, premium
Botanical.
They are the makers of HerbalSpectrum, which is a full
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They make salves, liquids andthey have a great mixed berry
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(00:22):
Now our podcast, the bestpodcast.
Hello everyone and welcome toour podcast, a Better Life with
George and Steve.
(00:42):
Tonight is a special nightbecause George is on location in
Japan.
Are you in Tokyo?
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yes, I am.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
In Tokyo, can you imagine.
So this is the first time we'reusing this technology that
we've had for so long, but weare using it.
How are you, george?
Speaker 2 (01:01):
No, it's great, Fantastic.
The flight was a breeze.
Direct flights are the way togo and I got a good night's
sleep.
I got up this morning at fiveit's currently 8.30 AM over here
in Tokyo and I texted you andwe were like yeah, let's do it.
Yeah, now we're going live onour podcast.
(01:21):
Here we go.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
Yeah, so we're not really live.
Actually we're recording, butit's pretty much what we always
do and it sounds exactly thesame.
I don't even know if we had totell them you were in Tokyo, but
tell us so you had a directflight.
Speaker 2 (01:35):
Yeah, yeah, it's pretty common.
It's a 14 hour flight from JFKto Haneda, which is the closer
of the two airports for Tokyo,and once you get to Haneda, you
take the train.
It's three bucks to get intodowntown Tokyo, and you just
then take the subway and youfind where you need to go.
(01:56):
You surface and voila, you'reback in a mix.
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Interesting, interesting.
Speaker 2 (02:05):
It's so convenient and I sometimes wonder why I
continue life in New York.
It was a $90 Uber ride for mefrom my apartment to JFK and
then from the airport to whereI'm staying in Tokyo.
It was $3.50.
So it's crazy and theconvenience level and the
(02:28):
timeliness, it's very convenient.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
Great Sounds great, you sound great.
I mean considering.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
Yeah, and I can't wait to hear the final product
because I'm on earbuds.
What are they called?
Earpods?
It's a little bit.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
It's not as full as it usually is here, but you're
not running through a lot of thetechnology that we usually do
here.
You're not running throughbecause you're coming in.
You're not coming through overthe microphone.
The difference is earbuds andan expensive road microphone is
absolutely.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
I purposely wanted to go off the wire just to see
what the worst case scenario is,because, if this passes, we
could be podcasting from anyspot on earth with the same gear
.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
That is true.
I think it sounds great.
You know that we run throughtwo different softwares before
it hits the well, maybe youdon't, but so when I edit, just
for the edification of everybodyout there, it goes through two
different systems where it workson the sound.
(03:39):
The first one, it really justconverts it to a file that you
can upload to a full roundedfile.
It cuts out the extra noise, itdoes some mastering of our
voices, because it's just ourvoices.
(04:01):
There's really no music otherthan the lead-in and then it
makes a transcript.
I'm guessing using AI makes atranscript of everything, and
then I edit it through thetranscript Like you would edit a
Word document.
You take out the extra spaces,you take out the extra words,
things that don't sound right,you delete it.
(04:22):
There's any noise or anythinglike that?
You delete that.
And it's on an online softwarethat you have to be a member of
and pay a fee.
It's called Descript, and thenit exports a file and then that
file goes into Bus Scout andthen I'm sorry, it's not Buscat,
it's Buzz something and thenBuzz then takes it, inputs.
(04:47):
It does the exact same thing,makes a transcript, reads it,
identifies both softwares, askme questions about who's
speaking, how many people, whatare their names?
Because when they make thetranscript, they assign names to
it.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
Right, so the initial tag.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And then it does something called music mastering
and it's M M something.
M?
M.
I can't think of what it is,but what it does is it makes a,
it goes through, it takes thehighs and lows out, it makes it
all sound the same and thenconverts it to a file.
That, and converts to a file,gives you some ideas for titles
(05:27):
based on the words, and we editit and then it gets uploaded and
then Buzz Scout uploads it toall the major systems.
So it really is quite a.
It takes you have to listen toit and it's a little bit longer,
probably 10 or 15 minuteslonger than it is in the final
part.
Buzz Sprout I'm sorry, buzzSprout does magic mastering,
(05:49):
it's called, and theyautomatically goes through
everything.
It optimizes for spoken word ormusic, if you.
That's what you were doing.
So it really does a great joband it gives it the next level.
I think our podcast stuff foundsound fantastic, I think every
time not as much as thebeginning, but I think we're
(06:10):
we're always surprised at howgood it sounds, considering we
do it.
We have road we have roadmicrophones that are what's
called the pod mic, specificallyfor podcasting.
We also have the road what theheck is this thing called?
We have a road recorder thatbasically uses that makes
(06:30):
everything sound great.
You adjust it for themicrophone, you adjust it for
who we are and what our voicesare, and then it'll cast their
pro.
That's what it is, and then italso we also go through a cloud
preamp before it even goes intothe road cast or pro, so it's
all recorded.
The recording is then uploadedto an Apple computer and then
that's how the whole, the wholepodcast comes in.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Thank goodness that you are an obsessive type of guy
that does a lot of researchbefore buying some heavy
equipment, but couldn't havecome out any better.
I think this is what a journeyreally.
In Tokyo.
We're we're, you know, doing arecording on Thursday morning,
wednesday night, and I gotta saythe weather is gloomy here.
(07:12):
It is, it's warm, it's probablyin the 50s today, but it is
going to be raining for the nexttwo, three days.
I have people who I'm meetingare gonna blame that I brought
the rain, but they were.
They just had a 70 degreespring day two days ago on
Tuesday.
Unlucky them, I brought alittle New York weather, but can
(07:35):
you believe that 70?
It was 70 degrees here in Tokyotwo days ago.
Speaker 1 (07:40):
I wish it was supposed to be warmer here next
week.
I don't know when you're comingback, but it's supposed to be
warmer here next week.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
By the time I get back.
I'm sure I'll bring the thedeep freeze into into it.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
It isn't this week.
You know that.
I thought it was too cold tofight.
Start wearing a coat.
I don't wear a coat.
Yeah, I started wearing a coat.
It was like this hugerevelation.
I was telling everybody theywere like idiot and we all been
wearing coats for a little kids.
You're the only idiot thatdoesn't wear coats.
Speaker 2 (08:08):
Oh, so I got into Tokyo.
I had dinner yakitori, are youfamiliar with yakitori?
Oh yeah, I love it.
Yeah, so it's chicken, it'smostly chicken on a skewer and
then grilled over charcoal.
And it's the art of deboningthe chicken and skewering it so
the size, shape and how it cooksover charcoal flame, the
(08:30):
balance between everything andthe sauces and the seasoning you
do to the skewers, it was great.
I think we had seven skewerseach.
A salad, nice beverage, andthen I think we finished with
some ramen duck duck breastramen actually.
And yeah, I think I just sentyou some pictures so you can
(08:51):
post them on the website.
But things like this it's justthe convenience of great food
and reasonably priced.
This was probably like $40 mealeach head.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
It's nice.
It's funny.
I've watched some yakitorispecialists on YouTube or on
television or whatever chefs,and it really is something the,
for those of you are notfamiliar, it's really just like
a barbecue on a sphere, on askewer, and it really is such a
(09:29):
talent because each theyunderstand each type of meat,
like on a chicken, everydifferent the wing, the leg, the
breast, different parts of thebody that have different flavors
and are prepared Differenttextures, different flavors and
it's really a science.
(09:49):
And then they have and I almostbought one.
I have to stop sometime.
And I almost bought one of thegrills and you buy this.
And on MT, what is it?
Mtc, mtl, what is that?
Speaker 2 (10:02):
MTL Kitchen.
Mtl Kitchen.
They have the best selection ofJapanese cookery, kitchen
equipment, knives and also theingredients.
They're one of the largest andoldest importers of Japanese
goods in the country.
It's a one-stop-shop, but yeah,we go on that website and all
of a sudden, two, three hundreddollars later, you order in some
(10:26):
toys.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
But what I found most interesting is the charcoal.
The Japanese charcoal for thegrill is different than anything
I've ever seen, and I've used alot of charcoal in my life.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Yeah, it's a whole different science, different art
form.
The charcoal is made so it'sall uniformly shaped, so there's
more predictability in terms ofhow you stack and how you lay
it out on the grill.
Obviously, when we grill, wehave a hot spot, we have a
medium and a cool spot.
Same thing goes with theJapanese grill for the acutory.
(11:01):
The chef will probably layermore charcoal on one side and on
the other side it will be thecooler zone and therefore you're
able to manipulate the heat andhow intense you want to cook
each skewer at.
I think some of the greatyakitori chefs, even in New York
City, these guys are so skilled.
(11:21):
I've spoken to a few of them.
Mr Kono, chef Kono is one of myfavorite chefs in the city and
he runs, I think he has aMichelin star for yakitori,
which is incredible.
But his food, his preparation Ithink he told me he can prepare
23 different dishes from onebird.
So he has the skill to breakdown the bird and accentuate 23
(11:46):
different variations.
So, whether it be the thigh,he'll take the thigh, he'll have
the inner thigh, the outerthigh.
That's two different portions.
The breast you have thetenderloin in the middle.
Everything is broken down to avery, very specific and doing
one of his tasting menus is oneof the coolest things you can do
as a foodie in the city.
(12:07):
I highly recommend anyone tryto get a reservation at his
counter and just watch thismaster at work.
In one hand he's got the fanand he's waving and manipulating
the airflow, the oxygen, sothat the charcoal gets hit with
more oxygen, meaning more heat,and sometimes he lets glow and
(12:28):
lets it cook at a lower temp,even though it's still in the
hot zone, and it's really just amarvelous thing to watch.
Speaker 1 (12:36):
Yes, I haven't actually been to one, but I've
seen some and it's like going toa sushi chef.
It's that's.
The best way I can explain itto the audience is that it's
like going to sushi, where yougo in, you watch them and use
their knives and it's a verysimilar thing because they're
unbelievable with the knives,how they trim and how they
attach it to the skewer and thenand how they cook it and the
(12:58):
marinade and they're prettystraightforward marinades.
It's all in the knife work andthe meat and how they cook it.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
They keep it so simple.
I think that that's really thebeauty of a lot of Japanese
cuisine is, even though it looksso simple, the fundamentals of
their craft guides their styleand each chef has a certain
style.
It's undeniable.
You look at even the mostcommon, let's say, momo, which
is thai meat skewer, and you'lltake, let's say, top 10 yakitori
(13:32):
places in Tokyo.
If you take a closer look ateach guy's skewer, they're
tapered differently.
Some guys might have, let's say, four pieces, some guys might
have three, and then you look atthe first piece on the top and
it tapers down to the bottom.
It's sometimes a different sizeand configurations.
Essentially, the chef wants youto have a different experience
(13:52):
while you eat through that thaiskewer.
The big piece comes first andthen the smallest piece is the
third or fourth piece.
And it's undeniably it cooksdifferent.
If you have something that's20% larger versus the fourth
piece being 20% smaller, andyou're cooking on the same heat
(14:13):
rate and everything, it's goingto cook differently.
So, even though it's all fullycooked, those slight nuances,
those slight differences, giveyou a whole different experience
to that just one skewer.
You multiply that by eight or10 different portions.
Now you're doing breast meat,doing wing, you're doing the
(14:33):
neck meat, you're doing allthese different, and then you
have the innards, you have theliver, you have the heart, you
have the snagimou I think it'scalled the gizzard and you have
just this really amazing tastingmenu.
From One Bird, the broth comesout.
It's pretty cool.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
I bet you saw last night.
You were at the place.
Speaker 2 (14:59):
You were at an amazing place to be doing this,
yeah yeah, I was watching thechef in front of me fan the
skewers on that grill and youget to chat with them if you
want, or chat it up with yourfriend or whoever you're having
dinner with, and it's just thisinteractive symphony of foods
coming towards your way.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
So where are you going?
That's breakfast, right.
What do you have today?
Speaker 2 (15:24):
Breakfast.
I just made a quick breakfastSome eggs, some sausages, a
salad yogurt, granola, coffeeand juice.
Speaker 1 (15:34):
In the hotel room.
Speaker 2 (15:35):
No, I'm staying with my girlfriends.
I have, yeah, with jet lag.
I'm up at five.
I went to the local 7-Eleven.
Not only do they have preparedfoods but they have a nice
grocery store.
There's different styles of7-Eleven and this one happens to
have a little bit more of ahome grocery fair.
I just picked up someingredients, made breakfast and
(15:56):
had a nice breakfast in themorning, prepare to get some
work done before my conferencecalls later this afternoon, and
I thought it'd sneak in a nicepodcast session with you.
And here we are.
Speaker 1 (16:08):
I appreciate you did.
I hope everyone out thereappreciates it as well.
Are there full blown grocerystores like there are in the
United States, in Japan,especially in Tokyo, because
there's really not the room forit?
Is there?
Speaker 2 (16:20):
so we always think Tokyo is really cramped and it
is okay.
So I think it's one of the moredensely populated cities in the
world, but they use space soefficiently.
It's really nice.
As a kid I didn't reallyappreciate the compactness, but
now traveling traveled prettyextensively around the world and
(16:41):
I've seen a lot of differentways of life.
Way of life in Tokyo is I keepusing the word efficient, but
there's no really other, betterway of explaining.
I think people as a collectiveare aware of energy.
I think there's not thatexcessive.
As Americans right, we're allguilty of blasting our air
(17:02):
conditioners.
It's frigid.
There's really no need for theamount of air conditioning we
use as a country, but that's onething.
So I think, if people are aware, I think people are aware that
we don't need to drive fiveliter V8 engine cars.
For the most part, thegovernment slaps a pretty heavy
luxury tax sticker when yourengine goes past I think two
(17:26):
liters is it in Japan If itpumps out more than 280
horsepower, there's anotherluxury tax.
So there's certain ways to, Ithink, live life comfortably
without excessive behavior, andI think Japan does such a really
good job with that.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Well, gasoline is very expensive there, right?
Speaker 2 (17:47):
It used to be double, I think.
Now in the States, when we'rehitting $384 a gallon, I think
we're getting pretty close towhat we pay here, and with the
exchange rate I think it'spretty much the same now.
Right, the best is for the mostpart, expensive, but people
just drive really small carshere.
(18:08):
The cars are tiny, but no one'sslamming the pedal and peeling
out of their parking lots.
It just unheard of.
Also, the funny thing aboutdriving here is nobody hunks the
horn.
It is incredibly polite.
It is, unless it's your direneed of alerting someone of an
emergency.
With a horn, you just don't honkthe horn.
(18:29):
And I've driven through Tokyo,I've driven in the countryside
here and on the other side ofthe road Everyone drives on the
left side, the steering wheel ison the left side, on the right
side now, and the fact that youdon't honk the horn, even for
just a little bit of a hey,what's up, it just doesn't
happen.
So it's a whole differentculture.
In that sense as well, I can'timagine going a day driving
(18:52):
through New York City withouthonking the horn, right?
Speaker 1 (18:55):
I don't know, I rarely honk the horn.
I know you don't believe that,but I rarely honk the horn.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Yeah, I'm just saying it's a very different way of
life here.
It's very peaceful actually.
I just find a lot of serenityliving in a very just, peaceful
society.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Sounds good.
Speaker 2 (19:12):
Yeah, I'll be traveling throughout the whole
honshu the island of Honshu,that's a big island throughout
Japan.
In the few days Meeting mycolleague and we're going to
meet a lot of customers andclients.
We're lining up new productlines for 2025, 26, and just
meeting a lot of the owners andbreweries and brewmasters
(19:35):
throughout the country as thingsget a little bit more secured.
I can't wait to share all thisgreat news.
But I will be re-entering theworld of sake Japanese towards
the end of this year and I thinkwe have a tremendous
opportunity within the culinarylandscape of the United States
(19:55):
to really showcase some of thegreatest brewed products in the
world.
Japanese sake this is my tagline.
It's brewed like a beer, sipslike a wine, it's really just
this beautiful.
If you enjoy sans serres, oreven chardonnay with a little
bit more gravity, or somethingon blancs with a little bit more
(20:16):
crispness, Sake has it all andit has a tremendous amount of
umami, has tremendous amount ofacidity.
It is food paring forward thatI think we have a really we're
budding on a renaissance, Ithink, in the States, and I
can't be more excited toshowcase that to everyone and
(20:37):
all our listeners down the road.
Speaker 1 (20:39):
Okay.
So now that we're reallytalking about it, I'm going to
tell you something I've nevertasted sake in my life.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
Okay, fair enough.
Most times when I talk toAmericans, their first entry
into sake are either sake bombsor they'll have it really piping
hot and they'll just shoot itat, like the Hibachi restaurants
or some sushi restaurants, andthere's no right or wrong way.
I want to get that out of theway here.
(21:06):
If you like your tequila, ifyou like shooting them, fine.
If you have now discovered theworld of reposado, a niehos, and
now you're sipping tequilaslike you would sip bourbon or
other whiskeys, that's just yourjourney into the world of
tequila.
And the same thing goes withsake.
(21:26):
Sake traditionally was drunkwarmed, probably to body
temperature, if not slightlyhotter, but not piping hot.
But that is just to bring out alot of the nuances you wouldn't
taste at room temperature orchilled.
Through technology, throughrice polishing technology, we're
(21:47):
able to now polish the rice,grind out the outer core to the
finer white center where thestarch is, and produce some very
aromatic and floral sake.
And that's why the shift fromwarm sake to chilled sake became
so popular.
And this was probably from the80s to the 90s in Japan, and
(22:07):
you'd give yourself a 10-15 yearlag for the Western world so
early on in 2000s, 2010,.
This must be drunk, chilled.
Movement happened and for themost part that's correct,
because a lot of Daiginjo thatis the funny Japanese word for
premium high polish came to beand you definitely want to serve
(22:28):
that sake around 35, 40, maybe45 degrees Fahrenheit, like you
would serve a high endchardonnay or high end sauvignon
blanc.
And there is just educationneeded to be had right.
The more you know, the more youcan enjoy, like anything else
in the world cognacs, whiskeys,scotches same thing with sake.
I think the industry as a wholehas done an amazing job.
(22:51):
We have so many talented,educated and passionate
educators of sake throughout thecountry.
A lot of distributors, a lot ofimporters have poured a lot of
money into the education of sakeand I can see the next five, 10
years being an even biggergrowth to what we've seen the
past 10 years.
Again, I'm just so excited tocome back into this world and
(23:14):
showcase and really talk aboutsomething I'm really passionate
about.
Speaker 1 (23:19):
Yeah, I could see it.
I could see that.
I think people are out therelooking for something different,
something that complementstheir food in a way that hasn't
been complimented before, and Ithink sake is the answer.
I think sake is like you saidit's ready for a renaissance,
it's ready for somethingdifferent.
It's paired as we know.
(23:41):
It's paired very well with food.
Speaker 2 (23:43):
It always has been but it really shouldn't be
limited to just Asian influenceddishes, and I think a lot of
yeah, go ahead A lot of times, Ithink in the 80s and 90s, just
the fact that something foreignwas a little bit harder to
embrace in the States.
But you know, we are so open toanything in the world, anything
(24:09):
from the world that is ofquality and I think Japan has
done a tremendous jobpositioning themselves as
producers of quality goods andhas been going around, has been
brewed for 200 plus years forthe type of sake that we're
talking about, but historicallywe can trace that back to
(24:32):
probably 1500 years of a brewedbeverage per day, but for all
intents and purposes, highlypolished rice milling sake with
conventional top fermentingyeast and the product that we
are actually producing today.
Give or take a few decades, but200 years of history.
Leave it to the Japaneseartisans.
(24:54):
We're going to create someamazing juice, and that's no
surprise to me that, going totaste things and just talking to
brewers, juice always somethingwithin their repertoire.
That fits with some of myfavorite dishes here in the
States, whether it be pizza,whether it be barbecue, whether
(25:15):
it be even just Mexican foodTex-Mex, socal, southern
California, mexican food, thebarbecue from Texas, barbecue
from South Carolina, from StLouis, and pizzas from the New
York area, or even Chicago stylepizza.
We have so many differentamazing American dishes that can
(25:36):
go well with and it doesn'thave to be just wine, doesn't
have to be just beer, butJapanese sake is truly a vessel
that can really take on thisparability aspect and really
enhance anyone's meal andexperience.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
Right, I think it's going to take a little bit of
educating people.
Much like my CBD business, ittakes a little bit of educating
people.
It's really out there and itworks the same way as soon as
you get a few people to try itand you start advertising it and
you have purveyors of food outthere that share in it and then
(26:13):
share it with the guests intheir restaurants.
Speaker 2 (26:18):
All about that experience, right.
All about sharing and then thehospitality and just trying
something new.
So, yeah, it's a reallyinteresting time and I really do
believe the sake of renaissanceis here to happen.
In the next five, 10 yearsWe'll see tremendous amount of
sake on more beverage menusthroughout the country, and it's
(26:41):
all for the better.
I can do a little bit of thatto help with the general cause.
I think I'll be a happy guy.
And who doesn't like?
I tell some friends I get paidto eat and drink, and that's
true, it's really.
I don't work a day in my life,right.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
You know me, I do 50 different thousand things and I
feel the same way.
People are like aren't youexhausted?
I said no, I'm actuallyenthusiastic.
I mean, I did crazy stuff todayand we don't need to go through
it, but you get excited aboutit.
You know, I'm happy that theseare my jobs, these challenges
(27:21):
that are rewarding, to makesomething out of nothing.
And we're always doing that.
We're almost like an artistpainting a picture.
Speaker 2 (27:29):
You know you're problem solving all day.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
All day and like, think about Michelangelo or any
of the great painters orsculptors, and they would look
at a piece of.
They always say they look at apiece of marble and they see the
sculpture in there and it's ablank slate.
And that's exactly where youare.
And you're taking newtechnologies and new efficient
(27:53):
processes and you're going tocreate something that's going to
change how everyone in theworld eats and it shares their
time with each other.
It's you have to be so excitedabout it.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
It's a great opportunity and Ithink things happen for a reason
right, so it's a blessing.
I take everything with atremendous amount of humility
and I'm just grateful, so Ican't wait to share more and
educate all our listeners aboutthe world of sake and how well
(28:30):
it pairs with the foods from theworld.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
So where are you going to dinner tonight?
Tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2 (28:37):
So I missed Valentine's Day with my
girlfriend.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Right, we're on the let's remember it's Thursday
there, so it's the day.
We're on Wednesday, I'm onWednesday.
Speaker 2 (28:48):
He's on Thursday, I have the day to spend and I made
a reservation at this reallynice Chinese restaurant.
Believe it or not, some of thegreatest Chinese chefs in
Chinese restaurants are locatedin Japan.
Surprise, I say that aboutpizza, I say that about other
Italian food, but it is true.
The precision and the sourcingof ingredients is so superior in
(29:13):
Japan that it makes cookingthat much easier, and I think a
lot of times chefs will choosethe ability to get a high
quality chicken versus whateverright.
Long story short, there's agreat restaurant here in Tokyo
and we are probably going to gowith the course menu.
It's a Michelin star Chineserestaurant and I actually don't
(29:37):
know so much about it, but I doknow of its gravitas within the
world of astronomy and I can'twait to experience it.
I will have in depth knowledgein about 12 hours of this
amazing restaurant here in Tokyo.
Speaker 1 (29:50):
I can't wait to explore that next week.
It's funny you bring up Chineserestaurants.
I had a friend, Bonnie, youknow.
She asked me for arecommendation to Chinese
restaurants and I sent her toOmandarin.
And then, which is in Hartstown,new York, but I had to do a few
gaviottes.
One, realize the food could bereally spicy, so watch yourself.
And two, don't go in there andlook for chicken and broccoli
(30:14):
because it ain't going to bethere, just going to have to go
with the flow in the menu.
I said, when I go, georgeusually orders so I don't have
to worry.
But there are different thingson the menu.
You have to be prepared to trythem.
Speaker 2 (30:25):
And for all of the kinds of purposes.
Old Mandarin in Hearth's Dailis my hands down favorite
Chinese restaurant in our areain Westchester.
They have handpicked a fewdishes from a variety of
different regions in China andmade it their own.
I wouldn't say it's the mostauthentic, but I would say it's
the most cared for and thoughtforward cooking that you'd get
(30:48):
in Westchester and it's always apleasant experience.
I hope she enjoys it.
The thing about eating Chineseis you definitely want to go
with more people.
The better, because then youget to try different dishes, you
share and you naturally createa banquet style tasting menu
experience.
So you have usually you startwith a soup, you then you go
(31:11):
with something lighter and thenall the different disciplines
something fried, somethingsteamed, something stir fried,
something braised, and then youhave some vegetables.
You want to mix up everythingthrough the course to have land
and sea and this is a marriageof textures and experiences,
(31:31):
whether it's protein, vegetable,land, animals, sea, animals.
All these things creates thetasting menu experience.
Speaker 1 (31:40):
So it's funny.
You said that probably one ofthe best Chinese restaurants
I've ever been to was inFlorence, italy.
So I was.
When I went to school in Italy,I went to the University of
Urbino, which is in the North.
We would, on weekends, we wouldtravel to every city you
(32:01):
possibly can, every littlevillage all over Northern Italy
and Tuscany, and all differentplaces, and then we ended up in
Florence.
We had a four days there wherewe studied with a visiting
professor from Cambridge and wewent to a Chinese restaurant and
(32:22):
it was the freakiest thing youever saw.
The food was Chinese, the menuswere in Italian.
You just didn't know what tothink and what to say, but
people were Chinese and they'respeaking Italian, so it was
really pretty interesting, butit was a great meal.
Speaker 2 (32:40):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
Nice.
By that time I'd been there,I'd been in Italy probably eight
months, maybe 10 months, and Ihadn't had Chinese food,
obviously because in the Northit wasn't what they had.
We ate a lot of Napolitan pizza.
We ate a lot of pasta.
Speaker 2 (33:00):
What is it about human nature when we know we
can't have something, especiallyfoods?
Right, you want it more, man.
I remember even on my plane, onthe plane ride over here, I was
texting you and I was like Ireally wish I had a juicy
American burger.
And I know I'm not gonna haveit for the next 14 days while
(33:23):
I'm overseas because I wouldnever.
It's not like I'm wasting ameal, but I gotta fill myself
with foods I can't get back home, back in the States, and why
would I look to get a burger?
Plus, I feel like it would bejust too neat of a burger here
in Japan.
It'd be made with someengineering precision and it's
(33:45):
not the same.
I think a nice smashed burger.
I think that's where I'm headedthese days.
Well, I want a burger today.
I want something that's crustand it's got a lot of charred
that my yard reaction on thatdouble patty burger and Jesus
gotta be perfectly melted and ona toasted bun, and that's what
(34:07):
I'm looking for.
So I'm just looking for aburger right now.
Speaker 1 (34:10):
Have you ever been to the cabin?
And I know I must have spokenabout it.
You ever been to the cabin init's in Valhalla?
It's like from a cabin fromlike 1928.
And it's changed hands so itgot a little bit more well
rounded in what their foodselection.
But they're burgers, so theyhave a regular burger and it's
(34:30):
just really good.
I don't know how they cook it,flayne, it's really good and
then they serve it with trufflefries and it's really good.
So we're gonna have to go on aroad trip there.
I like the burger and theirwings are good too.
It's that kind of place andwhen you go watch the football
game, families go there.
It's big.
It used to not be so big but itgot bigger.
Speaker 2 (34:52):
That's great.
Speaker 1 (34:53):
And it's really I really love it there.
Speaker 2 (34:55):
So cabin restaurant, okay, white planes.
Speaker 1 (34:58):
No, Valhalla so it's actually on my street, you, when
you cross over and you justkeep following up, just follow
up.
Or the same street, to say,same street as Hard Steel Halsa
Pizza, and you just keepfollowing it straight up and it
just becomes into Valhalla.
Speaker 2 (35:17):
All right, that's another destination we have on
our short list.
The short list is not reallyshort anymore, it's become a
list.
Speaker 1 (35:27):
It is Cause we don't really, we don't really, we
don't really go anywhere.
We go to the same handful ofplaces.
Speaker 2 (35:33):
It's so hard, it's so hard to coordinate.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
So we'll be like, we'll make all these plans.
And then, like the other night,we I got out of work early and
he was going away.
So he was home and we went overand said, oh, let's go to the
steak place.
So we had plans, we invitedother people and then he was
done.
So it was like three o'clock,so I'm going to go over and have
a cigar.
I said, you know what, I'mreally done too, so I'll go over
(35:57):
and have a cigar.
Then we're sitting here havingcigars and the next thing is why
don't we just order our pizzaso we don't have to go anywhere?
Speaker 2 (36:03):
It wasn't so bad, I think, just courting with
buddies and getting excitedabout having the boys all
together for steak and some guyeither bails or says they can't
make it until way later.
It takes the wind out of thesales and then it becomes option
two and option three.
Speaker 1 (36:20):
You just wanted to order, have a pizza delivered
from Art Steelhouse of Pizza.
That's all, and it was good.
I don't know what it was, butit was great.
Speaker 2 (36:28):
Oh, it was.
What was the grandma?
Speaker 1 (36:29):
It was sausage and broccoli rob, and I love sausage
and broccoli rob.
Speaker 2 (36:34):
Everything they make there is pretty good.
I got to admit it is Even cold.
Speaker 1 (36:39):
It was good, because it was 20 below that day.
It was the coldest day of theweek.
I don't want to hold you up.
I think we've covered a lot ofground and we're talking about
Japan.
I'm waiting for the next, nextweek.
You'll still be there.
Speaker 2 (36:52):
Yeah, next week I'm a little busier.
I have I'm just on a on a worldwind travel schedule Just going
from prefecture to prefecture.
But we can always squeeze in alittle time.
Speaker 1 (37:03):
Right, when are you?
When are you coming back?
You there for two weeks, areyou there?
Speaker 2 (37:06):
Yeah, something like that, all right.
Speaker 1 (37:08):
So it doesn't matter, because I'm not going to
process this one for a littlebit anyway, so I thank you for
taking your time out of yourworld wind road trip there.
Speaker 2 (37:16):
My pleasure and more updates to come.
Check your texts, I hope.
And, yeah, just post as much asyou can and we'll answer any
questions anyone has when theysend us the DMs and whatnot.
Please keep listening and hitthat subscribe and tell your
friends.
I think we're now, you know,expanding into close to 900
(37:36):
downloads and even more morepeople followings.
Thank you, thank you, and can'twait to report on more things.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
And that's I'm gonna leave it there.
Thank you very much.
Thank you everyone forlistening.
Please subscribe like evenreview.
I appreciate it all more tocome and George and Steve, we're
out.
Have a good night.
Good night, stehencolacom.
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