Everything is made in China, right?

[Carlos Alvarez]

That's the wisdom and running joke that everybody knows. So imagine my surprise to see this...

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Yes, that's right. Chinese-style soy sauce. Not made in China.

[Jim Becker]

That is an interesting combination! And it's good to see it's coming from a place that can benefit from some economic uplift.

But face it...stuff is made where it's made. Despite the fact that some folks don't appreciate it, we do live in a global economy. What makes it even more fun is that everything is constantly moving around as individual countries' internal focuses naturally shift. I almost never even look at origination any more other than occasional curiosity.

[Carlos Alvarez]

Yeah, I mostly don't care where things come from. I just happened to notice this recently after using the product for years. And found it funny when "everything is made in China" is kind of taken as a given. I like irony.

And BTW, for anyone restricting sodium as I am, this is the only really low sodium soy I've ever found. Regular is over 1g per tbsp, "low" sodium is 500-something mg per tbsp, and this is only 145mg.

[mike holden]

I just got back from Cusco, Peru and the placemats in the hotel I stayed at were made in the USA!
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[Roger Nair]

My soy sauce, sold by Aldi, is made in Canada.

[Doug Garson]

We grow Wasabi on Vancouver Island too.

[Bryan Lisowski]

I used to go to a Japanese steakhouse/hibachi restaurant and asked a few chefs what part of Japan they were from and everyone said China.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

Actually I know them well. They got hit hard by the drought a few years back and I guess they are pushing their other products now. The drought destroyed the scotchbonnet crop in the Caribbean and if you had any you could almost name your price.

Jamaica has a large Chinese population and some amazing Chinese restaurants.

[Mark Blatter]

Some may have listened to a story Planet Money did on NPR a few years ago (actually five and I thought it was 2 or 3) where they pre-sold T-shirts then had them made, following the materials from the fields in the southern US to them being delivered to their offices. It was pretty interesting. Where the cotton was made into thread was an automated plant in the far east, perhaps Indonesia (don't recall for sure), but on the factory floor, it was like a clean room. Nobody allowed in, fully automated.

Anyway, here is a link if you want to watch a video they did of the story. The materials traveled the Pacific several times before being completed.

https://apps.npr.org/tshirt/#/title

[Peter Kelly]

Kikkoman has been brewing soy sauce in Walworth Wisconsin since the early 1980's. The facility produces 29 million gallons per year making it the highest-producing soy sauce plant globally.

http://www.kikkomanusa.com/foodservice/soysaucebasics/storyofsoysauce.php

[Jim Becker]

Kinda makes sense when you consider just how much soy is grown in North America...

[Carlos Alvarez]

Around here, nearly all sushi joints are run by Koreans, with some Mexican cooks hidden in back. I'm only aware of one sushi place run by a person from Japan. A lot has to do with how many Korean wives came back to Fort Huachuca with their GIs after the war. There's some great Korean food around the base.


We grow Wasabi on Vancouver Island too.

Hmm, wonder if I can get my hands on some. I *love* fresh wasabi. Most people don't know, but the normal paste blob of "wasabi" you get isn't actually made from wasabi.

[Peter Kelly]

Kinda makes sense when you consider just how much soy is grown in North America...That 29m gallons is just for the domestic market. Amazing how much of the stuff is consumed here.

[Jim Koepke]

I *love* fresh wasabi. Most people don't know, but the normal paste blob of "wasabi" you get isn't actually made from wasabi.

One of my recent enjoyments has been Charlie's Salsa - Tomatillo Wasabi. It was great blended with a jar of Roasted Verde Salsa. Cooked it up with an onion, a diced up chicken (bones removed of course), some jalapeño peppers and lovage. Lovage taste like celery but stronger, it also helps to counter heartburn or other discomfort one might encounter from a 'spicy' meal.

The Chicken Verde can be eaten in a tortilla or over rice, Mmmmmmmmmmm. :)

jtk

[Carlos Alvarez]

Oh my god. Two loves...tomatillos and wasabi. Wow.

Ordered. Along with some wasabi mustard and a couple other things.

[Jeff Bartley]

One of my recent enjoyments has been Charlie's Salsa - Tomatillo Wasabi. It was great blended with a jar of Roasted Verde Salsa. Cooked it up with an onion, a diced up chicken (bones removed of course), some jalapeño peppers and lovage. Lovage taste like celery but stronger, it also helps to counter heartburn or other discomfort one might encounter from a 'spicy' meal.

The Chicken Verde can be eaten in a tortilla or over rice, Mmmmmmmmmmm. :)

jtk

Is lovage a cousin to fennel?

Is it time for lunch? This is making me hungry!

[John C Cox]

I really like real wasabi. The stuff made out of horseradish doesn't quite do it for me in the same way though it is good...

But we don't get much food out of China for some obvious reasons.. But the stuff we do get is surprising... Frozen tilapia and frozen crayfish almost all comes out of China... As does a LOT of frozen crab and shrimp...

Also some other stuff that would completely surprise you - freeze dried oranges, pears, pineapple, and banana comes out of China and it's good stuff...

Going the other way is also a surprise as well.... A significant portion of the USA's domestic grapefruit citrus production goes to China one way or another... They like grapefruit a whole lot more there than we do... So go figure...

[Mac McQuinn]

Frozen tilapia and frozen crayfish almost all comes out of China...

You might want to research Tilapia from China.

Mac

[Carlos Alvarez]

You might want to research Tilapia from China.

Mac

I have. Basically just don't eat it every day and you'll be fine. You know, like pretty much anything else. I have tilapia about once a month and don't worry about the source.

[Mike Kreinhop]

Some may have listened to a story Planet Money did on NPR a few years ago (actually five and I thought it was 2 or 3) where they pre-sold T-shirts then had them made, following the materials from the fields in the southern US to them being delivered to their offices. It was pretty interesting. Where the cotton was made into thread was an automated plant in the far east, perhaps Indonesia (don't recall for sure), but on the factory floor, it was like a clean room. Nobody allowed in, fully automated.

I listened to that story on Planet Money, and can't believe it's been that long since the series aired. I was surprised at how global something as simple as a T-shirt is.

[Jim Koepke]

Is lovage a cousin to fennel?

Is it time for lunch? This is making me hungry!

A distant cousin:

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My understanding is fennel is a closer relation to dill and carrots. Fennel and dill shouldn't be grown close to each other if the seeds are to be used for flavoring food or beverages.

For me it is handy when celery is wanted in a recipe. From spring to fall it is available in the garden. It can also be dried for use later. My favorite part is how it calms indigestion.

jtk

[Jim Becker]

Fennel and dill shouldn't be grown close to each other if the seeds are to be used for flavoring food or beverages.

I didn't know that...interesting!

[Carlos Alvarez]

There are a number of plants that will cross flavors. I've been told that growing hot peppers by sweet peppers can make them hot, so I'm doing that and hoping it works.

Our herb beds are separated by a few feet and we're careful what we plant together or nearby.

[Bill Dufour]

Learned something new here I always thought soy sauce was Japanese.
Bill D

[Carlos Alvarez]

There are soy sauces from lots of places, and many different styles, including regional variations. If you go into an oriental market, there will be a huge selection and they are all different. I don't have a preference, other than ultra low sodium.

[Peter Kelly]

I did not know that soy sauce is over 2,000 years old! One of the oldest condiments other than salt itself and vinegar.

[Jim Becker]

I did not know that soy sauce is over 2,000 years old! One of the oldest condiments other than salt itself and vinegar.

For some parts of the world, it was probably easier to come by for seasoning than actual salt...

[Adam Clap]

My hot chilli pepper sauce which not made in Chillie, and not even made by Red Hot Chillie Peppers, it's from Russia :j

[Carlos Alvarez]

That explains misspelling "chile."

[Charlie Hinton]

I used to go to a Japanese steakhouse/hibachi restaurant and asked a few chefs what part of Japan they were from and everyone said China.

Haha, in Texas they are all from Mexico.