The Good, the Bad and the Bizarre of Japanese Food Quiz

Answer: Tuna

Although raw fish was once considered very healthy, there is now evidence that trematodes(worms)are linked to various kinds of cancer.

Answer: Cabbage pancakes

Okonomyiaki is one of the favoured dishes of Osaka and is made in a variety of ways depending on which city you visit. Hiroshima Okonomyaki is served with a bed of tasty noodles and is quite a complicated item to cook, it is as satisfying to watch as it is to eat.

Answer: onigiri

Onigiri comes with an individually wrapped piece of nori (seaweed) and comes in a number of flavours including chicken and salty plum.

Answer: Standing chopsticks upright in your rice

Standing chopsticks upright in rice is done only for a dead person. It is good manners to pour drinks for others and have them pour yours for you.

Answer: Balls of soft batter with octopus inside

Where an American can expect to see a hot dog vender on the side of the road, a Japanese will see a barbecue of little golf ball sized grills. The octopus balls are covered in a rich sweet sauce and topped with dried, grated fish flakes. Yummy!

Answer: Ramen

Ramen are egg noodles whereas Japanese noodles are made from rice. Katsu is a piece of crumbed meat or chicken floating in the noodle bowl.

Answer: Korean

Yaki Niku restaurants feature a barbecue at the table. Raw meat and vegetables are brought out on large plate and cooked by the customer at the table. The meat is then dipped in spicy sauce and lemon juice and accompanied by kim chi and bean or mushroom salad.

Answer: Summer, it is a cold noodle soup dish

The dramatic change in climate from season to season is an integral part of the history and culture of the country. Special celebration days, clothing and food comes with the celebration of each new season.

Answer: Soy beans preserved in yeast

This is a traditional dish which resulted from a need to store soy beans over the harsh long winters of the north. It has become a respected food item because it is said to be very healthy.

Answer: Tabemasu

Known as a very polite society, most Japanese verbs come in a number of forms, in general the "mas" form is used to be extra polite.

Answer: Soy sauce

The rice is considered the most important ingredient in sushi. Only short grain rice, first soaked, then boiled, then simmered, then left to stand, then cooled by a fan can be used. After all that flavour, shape, roll and decorate the rice and then you have sushi.

Answer: 6

Bread comes in small loaves of thick sweet slices. A businessman's breakfast in Japan now days is not the traditional raw egg and bowl of natto but a hardboiled egg and a piece of thick toast, all washed down with "American Coffee" (a watered down and milked short black)

Answer: Teriyaki chicken sushi

Many of the typical sushi found in western restaurants are in fact, western food with very little in common with Japanese food. Ocean bed crawlers and crab brains are more desirable than cooked chicken and avocado!

Answer: Gyudon

This is a high salt, high fat, shaved beef and onion soup poured over rice. It could be seen as Japans answer to McDonalds, as it is cheap, fast and very popular in the wee hours of morning.

Answer: A working class pub

Izakaya's are the Japanese working class pubs. They serve a fine variety of pub food (tripe and octopus and mashed yam as well as 1001 variations on the chicken theme)and cheap beer. The staff are loud and friendly and the atmosphere is usually exciting and relaxed.

Answer: A sticky rice ball.

Mocchi rice balls are traditionally made in December and help celebrate the new year. Whole communities come together to mallet out steaming sticky rice and then roll it into little gooey balls.

Answer: Cadbury

Collon is ring shaped and filled with soft chocolate, Asse is little blocks of chocolate and Gravel Choco looks like fish tank pebbles. In the spirit of true "Engrish" the Gravel Choco motto is "Look out, try to eat! It's good isn't it!"

Answer: Tiger

Mega company Asahi not only makes beer but newspapers, T.V. and it owns The Tigers, one of Japan's favourite baseball teams.

Answer: Synthetically created beer

A useful tip when travelling in Japan, if it doesn't say "BEER" on the labels, do not buy it, you will regret it for several days after. For a mere Y280, one can get more than a litre of Happoshu at the local Izakaya, making it a temptation but do not give into it under any circumstances.

Answer: Faith Cigarettes

Marlboro is the most recognisable brand on earth for a reason, they export everywhere! Peace and Hope cigarettes are smaller, more potent cigarettes with a very strong smell and taste.

Answer: Kentucky Fried Chicken

Not being a Christian country, Christmas is of very little significance on a spiritual level. Like so many Western traditions, it all gets a little lost in translation. Christmas 2001, for example, shops sold Santa Clause hanging on a cross. So, in order to celebrate "Western Traditions" they eat "Western Food" (Much the same way we drink ourselves stupid for Octoberfest without knowing much about it.)

Answer: One name for tuna

Katakana is the alphabet used for foreign words. Due to the phonotactic rules of Japanese, foreign words are modified before they are adopted into the language, for example celery becomes se-ru-ry. Like English, Japanese is merely a tapestry of a number of foreign tongues, most notably Chinese.

Answer: No

Chinese foods are eaten quite regularly in Japan. Gyoza for example are little Chinese dumplings adapted slightly for the Japanese tongue.

Answer: Artichoke, sundried tomato and basil

Again, when importing culinary ideas, the Japanese modify it to suit their tastes, just as we eat chicken sushi, the Japanese like a little corn and mayo on everything. The strawberry and mayonnaise sandwiches really do tend to push the boundaries though.

Answer: ice cream

Japanese dessert is something else. Green tea ice-cream with red bean topping, sprinkled with corn flakes is your typical sundae.