Anago

Unagi lives in freshwater rivers; Anago lives in saltwater oceans.

Unagi is rich, savory, and greasy; Anago is mild, sweet, and fluffy.

Anago is lighter brown with small white spots and a sharper tail fin.

Anago is often simmered in broth or steamed, though sometimes grilled, and served with a delicate reduction.

The Japanese tea ceremony, known as chanoyu or sado, is a traditional, ritualized preparation and serving of matcha green tea guided by principles of harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility

The tea ceremony consists of the preparation of the tearoom, sweets, and the tea itself. The serving of tea usually comes with casual chatting about seasonal changes. However, in the preparation phase, participants keep silent. That is why the tea ceremony is considered a meditational activity. During the tea ceremonies, the host prepares the tea and serves it to the guests but does not drink it because everything is for the pleasure of the guests. The procedure of Japanese tea ceremony steps is called temae in Japanese. There are two types of tea ceremonies: chakai (informal tea ceremony) and chaji (formal tea ceremony). Chakai, also known as the typical tea ceremony gathering, only lasts 45 minutes even though the training takes years. Chaji, on the other hand, involves the participation of senior tea masters and the service of traditional kaiseki meals which can last up to 4 hours. Major Japanese tea ceremony schools such as the Urasenke School and Omotesenke School follow slightly different steps and procedures. There are different types of tea ceremonies as there are rituals needed for the different seasons. This is the simpler shozumi ceremony steps below, which includes a kaiseki meal. Preparation is taken seriously before the tea ceremony can begin. Traditionally, the tea house and surrounded gardens would be cleaned and tidied up. Invitations to guests should be sent weeks in advance. The tea room itself needs special attention; there are no chairs and tables as you are required to sit on the woven tatami mat floor. The doors are traditionally made of paper and cleaning requires that both the mats and doors be replaced. In a full tea ceremony, special guests would be consulted beforehand on what type of tea and food should be served.