Week 11: Onigiri

Some Japanese food, like Sushi, is well-known in America. But some popular Japanese food isn’t very well known in the western world. One Japanese food that isn’t very well known in America is called “Onigiri.” Onigiri are rice balls shaped into a circle/triangle, filled with a filling such as a pickled food or salmon, and wrapped with seaweed. Onigiri are also made with some salt so they aren’t bland.

Making onigiri was an activity of my Japanese culture class in high school. The rice was cooked in a rice cooker, and the resulting starchy steam smelled so good at the end of a school day. We dipped our hands in water to prevent the rice from sticking to our hands (which it did anyway). We carefully morphed the rice into a ball and wrapped the salty crispy seaweed around it, enjoying it coming to life and sticking to the rice as it gained moisture. These cute little rice balls have been a part of life since long ago in Japan’s history.

Onigiri has a simple but long history, dating back to earlier periods when there were warriors (a.k.a. samurai). In earlier periods, onigiri were made for samurai to eat while they were outside. The reason they were made to eat outside is because they are convenient to eat and carry, like finger food. Onigiri are still convenient in modern-day Japan and have been lovingly hand-made because they are portable, but that’s not the only reason they are popular.

Onigiri have also gained popularity in Japan because they are now mass-produced and available in convenience stores at a great price, and because they have a homemade touch. They are widely available thanks to the new inventions of machinery. However, the seaweed on the onigiri would wilt, so it is packaged separate from the rice so you can wrap it on yourself before eating. In addition to coming packaged, it is also becoming a popular dish of cafés. Either way, “when you have onigiri prepared just for you or add the seaweed wrapping yourself, you get the warmth of the personal touch,” (Great Balls of Rice!).

Overall, these rice balls are cute, portable, and can make you feel special for eating them because of the care that goes into making them.

***I added the paragraph about making onigiri in my class into the beginning after I wrote about the history. I paid attention to the flow of old information to new information. I also expanded the 4th paragraph topic sentence to include the "homemade touch" idea. Overall, I think writing like this added clarity but seems more redundant. Maybe there's a balance I should try to achieve, in general.***

Works Cited

"Great Balls of Rice! Classic Snack Gets New Lease on Life." Web Japan. Japan Information Network, 21 July 2003. Web. 18 Mar. 2011. http://web-japan.org/trends01/article/030121soc_r.html.