Red weenies can make many Japanese feel "natsukashii*", especially those Japanese who were born in the 30s of Showa (1955-1964), which include me. In those days, low-quality red weenies were one of the few sausages readily available. Press ham and gyoniku (fish meat) sausage were also very popular then.
* Natsukashii is a single word (adjective) that pertains to a feeling that would take more than one word in English, like "to bring someone (fond) memories".
タコの形の赤いウインナー：
赤いウインナーは多くの日本人、特に昭和30年代に生まれた日本人（つまり、私も含まれる）に「なつかしい*」と感じさせることがあります。その頃は、質の悪い、赤いウインナーがすぐに手に入るソーセージの一つでした。プレスハムや魚肉ソーセージも当時はとても一般的でした。
*「なつかしい」とは、英語では一言では表現できない単語（形容詞）で、"to bring someone (fond) memories"というような意味です。
Red weenies are still available at any supermarket, but I haven't bought any for decades.
赤いウインナーは今でもどのスーパーでも手に入りますが、数十年も買ったことはありません。
The bag says, "Plant-derived pigment is used".
袋には「植物由来の色素を使っています」と書かれています。
と言うことは、昔はそのような色素は使っていなかったということでしょうか？
On the back of the bag, it explains how to turn each weenie into an octopus shape. I wasn't familiar with this version.
袋の裏には、ウインナーをタコの形にする方法が書かれています。私はこの方式は知りませんでした。
マスターの方式：
この方式は知っています。
I made both versions.
両方とも作りました。
油をひかないで、数分、炒めます。
今では、より一般的な別のタイプのウインナーも試しましたが、赤いウインナーよりずっと硬くて、鋭い包丁でも正しく切れ目を入れられませんでした。
二人の子供たちはこの赤いウインナーを見て大喜びすると思ったのですが、喜びませんでした。娘は「まずい」とまで言いました！
11 comments:
The octopus-shaped weenies are cute! Thank you for the detailed instructions and photos.
I think this type of finely ground sausages is available all over the world and children particularly love it (and my husband ;-) ). Sometimes people make jokes about what is inside these sausages (the finely ground texture can hide anything). Unfortunately here in Switzerland (or in the neighbouring France) there are I think only long versions of these sausages... Maybe I could cut them in two and this way create octopuses to make my husband laugh...
Actually they make me also a bit nostalgic... They remind me of my teenage years. With my friends we loved these sausages stuffed with some melting hard cheese (we would make a cut in the middle) and wrapped with a slice of smoked pork belly and then fried... A very healthy treat ;-)
Sissi: Thanks for your story. I had assumed that such an inferior sausage could be found only in Japan...
@Sissi - just make a short shopping trip to Germany (next to you maybe Freiburg!?). They are still available. Here you see Party-Wienerwürstchen:
http://www.ciao.de/product_images_view.php?ProduktId=7754065&CurrentImage=218137444
@Hiroyuki - these small weenies are called Party-Wiener because you serve them on children events (party) in Kindergarten or on child birthdays. I know octopus shaped sausages since my teenager days in 1970+. Somehow oldfashioned (same league as tomato mushroom, or cheese hedgehog)
Kiki: Thanks for the link and an explanation. I had assumed that someone like you (a lady in Germany, the home of sausage and ham!) would be offended to see those inferior products!
Hiroyuki: That's what we are famous for: Coocoowatches, BMW, sausages, beer, Sauerkraut. If you are ever going to visit germany try the Wiener (weenies) and compare. Most people from asia do like our sausages especially Bratwurst (grilled sausage). This guy from my birthtown Heidelberg makes a lot of money in New Zealand with german sausages only http://www.heck.co.nz/p_sausages.html
Frankfurter/Wiener: "only real German sausage makers know all the tricks to achieve a product of this quality." His words not mine.
Kiki: Thanks for the link. You are right. Sausages and beer!! Especially beer! How else would we quench our thirst without it??
Kiki, I thought the Swiss were the only ones famous for the cuckoo clocks :-) Thank you for the Fribourg tip. Do you know there is also a Swiss Fribourg/Freiburg? (it's a funny half German speaking, half French speaking city).
Personally I dream of going to Germany to drink and buy the wine from some producers I love and to discover new ones. I have been drinking excellent German dry rieslings for some time and I can say they are often better than the French Burgundy wines I used to prefer. So sophisticated and elegant! (here the sausages wouldn't be a good company though).
Hiroyuki, so you see, the Swiss can have awful butter and the Germans have the sausages you thought of lower grade ;-)
In France this type of sausages was forbidden in school cafeterias because of the high fat content... (I suppose the children cried a lot when they learnt it).
Sissi: The grass is always greener on the other side...
I don't think that Japanese low-quality sausages have a higher fat content than high-quality ones, and gyoniku (fish meat) sausage has a much lower fat content, and is very healthy. Besides, nowadays, some gyoniku sausages contain DHA, and are good for the brain!
Hiroyuki, I would love to taste the gyoniku sausage! It sounds very original (for a European) and very good. I remember when I was small there used to be a smoked eel sausage in the shops. It was very expensive (made only of the flesh, no skin or other leftovers) and divine.
Sissi: Check out this thread on eGullet:
http://egullet.org/p788230
What do you think? (laugh)
Hiroyuki, thank you, this thread is very interesting and amusing. Miso bacon, shiso sausage and wasabi sausage are definitely something I have to taste when I go to Japan (I have already read about the wasabi sausage on the "Shizuoka Gourmet" blog).
Judging from the discussion (I haven't understood every Japanese term though) the finely ground sausage has the same problem all around the world: it may be excellent, made with best quality ingredients and it may be awful. Here in Switzerland there is only one excellent brand of the wennies-type sausage (longer) and I love it.
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