Traditional New Year's food

osechi1
Originally uploaded by SAIE

Most Japanese people enjoy traditional New Years dishes at this time of year. It's called "Osechi Ryouri" .

"Osechi Ryouri" includes a lot of food that can be kept for a long time.This means housewives are able to relax a little while during the holiday. But actually, most family

The dishes differ from one area to another but mostly include boiled shrimp, black beans, herring eggs, dried shiitake (mushroom) and blah-blah-blah. Each dish have its own meaning. For example, when people eat boiled shrimp, they might be able to live long until being bent with age. It is compared as bent boiled shrimp.

This year, mother-in-law ordered ones produced by Shelaton Hotel in Japan. It was delivered to our door as chilled food. The food are beautifully decorate and layout in boxes.

Formerly, most family cooked it by themselves because full-time housewives were nest defender.

But about last two to three decades, Japanese women has out of house to work and enhance their sociality, their life have turn to busy.
According to this, chilled food business in Japane has expanded.
At the super market before new year, many house wives who still want to project hand-made atmosphere for New Year's food pick up traditional style "chilled Japanese food" and layout them beautifully in boxes.

These are the home style "Osechi Ryouri" done by mother-in-law.

Several years ago, she and I hade cooked almost dishes.

Since she had become 60 years old, her enthusiasm toward cooking of "Osechi Ryouri" have been getting disappeared.