Hendrix, Taylor J. on sun 4 apr 04
Howdy Lee:
I understand that for you a safe glaze is one that is used for its
intended purpose, so your ongoing discussion with H.M. about Oribe ware
coming back to raw fish etc. is interesting to think about. I must
admit that the first time you mentioned Japanese knowing how to use a
sushi plate was not an entirely convincing point for at least two
reasons. While you are there and I am here (thousands of miles away), I
get the distinct impression that many college age Japanese (these are
people about whom I care a great deal and have had the pleasure of
teaching etc.) are not as familiar with the tradition of ceramics either
as a world tradition (you remind us of our myopic views on this subject
to your credit) or as a Japanese tradition, at least not as
knowledgeable as your comments imply. I'm worried that the heavy
reliance on 'knowledgeable' customers may be a bit naive and perhaps
unrealistic. Many Westerners rarely if ever eat sushi or raw fish of
any kind. What do you suppose they would serve on your sushi plate?
I'm a Japonophile and have read up on Oribe ware. I decide to use the
glazes on my interpretation of sushi plate. What are my customer's
assumptions on how to use that ware? Western? Oriental? It is all
well and good to understand the traditional sources of things, but how
is that going to help me? That tradition does not address the question
of stability with respect to leaching.
Another concern: What exactly is the acidity of traditional forms of
Japanese food? Sushi, a very popular type of Japanese food must be
acidic. Am I wrong or isn't the rice coated with vinegar? For sure the
very yummy pickled ginger is pickled in vinegar. Wow, what about
wasabi? I know it really kicks a punch. Yum. I still can't find any
information about raw fish flesh and its acidity but I'll look further.
I know that perhaps what I have experience in Japanese dining is not
what Japanese experience and I figure that most sushi and other raw fish
probably don't stay on the plate for days, but the question is still
legitimate--what exactly is the acidity of traditional Japanese food and
can it be an issue on traditional Japanese glazes (any glazes for that
matter)? Further, what does the Japanese ceramic tradition say about
such concerns? Is it silent? Now that we truly are privy to ceramic
traditions worlds away from our own, how does one deal with the alleged
disparity in ceramic knowledge or lore or whatever you want to call
knowing how to treat your teapot.
What do you think?
Taylor, in Waco
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