“There is an ancient dispute among the men of Tohoku as to which of the six prefectures produces the best sake. The keenest rivalry is between Akita in the west and its larger Pacific-coast neighbor, Iwate. The men of Iwate state flatly that their sake is better because their rice is better. The men of Akita counter that their sake is better because their water is better. I have studiously avoided taking sides in this dispute because I have found that, by maintaining a noncommittal silence, I have cup after cup of free sake urged upon me in an effort to elicit the judgment I shall never give. Solomon in all his glory lacked this simple wisdom, or perhaps wasn’t thirsty.”

(Alan Booth in The Roads to Sata p. 90-91)

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Posted on July 16th, 2009 under Japan • Tags: alan booth, book quotes, food. • RSS 2.0 feed • You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed