Coaching natto making 納豆作りを指導する

There is an Asian restaurant where I often go on Friday to have bento menu when I work from home. Some months ago, I was asked if I cook natto by myself and I told them yes. I once brought my natto. It was a month ago, just before I left for Japan in November I heard at the restaurant that somebody wants to learn how to do it. I made an appointment today at the restaurant.

家の近所にアジア料理の店があって、金曜日に家から働いているときにはよくお昼の弁当を食べに行く。数ヶ月前、自分で納豆を作っているかと聞かれ、そうと答える。そして作った納豆を一度持っていった。１１月に日本に行く前、今から一ヶ月前、誰かが納豆をどうやって作るのを教わりたいと聞いた。それで今日その店で会うことにした。

There appeared an Austrian guy and his girlfriend. He told me that he tried many times by himself and he happened to eat my natto at the restaurant the other day, he knew quickly that it was not bought but made. It is a quite interesting story. I tried his natto, it surely was but not really sticky at all and shaking the bin each bean moves seperately. My first thought was that there was something wrong with fermentation.

オーストリア人の男性が彼女と一緒に現れた。彼は自分で何度もやっているけどどうもうまくいかず、先日たまたま店で僕の作った納豆を食べたらしく、すぐに手作りしたもとだと分かったらしい。全く面白い話である。彼が作ったと言う納豆をもらって食べてみる。確かに納豆だが、まったく粘りがなく、容器を振ると豆がそれそればらばらに動く。最初に思ったのは発酵に問題があるんじゃないかということだった。

We were to cook at the restaurant but one of their fireplace was broken, we went to his place near the restaurant. He took me to a building of Vienna university of Technology which is actually very close to my apartment, and to his lab. He was the managing director of GrAT, Appropriate Technology Center within Vienna university of Technology. I started to cook as I usually do.

お店で作るはずだったが、一日前にガスコンロが壊れてひとつ使えなくなったとか。それで彼のところに行くことにする。彼は僕を、うちのすぐそばのウィーン工科大学の建物に連れて行き、そして彼の研究室へ。彼はウィーン工科大学内の適正技術センター(GrAT)の所長をしているらしい。そこで僕はいつものように納豆を作り始める。

While we were steaming soy beans in pressure cooker, we talked about what we are doing. He has a close connection with Nagoya Institute of Technology and works for planning and designing houses in Tohoku area so that they can be independent of nuclear power plant in coorporation with Sekisui Heim. He has some exchange students from Japan and is going to visit Japan for a conference. It was a surprising coinsidence. I started to talk about what I did in Iwate and showed my blog.

圧力鍋で大豆を蒸している間、お互いに何をしているのか話をする。彼は名古屋工科大学とコネがあって、東北で原子力発電に頼らずに済むような家の設計を、積水ハイムと一緒になって研究しているとか。日本からも交換留学で学生が来るらしい。彼はすぐに日本で会議があるそうだ。なんという偶然か！岩手でのことを話をして自分のブログを見せる。

He had a very nice heater, he told me that it can hold the temperature around 40 degrees, and that he once really measured. This heater can hold seven or eight small plastic cups inside. This time we just use kitchen paper to cover the top with rubber band instead of closing it by cap equiped with the heater. Then we made holes with tooth picker. And make the plastic cover slightly open to secure a little air flow, then told him that it might be better to cover the heater with a towel or something. He told me that there were only some points different from how he did. What will happen then?? To be continued.

彼は素敵な保温器を持っていた。いわく４０度に温度が保てるそうでちゃんと測定もしたらしい。その保温器は中に７つか８つの小さなプラスチックコップが置けるようになっている。備え付へのふたもあるが、今回はキッチンペーパーと輪ゴムでふたをし、それに爪楊枝で穴を開ける。それからプラスチック製の保温器のふたは空気が少し出入りできるように傾け、保温器全体をタオルか何かで包むことにする。彼曰く、少し作り方に差があるとのこと。さあいったいどうなるやら。結果は乞うご期待。

He wrote me a message the next day that it worked out fine.

翌日彼は発酵がうまく行ったようだと連絡してくれた。