I’ve finished a solid version of my new book, after five passes through it, and by Friday it will be out of the house and into the able hands of my agent who will then send it soon to editors, some of whom will get it right away while others will wonder.  The trick is to get it into the hands of decisive editors with authority to sell the book to the publishing team.  Abracadabra!

Meanwhile my pieces on Japanese cheese production, micro-brewing in Japan (which really only took off when the tax laws changed in 1998), and Kyoto.  Done and done.

And look for this article in Gastronomica, published by University of California, out in May or June:

Hashiri, Sakari, Nagori: Toward Understanding the Psychology, Ideology, and Branding of Seasonality in Japanese Gastronomy