Translator: Josephine Wilson Reviewer: Hiroko Kawano
I am a mushroom master.
Nowadays I have a lot of opportunities to speak in front of people in this way,
but the truth is I was a very quiet and shy child,
who only opened her mouth to eat at mealtimes.
You might ask why a child like that became a mushroom master.
Believing the rumours, 'If you eat mushrooms, you become healthier,
and they help you lose weight and become prettier',
I ate mushrooms every day.
As mushrooms contain nourishing components that dissolve in water,
I recommend putting them in soup.
Then one day, after a year had passed,
people began to ask me, 'Ms Ueno, you've gotten pretty!
What's your secret?'
Drawing on my own experience,
I couldn't help but talk about the appeal of mushrooms.
All I did was talk about mushrooms!
'Mushrooms are amazing! They're amazing! They're amazing!'
I told everyone I knew.
Then every month,
I would lose one kilogram in weight,
and before I knew it, I had lost 10 kilograms.
After that, at my medical examination,
I went from being medically obese to being a healthy weight,
and my cholesterol level was normal.
I was pleasantly surprised.
To my real surprise,
mushrooms changed my life.
Then I thought, 'Maybe I should be more proactive, shouldn't I?'
I bet you all have something that means to you what mushrooms mean to me, right?
Mushrooms have all sorts of varied health benefits.
So today, I'm going to show you all
how to incorporate them into your daily lives.
The average nationwide consumption of mushrooms is said to be 16 grams.
We mushroom masters are aiming for 100 grams a day
for a healthier and longer life.
One hundred grams is around this much.
On the right side is the amount when they are microwaved for one minute.
[Uncooked] [Cooked]
Eating this kind of amount every day seems a lot more manageable, right?
What can I do to absorb these mushrooms into my body more efficiently?
Firstly, chop them into very small pieces.
Then boil them.
And freeze them.
'Frozen enoki' incorporates all of these steps.
Frozen enoki, which originated in Nakano City, Nagano Prefecture,
is very easy to make.
You cut the enoki,
add water and put it in a blender,
boil it,
then let it cool down before freezing it.
This is frozen enoki.
It's very easy to make and, obviously, can be used straight away.
When you defrost frozen enoki, you get these thick lumps.
I thought the texture of these lumps reminded me of something,
and I realised that it's like the texture of an egg.
I thought, 'If so, I can fry it with breadcrumbs',
and I thought, 'That's really cool!'
I proposed the idea of using it in school cafeterias for pupils with egg allergies.
Then I found
that it was used in dumplings or soups
so even kids who hate mushrooms could eat them without realising it.
I think that children with egg allergies
have had days where they would feel disheartened and think negatively.
But I'm hoping that this frozen enoki
will make these children smile.
I really recommend it not just to children,
but also to adults who suffer from allergies.
And I want them to be able to say goodbye to their gloomy everyday
and live a lively, healthy life.
I feel that is the misson bestowed upon me as a mushroom master.
There is still a lot I want to say about the hidden power of mushrooms,
but today I talked about frozen enoki, which originated in Nakano City.
Please remember that mushrooms are very good for your health
and they are quite easy to cook.
I say, 'Let's eat mushrooms! We have frozen enoki too.'
Therefore, I think that in the near future,
Japanese mushrooms will spread all around the world.
When that happens, I would like you all to have a go at making frozen enoki.
That's all for today.
Thank you.
(Applause)