Michael Pollan and his "Food Rules" by Elisa A.

Stumbling upon some of Michael Pollan’s work truly got me thinking about one of the values behind Yojié’s.

Michael Pollan is one of the leading food experts in the world with 4 top selling books, including Food Rules. Some of the rules that stuck out to me are the following:

Food rule #2: “Don’t eat anything your great grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food”

Food rule #7: “Avoid food products containing ingredients that a third grader cannot pronounce”

Food rule #13: “Eat foods that will eventually rot”

Food rule #39: “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself”

Michael Pollan advises that we put a little more time and thought into our food and by doing so it’ll help avoid time with the doctor in the future. With this book he wishes to accomplish “ a simple framework for [a] healthy and sustainable diet,” (Wikipedia).

Advice embedded- is this, “cook your own food because you take back control of your diet from corporations who want to cook for us that use too much salt, fat, and sugar.” Now, is that not exactly what Yojié’s helps you with? We give you recognizable noodles and vegetables with a choice of an entrée platter (seafood, chicken, or beef). Now I understand you may be hesitant because of the respective sauces/ broth. But right off the bat we will tell you that our shabu- shabu sauces and sukiyaki broth is made with home ingredients and as simple as a sesame paste, citrus- based soy sauce, and sweet Warishita broth. We have all the ingredients laid out for you, plain and simple and better yet, to go along with Pollan’s advice, you even cook the food yourself (so you recognize what is going into your body).
I think we’re right there with Pollan. I’ll even add that we were one of the FIRST (of three to be exact) in 2007 to get certified as free of trans fat. To go along with that, our beef is 100% Angus beef and our chicken is free- range chicken. What more can you ask for…? Well I guess it’s the experience to go along with the healthy food! :) Kampai!

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August's Artwalk Recap

Last week, downtown was brimming with locals and visitors here to take part in the monthly event of LA Artwalk.  While the event originated from the works of artists living and creating in the immediate area, many people from surrounding cities now make the journey to participate in the unique experience.  Yojie was pleased to showcase a new artist, Jason Liwag, on its feature walls.  Art enthusiasts filled the restaurant and bar area dining, drinking and contemplating Jason’s inspiration for his work.  Among his guests was the one and only Dante Basco, our favorite lost boy from “Hook”.  Can you say “RU-FI-OOOOOOO”? Another exciting night at Yojie.  Don’t miss out on the action, and be sure to join us for next month’s Artwalk and more events to come.  Jason’s work can be viewed until early September.  For inquiries, please contact the restaurant directly and ask to speak with Charles. 

Artist Bio:

Jason Liwag was born in the hard streets of Los Angeles in 1983. He spent his early years “growning up” in Santa Ana where he frequently forced his sister to take a broomstick and duel in the backyard. Like most nerdy kids, he spent a lot of time watching cartoons like Animaniacs, M.A.S.K, Voltron, Duck Tales, Talespin, the Maxx and Ren & Stimpy.

In 2007, Jason travelled to Japan and spent a lot of time aimlessly wandering around Japanese Gardens and Temples. Being in Nature has had a heavy influence oh his art and likes to integrate all of his materials as possible. For this show in particular he has left a negative space in the canvas to let the wood grain showcase through the paint to unify the paint with the material.

Jason graduated from California State University of Long Beach in 2007 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in Graphic Design. Other than graphic design, Jason grew fond of screen-printing and became co-founder of e•phem•er•al apparel. Post graduation, Jason was hired at Buddha Jones, a motion picture marketing company, as a graphic designer. He has been there for over 3 years and has worked on various campaigns such as Repo Men, No Country for Old Men, Inglourious Basterds, The Crazies, Juno and many more.

After working on a computer for most of his career, Jason realized that he missed the feel of paint on his hands and how rewarding it was to actually have a piece of art you can hold and not just view it on a computer screen. Hopefully this show is the first step into something much grander. 

photo by: Yuko Iwamoto

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July's Artist Bio: Brian Justiniano

This month's featured artist is Brian Justiniano. His work has charmed and captivated many eyes of art enthusiasts and has been described as "neo-retro"and "refreshing". Brian's artwork can still be seen at Yojié DTLA until early August. Here's a bio written by Brian:

"My name is Brian Justiniano. I am Twenty years old, born October 25, 1989 in Los Angeles, CA. It was not hard for me to recognize my calling for artistry. For as long as I could remember, art would intrigue me— even as child, just watching cartoons would make me wonder how the characters on my TV screen were drawn. My imagination since has grown wildly, as I would become interested with all the art surrounding me. Although I don’t have a certain style, I believe my work is strongly influenced by some of my favorite artists such as Michael Hsiung, Teddy Kelly, Luke Chueh and Barry McGee. After a few months of hiatus, I got my art back on track and decided to change my college major from Radiology to Fine Arts and Illustration. My love for art since then has become a passion, and my work has only improved. Pursuing something I love and value so much is a decision I will never regret." 

Brian and his work titled "kaiko" 

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Shabu-Shabu: An Unsung Hero?

The Japanese culture is a big umbrella of multi-cultures that share common interests, and compliment with one another. Whether it deals with commercial media and traditional practices, to underground music of Japanese “Speedcore” and groundbreaking artwork, Japanese culture is full of serenity and harmony with all of these beautiful entities, if you want to call them “entities”.
I guess you can say I’m a bit biased to saying this because I immerse myself in this culture as much as possible. Particularly in the area of Japanese food, Japanese animated cartoons, or “Anime”, and I read a lot of their comics, or “Manga”. The particular subculture of Japanese art and storytelling really moves me. The stories are captivating and creative, always leaving a person wanting more. And for the food part—well, that’s a given. Japanese food is incredible.
This past week I had the opportunity to connect to other people like myself and really appreciate that particular subculture at a convention known as AnimeExpo, located in Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles. It started on July 1st to July 4th. This convention holds a wide collection of people who enjoy the Japanese animation subculture and more. People come together and watch television shows, talk about tea ceremonies, sell Japanese related items, and even mimic favorite characters by dressing up as them known as Cosplay. While I was there, I wanted to find out what people there knew about how much they knew about the Japanese culture in terms of food.
Sure, these people knew about sushi, ramen houses, street foods like “Takoyaki”, and BBQ houses, because they were displayed in many popular Japanese television shows and comics, but did they know of Shabu-Shabu? And I wanted to find out.
I spoke to a few native Japanese people who were there and I found out that Shabu was quite common. However, it seemed like it wasn’t really given the limelight that it should. It interested me because if that was the case, did non-natives who also attended the convention and who also appreciated the culture, knew of Shabu and thought of it on a different level just like Anime at Anime conventions?
I went around the convention, asking people what they knew of Shabu-shabu and the conclusion that I came up with is that it’s acknowledged but not really known because a lot of Anime show mainly ramen houses, sushi bars, and other eateries, since majority of Anime take place during summer time. Since Shabu-shabu is commonly known as a winter dish in Japan, I guess you can see why Shabu-shabu houses aren’t really featured in a popular Anime series. And although Shabu-shabu could be eaten year-round as well, Shabu houses featured in winter scenes in Anime help strengthen the setting of time, aside from the snow and mounds of winter clothing, since it’s been a standing tradition to do Shabu during winter season.
I feel that Anime should really bring about Shabu in more Anime series since a good majority of them feature everything else—why not do it? Making more Anime in the winter season will help avid Anime viewers really understand more about the culture. Maybe they should make an Anime revolving around Shabu-Shabu?
Nah. I’m pushing my luck =P

-John E. Torres (aka Jet)

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"...think well, love well, sleep well..."

I am very sure that you’ve heard that work is never work when you truly love what you do. Well that’s exactly how it is for me. I am truly blessed to have a network that recognized my strengths and believe that I am worthy enough to be a part of this partnership. One of the biggest reasons I believe so much about this company is because of the food.

Because I’ve seen what revolved around this company- the passion, the work, the people, and can’t forget the food- I can truly say that it is a brand that I am so proud of. I was never one to really be passionate about restaurants, mainly because it was difficult for me to fathom the processed foods that different restaurants were offering (don’t get me wrong, I still eat out, but I am particular about what and where I eat AND I seldom take part in them). But when I came across Yojié’s and most importantly started my partnership, I truly believe that eating shabu shabu or sukiyaki is really, “more than just healthy food…[but an] experience.” (Sidenote: it also hits home-being born and raised in Japan- because I grew up in a home that often ate shabu shabu).

In an extended essay based on poverty, Virginia Woolf once wrote:

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.

So, although I do not live in poverty, this still hits home. Because I can walk away from my day (or from my office, from work, from the restaurant, etc.) knowing that not only are my guests at Yojié’s eating well, but also dining in with an experience. An experience that makes you feel good and like Virginia Woolf stated makes you think well, love well, [and] sleep well. But more importantly, this experience can be recreated over and over again. So come on in, the door is always open! Hope to see you again soon!

<3, Elisa

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Stop in and Cool Off!

Summer is officially here and so is the heat. Stay cool with one of our many different drinks. Whether you're looking for something with a little alcohol or an ice cream float, we've got you covered.

Sake-Jito


Judo Chop


Tropical Cloud


Melon Ramune Float with Vanilla ice cream
also available in Original and Strawberry flavor with Green Tea ice cream

-BJ Garcia 

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Lakers Fever

June 17, 2010.  Another beautiful Thursday in DTLA.... and the much anticipated Game 7 of the 2010 NBA finals between our beloved Lakers and infamous Celtics.  Anywhere you went in DTLA, you were hard pressed to miss the thousands of Lakers fans walking the streets near Staples and LA Live.  All just trying to be near to the excitement that would ensue following a Game 7 win by the Lakers.  Yojie in DTLA was no exception as more and more fans packed into any available space to enjoy the game with some beer and sake.  Our space was so crowded that we eventually had to turn away customers who just wanted to watch the game.  As the Lakers tied and then took the lead in the fourth quarter, our patrons chanted "Boston sucks!" admist hoots and hollers with every possession.  Every second that passed meant that the Lakers were that much closer to a repeat championship.  Amazing plays+ Clutch points+ Passionate fans=Lakers win at home against the Celtics.  Yojie and the whole of DTLA erupted as thousands took to the streets in Lakers championship fever.  The LAPD (equipped with batons and riding atop horses) were in full effect on the corner of Olympic and Grand, and thankfully Yojie was safe from rioters and vandalism.  No, not just another Thursday.  Today was the culmination of a rigorous and difficult series for our Lakers, one that Kobe marked as the "sweetest" because of who had defeated and the fact that it was all done at home.  We couldn't ask for anything more, thank you to our Los Angeles Lakers! 

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