Cookbook for a Cause: A Sneek Peek at the Peko Peko Charity Cookbook for Japan

It’s hard to believe it’s almost been a month since the earthquake hit Japan.  That event and the subsequent tsunami and aftershocks that have damaged that nation have been tough to grasp, let alone articulate into words.  I’ve been torn about whether I wanted to talk about it here.  This blog, my pride and joy, is my getaway from all the stresses in the world.  It’s where I get to express myself and my love of food through a creative medium.  And I do my darndest to keep things light.  I want this to be a place where people can come and forget about all the bad stuff that happened at work or the heartbreaking news that they read in the paper that day.

At the same time, A Thought For Food is an extension of who I am and that means that I shouldn’t hold back on talking about something I feel strongly about.

Some things are unexplainable, but a natural disaster is not one of those things.  You can’t ask why it happened or how it happened, because we know the answers to both of those questions.  So we’re left with a feeling of, “Now what? What are we supposed to do?”

During a time like this, it’s hard not to feel hopeless.  And for a while, that’s exactly how I felt.  An aftershock here, another there. Being so far away, so disconnected from what’s been happening, has left me questioning if there’s anything that I can do but sit here and watch.

Thankfully, the answer to this question is yes, there is plenty that can be done.

The food blogger community has banded together on a number of projects, ranging from bake sales to calendars to cookbooks.  They’re a particularly good-hearted (and proactive) group of people and jump at any occasion to lend a helping hand.

So, I wasn’t surprised when I started to hear rumblings of a cookbook being created in support of the relief efforts in Japan.  The book, affectionately titled Peko Peko (which is the phrase that children say in Japan when they’re hungry), is the work of talented bloggers Stacie Billis of One Hungry Mama, Rachael Hutchings of La Fuji Mama and Marc Matsumoto of No Recipes.  Peko Peko will be a collection of recipes from food bloggers from around the world and will be published by Blurb.  The team is currently in conversation with Save the Children, which has come up with a three-year Japan relief plan that will focus on helping children.

For the book, I have contributed a recipe for edamame-spinach dip, a recipe that I feel embodies all of the flavors and ingredients I love in Japanese cuisine.  I hope the pictures here are enough of a tease to inspire you to purchase a copy of the book when it is released.  I can guarantee that there will be plenty of stellar recipes that you won’t want to miss.

To get more information about the cookbook, please head on over to the Peko Peko website.  And feel free to follow Peko Peko on Twitter and Facebook to get updates on our progress.