Dialogue - TANE -
You are what you eat.
Our bodies are nourished by the food we eat every day. Eating is a way of facing yourself.
"TANE" is a restaurant in Beppu, Oita Prefecture that serves dishes based on South Indian cuisine and uses seasonal vegetables through its own filter.
The journey of the owner, Toyoshige Ota, makes us realize that eating not only builds the body, but also nourishes the mind.
If there's something that interests you, just jump in.
Life moves forward as if it were leading us. In his early 20s, he would DJ at clubs on the weekends and then go to work without sleeping. One day, he felt that if he continued this lifestyle, his body would break down. He quit his DJing career and began to reevaluate his body and diet.
If there is something that interests you, you just jump right in. After discovering meditation and yoga, he became interested in shaping his body, and in wanting to learn more, he went to Thailand for about three months to learn massage. After that, he decided to visit India for the first time. This event would change Mr. Ota's life.
Deliciousness that your body will love
In India, various religions, including Hinduism, have long had the idea of "avoiding eating meat, which involves killing animals, and accumulating virtue by being vegetarian."
In an environment where vegetarianism, not using meat or fish, has been deeply rooted for a long time, Ota ate a mainly vegetable diet for about a year, placing importance on living a regular and simple life while being close to nature.
As he began cooking his own meals every day, he became fascinated with Indian people's everyday eating habits.
What particularly fascinated Ota was South Indian home cooking, including "meals," a traditional set meal served in one dish.
North Indian cuisine, which is served in cooler temperatures, tends to use high-fat dairy products to warm the body. In contrast, South Indian cuisine is centered on vegetables and beans, and ingredients, spices, and cooking methods are selected with consideration for the climate and the health of the eater.
"One time, I did a homestay in southern India. When one of the children tried to drink cold water, the family warned him that cold water would damage his body. This kind of awareness about food is a part of everyday life. Through southern Indian cuisine, I want to deliver not only delicious flavor, but also a bodily joy."
After returning to Japan, he decided to open a business to convey his feelings.
Spread from seeds
The name "TANE" comes from our hope that through South Indian cuisine, people will learn about the idea that food is medicine and the environment, and that this feeling will become a seed for those who experience it, mixing with and growing in each person's story.
In 2017, with his wife's hometown being Fukuoka Prefecture, they were looking for a nearby area to set up shop and move to. One day, they felt guided and decided to move to Oita. In 2018, they opened a shop in Beppu City, Oita Prefecture. Although it was a place they had no ties to, they say it was close to nature, had an abundance of ingredients, and was touched by the warmth of the people every day.
The memory of eating it remains somewhere in my heart forever.
To coincide with the exhibition of Ono Tomohiro from Yamaka Design Studio, the second "TANE South Indian Course Dinner" will be held at Utsushiki.
Is there a big difference between serving food at your restaurant and setting up a food stall?
"I visited India before the dinner party. When you change one thing that you take for granted in your daily life, you experience how your days become more free. The dinner party is also an opportunity for me to directly convey to those who attend the party the blessings we have received from India. I hope to continue to share this through food, with all my heart, so that meals and moments are nourished for the body and mind, without putting a strain on the body or nature."
Learn from food and relax
I wake up at 4:30 every morning, do yoga from 5, go to the store at 7, and start preparing from 7:30.
Ota-san says that after changing her eating habits in her early twenties, she started to pay more attention to what she eats and her body, and has seen definite changes. She says that since her eating habits changed, she has become more able to hear her body's voice, such as when she feels fatigued or has signs of illness.
"The morning after lack of sleep or overeating, it's easy to notice something is off. When food is neglected, for example through a vegetarian diet, the speed and accuracy of your judgment criteria changes."
Every day is hectic. How should we deal with the urge to eat junk food at times?
"If there is something about yourself that you really want to change, I think it's important to have firm resolve and change even if it's just a little at a time."
After this conversation, we realized that eating is essential to live. It may be difficult to suddenly change anything. However, facing the food we eat and our bodies every day. Mr. Ota taught us through his own experience that such an accumulation leads to vitality for life.
Interviewer and writer: Yoshiaki Ono
Abstract object
This is the second solo exhibition at Utsushiki by Tomohiro Ono, a designer from Yamaka Design Office in Kitsuki, Oita Prefecture. Since ancient times, Japanese people have found abstract beauty in worn or rusty things that have accumulated over time. He focuses on the qualities, commonalities and essences of things and representations, extracting and grasping them. He interprets and breaks down materials such as paper, earth and wood, and sublimates the parts of the texture of each material that he finds beautiful into works of art. He is both a designer and an artist, a geek with a geeky disposition who is constantly researching, otherwise known as Yamaka's Gandhi. Please enjoy his abstract expressions.
