It’s getting colder day by day.
Winter is coming. It encourages us to eat something hot. Extremely hot. I mean piping hot.
In Japan, we love eating hot pot dish “鍋料理(なべりょうり)”.
I can’t get through harsh winter without it. It fullfils my heart.
Anyway, there are many types of hot pot dish in Japan.
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“Kamo negi nabe” is one of those.
It’s literally made of duck meat(kamo) and green onion(negi).
Duck meat and green onions are a good combination because green onion neutralizes the smell of duck meat.
Before tasting the pod cuisine, we’re going to explore Japanese idiom “kamo negi” first.
What “kamo negi” means?
Japanese Idiom “kamo negi” is, technically speaking, abbreviated.
“kamo ga negi wo shotte kuru”(かもがねぎをしょってくる) is a formal style.
It means “A duck approaches, carrying a leek on its back”.
It’s too much to say everything, so people just say “kamo negi”.
So, what does it mean?
It means easy hunt/game/prey.
A duck approaches, carring a leek on its back is a favorable opportunity for cooking, because the ingredients is already prepared (I bet the situation will never happens though).
(Simillar expression in English is “turkeys voting for Thanksgiving”.)
However, be careful when you use the word “kamo negi”.
This phrase is basically used for bad meening,sneering someone.
It’s never been used for good meaning.
Plus,”kamo” itself means a sucker because it is easy to prey and delicious.
A friend who is weak at games like poker or mahjong but follows immediately when you invite him can be called “kamo”.
“kamo ni suru” (かもにする) is the phrase meaning that you take advantage of someone for your convenience, it sounds almost decieving in most cases.
On That Note
The story about “kamo negi” is tough but real “kamo negi” is funtastic cuisine.
I really enjoy sharing one of unique Japanese words “kamo negi”.
I hope you don’t make anybody “kamo negi” and vise versa!
See you next time!
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