Meet Rachael, author of La Fuji Mama blog. Now, you might not have known that fusion cuisine is near and dear to Plummelo’s heart. So when we came across Rachael and her blend of East-meets-West cuisine, we gave her the Plummelo Favorite Food Person stamp of approval. Read below to learn about Rachael’s blog, her Japanese adventures, and how she gets her kids to eat “different” foods.

What was your inspiration for La Fuji Mama?

I started my blog right after the birth of my first child. We were living in Tokyo, Japan, and I wanted a place where I could record my adventures and discoveries as I experienced motherhood in a foreign country. When we moved back to the U.S. I was at a loss about what to write about. It took me a few months, but I finally realized that my topic had been staring me in the face: food. I have always loved to eat and cook, and I wanted to share my love for food with others. My blogging is still heavily influenced by my time in Japan as we eat a lot of Japanese food and incorporate Japanese flavors and ingredients into our meals.

What are your goals for La Fuji Mama as you move ahead with the site?

I want to continue to explore different food cultures and I hope to help educate others on issues like seafood sustainability and finding ways to feed our children healthy meals that will help broaden their palates.

What resources do you turn to for food ideas or recipe inspiration?

I find ideas and inspiration all around me. Sometimes a recipe or a picture in a magazine will spark an idea, or a particular ingredient is in season and I start thinking of ways to use it. I do have a large collection of cookbooks, but I use them mostly as research references. One of my favorite resources is Japanese food magazines, as they keep me in the loop of what is going on in the Japanese food world, and keep me thinking about ingredients and cooking methods that aren’t necessarily as prevalent here. Food blogs are also wonderful sources of inspiration. I am always inspired and amazed at the talent of my fellow bloggers.

You’ve spent quite a bit of time in Japan. What’s one food you hadn’t previously tried but ended up loving? And what’s one food you never really got in to?

There are so many things that I had never eaten before living in Japan the first time! The first day I set foot on Japanese soil was in September of 2002. We were walking from the train station to our new apartment and stopped at a convenience store to pick up a few things to eat, since we would be greeted by an empty pantry upon arrival. My husband, who had previously lived in Japan several times, grabbed a couple of things for a makeshift dinner. One of those items was an onigiri—a Japanese rice ball. This particular onigiri was triangular, wrapped in crispy seaweed, and had a tuna mayonnaise filling. One bite and I was in love. Something so simple, yet I can’t get enough, even today! I can’t really think of a food I didn’t get in to. It’s kind of a curse sometimes, I love everything!

You’re a mom with two kids. How do you get your kids to eat “different” foods?

When kids are young they don’t know whether or not something should be “weird” or “foreign.” Almost every meal is a new adventure for them. So I capitalize on this and introduce new things and textures as often as I can. We have a rule that everyone has to at least taste everything before they pass judgment. If they don’t like something the first time, I don’t give up. On more than one occasion I’ve had a child randomly decide they like something that they had previously despised. I find that adding new ingredients to “safe” foods (foods you already know that your child loves) tends to be quite successful. For example, making chicken noodle soup and adding freshly grated ginger or lemongrass to the broth for a Southeast Asian twist.

As my kids get older, I also have them help as much as they are able with the preparation of a meal. I turn this into an educational opportunity and we talk about what the ingredients look like, what they smell like, etc. I find that kids are more likely to eat something that they are proud of having helped to prepare! Finally, I never assume that my kids won’t like something—this is just setting them up for failure!  No matter what the dish, I serve it as if it’s the most normal dish on the planet. It’s usually the dishes I most expect them to reject that end up being the ones they like the most.

How do you keep your kitchen organized?

My mom is the queen of kitchen organization. When I’m at a loss, I always call on her expertise! One thing that I have learned from her that keeps my kitchen from becoming a disaster area is having a designated spot for every item, and having containers to organize things in, instead of just throwing things in a drawer. I have plastic organizers in many of my drawers in cupboards that keep things like spatulas and wooden spoons together so that I’m not constantly searching for something. Things that I don’t use very often go on the higher, harder to reach shelves.

In honor of Rachael’s love of Asian cuisine, take a look at some of these recipe ideas:

• An entire array of Fusion Asian Recipes.
• How about some Vietnamese Recipes if you’re feeling adventurous?

Visit Rachael’s Website: La Fuji Mama Follow her on Twitter

Laura Troyani heads up Marketing and Business Development for Plummelo. Not content with just being another behind-the-scenes pencil pusher, Laura decided to give blogging a shot and writes practical, everyday tips for the home cook (or aspiring home cook). Laura’s favorite foods are ice cream, olive oil, ice cream, parmesan cheese, ice cream, and occasionally ice cream.