In addition to providing a tiny ray of hope that the Times does actually print articles that are not about The Weblog Phenomenon (sometimes), this story on veggie cuisine in Japan makes me even more keen to visit Tokyo at some point: “All meals at Gesshin Kyo are omakase (’leave decisions to the chef’) and begin with a sesame pudding that Mr. Tanahashi insists on making with traditional equipment. Considerable physical strength is required to grind the sesame seeds to a smooth, nutty paste in a grooved ceramic mortar known as a suribachi, with a prickly ash pestle. Buddhist culinary philosophy suggests that effort enhances the merit of one’s deeds, and Mr. Tanahashi’s worthy cuisine is not about shortcuts.”