“One of my main missions is to get students, especially iTaukei, into the main discipline. A lot of times, students get into trouble because of peer pressure..
Onigiri for a Limited Time at Ootoya in Midtown
Mediterranean on the Upper West Side, a new branch of Vanessa’s Dumpling House and more restaurant news.
Credit.Jeenah Moon for The New York Times
Ootoya Onigiri Pop-Up Window
At the Times Square location of this international restaurant chain based in Japan, there’s a counter window that opens onto the street. From there, assorted selections of onigiri are being sold from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., daily through March 7. Previously, the window sold bento boxes, but the management decided to switch to onigiri. One reason was to offer freshly milled rice from the 2020 harvest in Niigata Prefecture, north of Tokyo. It’s being processed at the Rice Factory in Scarsdale, N.Y. The quality of the rice is as essential for onigiri as it is for sushi, but onigiri is more snack than art. Usually offered in tidy nori wraps for easy transport, the fillings are humbler than the masterfully sliced fish of sushi, and include canned tuna with mayo