"Cooking Site Compiles Recipes for Disaster Preparedness"

"Cooking Site Compiles Recipes for Disaster Preparedness"

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Welcome to "Learn Japanese from the News."
　
Join us as we learn Japanese and about the country through Japanese news stories. Today's headline is…
　
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災害（さいがい）のとき役（やく）に立（た）つ 水道（すいどう）や電気（でんき）を使（つか）わない料理（りょうり）を紹介（しょうかい）
　
"Cooking Site Compiles Recipes for Disaster Preparedness"
This news story was published on NEWS WEB EASY's website on August 29th.
　
Now let's go over some words that will help us understand what's going on.
　
関東大震災（かんとうだいしんさい）
This term refers to the Great Kanto Earthquake, which struck on September 1st, 1923.
　
災害（さいがい）
disaster or calamity

缶詰（かんづめ）
canned food
　
OK. Let's keep these words in mind as we listen.
　
「今年（ことし）は関東大震災（かんとうだいしんさい）から100年（ねん）です。首都直下地震（しゅとちょっかじしん）などの大（おお）きな地震（じしん）もこれから起（お）こると言（い）われています。
クックパッドという会社（かいしゃ）は、災害（さいがい）で水道（すいどう）や電気（でんき）、ガスなどが止（と）まったときでも作（つく）ることができる料理（りょうり）をウェブサイトで紹介（しょうかい）しています。
料理（りょうり）は250以上（いじょう）あります。家（いえ）に用意（ようい）しておいた水（みず）やカセットコンロ、熱（ねつ）に強（つよ）いポリエチレンの袋（ふくろ）を使（つか）ってごはんを炊（た）く方法（ほうほう）や、缶詰（かんづめ）を使（つか）ったパスタなどを紹介（しょうかい）しています。
会社（かいしゃ）は「食事（しょくじ）は生活（せいかつ）の中（なか）でとても大切（たいせつ）です。災害（さいがい）のときも、少（すこ）しでも安心（あんしん）できるように、おいしい食事（しょくじ）を作（つく）ってほしいです」と話（はな）しています。」
　
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake. With experts predicting that a major earthquake could strike the Greater Tokyo Area and surrounding prefectures in the future, the region has been working to strengthen its disaster preparedness measures. Today's story is about a cooking site that's compiled recipes that are designed for emergencies, when access to utilities may be limited.
　
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Now we'll break down a few sentences from the story that contain helpful expressions and keywords.
Let's start with the following sentence:
　
家（いえ）に用意（ようい）しておいた水（みず）やカセットコンロ、熱（ねつ）に強（つよ）いポリエチレンの袋（ふくろ）を使（つか）ってごはんを炊（た）く方法（ほうほう）や、缶詰（かんづめ）を使（つか）ったパスタなどを紹介（しょうかい）しています。
　
"They include a method for cooking rice using stored water, a portable gas stove, and a heat-resistant plastic bag, as well as pasta dishes made using canned food."
　
ごはんを炊（た）く means "to cook rice." The verb 炊（た）く means "to cook," but it's mainly used for rice.
　
Here are some other Japanese cooking verbs:
焼（や）く to grill, roast, or bake
炒（いた）める to stir-fry
煮（に）る to simmer or stew, for example in a soy-sauce based broth
　
Becoming familiar with these cooking verbs will make your life much easier if you ever want to make something from a Japanese cookbook or online recipe.
　
OK, let's move on to the following sentence.
　
災害（さいがい）のときも、少（すこ）しでも安心（あんしん）できるように、おいしい食事（しょくじ）を作（つく）ってほしいです。
　
"In the event of a disaster, we want people to cook good food so they can feel at least a little sense of relief."
　
Let' focus on the phrase 少（すこ）しでも安心（あんしん）できるように.
　
でも indicates a minimum amount or requirement for something. For example, the sentence このパズルは簡単（かんたん）なので、子（こ）どもでもできます。 means "This puzzle is simple. Even a child could solve it." In this usage, でも follows an extreme example. By saying that even a child could do it, you're suggesting that it should be easy for an adult."
　
In the sentence from today's story, でも is attached to 少（すこ）し, which means "a little." So 少（すこ）しでも means "even just a little" or "at least a little." The company is saying they want to help provide relief, even if their efforts can only make a small difference.
　
And that's all we have for today.
With the right knowledge, you can turn emergency food into comforting, nutritious dishes, with minimal resources. The next time you're deciding what to make for dinner, consider trying a couple of these recipes.
　
All right, be sure to tune in next time for more!
　
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