Scrutable Japanese Fare

Scrutable Japanese FareThe host who's interested in dining Japanese style will benefit from the fact that the Oriental criterion of line art—which holds that less is more—reigns supreme. His needs are minimal: He can eschew chairs and conventional legged tables; his soup bowls function sans spoons; napery is almost nonexistent; and he is often able to do away with the kitchen completely. There is a basic Japanese seafood stock called dashi that he can dash off in a snappy five minutes, and many...