Thanksgiving as a foreign concept

My girlfriend and her kids haven’t really had a “Real” Thanksgiving, so this year I’m making a big meal, so they can see what it’s all about.

I’ve already discovered that a lot of the concepts are lost on them.

I mentioned that I’d be putting the turkey in the oven at 5 am, so it would be done in time, and she said “What? We have it for lunch, not dinner?”

I said yes, (I honestly have a hard time waiting that long to eat, once the smell of turkey is in the air) and she said, “Then what do we have for dinner?”

I replied that it was kind of an all day event, you eat, get full, rest, eat some more, rest, eat, etc, all day long.

“What? The same thing for dinner? That’s terrible!” And then she called me “saitei” a “horrible person” for expecting them to eat the same thing for lunch and dinner..

“Well,” I said, “It’s more like one big all day meal. you make lots of food and eat it all day long.”

“I don’t understand. Why would you do that?” She said.
It was a phrase I heard over and over the more I tried to explain it.

Now, I LOVE turkey, and everything that goes with it (except cranberries) and for me, Thanks giving is a special time to enjoy all of it, and I’ll eat leftovers for every meal, including breakfast and snacks, until it is all gone. Needless to say, from her point of view that borders on insanity.

All in all, I expect this to be a difficult holiday for her. she doesn’t care for most of the food that I’m making, and she’s making cranberry salad, shrimp, and pound cake with chestnuts for dessert (she doesn’t like pumpkin pie, either) and worst of all, is that I’ll be in the kitchen, which she will openly say is Her Domain, and no one else belongs there.

We’ll see how it goes…

To everyone reading, I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving, and eat at least as much as I’m going to!

Who wants cake?

My girlfriend and her oldest daughter just had birthdays, and I tried making a Japanese style cake for them, which is traditionally a sponge cake with whipped cream and fruit.

My attempt seemed to turn out pretty good, although I could have probably added a lot more fruit on top, and she was surprised that I put fruit on the sides of it. I’ll do better next time…

My Introduction to Natto

Natto, if you haven’t heard, is a popular food item in Japan. It’s basically fermented soybeans, and has been around for over 1000 years.  Most westerners don’t care for it, and not all Japanese do either. But it is a uniquely Japanese food that I knew that I would be sampling eventually, and today was that day.

We were at the Asian market a couple of days ago, and I had mentioned I’d like to try it sometime, so we picked some up.  It was sold in a three pack of little styrofoam containers.

Not knowing anything about how natto is served, I was quite surprised to see her bring it out with a big yellow glob on top of it. I asked her what it was, and she said it was an egg yolk.

Now, I have this thing about raw eggs… I just have issues with that…and seeing it made me feel sick. But I’d made the commitment to try it, so I was going to have to push that mentally aside, I just needed to work up the nerve first.

Chopsticks

I’ve been able to use chopsticks for years, but in the last 6 months I’ve been using them almost daily, and due to that I’m finding it easier to use chopsticks instead of regular utensils for many foods. The other day I made a Caesar salad, and found myself staring into the utensil drawer with my brain completely locked up in deciding whether to use a fork or chopsticks…I chose the chopsticks.

It was a minor decision, but it some ways it was as though I crossed a line in how I live my life. I chose chopsticks because they were easier to use, and more convenient, but 6 months ago the thought wouldn’t have even crossed my mind. Just another small way I’m becoming Japanese.

Some Chopstick Etiquette: