Curry

What comes to mind when you think of curry?

I think spicy.  Not necessarily mouth-on-fire spicy, but rather spicy as in lots of flavor. 

In Japan, curry and rice is a standard meal.  I have it at least a couple times a month for school lunch.  It’s fine…definitely the least spicy curry I have ever eaten.  Which is very Japanese.  (According to this cookbook, the Japanese cuisine focuses on bringing out the foods natural flavors as opposed to adding flavors to it.)

Growing up, the curry I was familiar with was a dry Chinese beef and potato curry my parents would frequently make.  It’s delicious.  My child brain thought that is what curry was.  It never occurred to me that would be such a vast variety of curries.

Fortunately, I have since been enlightened.  Indian curries, Thai curries, Indonesian curries…the world is full of amazing and different curries.

So what do you do when you have an incredible Asian cookbook with sections for each country?  You make lots of curry, that’s what you do.

Here is the latest attempt:

Thai green curry chicken.  So spicy.  So good. 

One of the greatest things about making curry is that it is so easy.  And it can be really quick to make.  A winning combination for the fulltime workers who still want to eat healthy and delicious homemade dinners! 

Hope

Last night I went for a run.  It had just stopped raining.  The mountains were draped in mist.  Birds were singing.  Flowers were blooming, peaceful and still.

I ran down a small back road along the base of a mountain.  I reached the end of the road and stopped at the Buddhist temple there.  I visited the koi in the little pond near by.   

The koi (こい) swam slow and steady amongst the purple irises.  A little waterfall splashed down to the pond, accompanying the chorus of the birds. 

As I stood there soaking in tranquility, I was reassured.  Life in Japan is calming down.  The destruction is being dealt with.  People are hopeful.  The events on and following March 11^th have brought people together. 

We planned to volunteer in Miyagi during Golden Week, but were turned away for the happy reason of too many volunteers for the infrastructure to handle.  Japan is rebuilding.  Everyone is helping.

I was asked to play piano for a charity concert in Yorii next month.  I said yes, of course I will.  

The piece I chose to play is Mozart’s Fantasy in dminor.  I feel it is appropriate because although the beginning is melancholy, the mood of the piece shifts and ends cheerfully. 

The sense I get from this piece reflects the recent events in Japan.  There was destruction and devastation at first. However-despite everything-hope and tenacity are shining all around. 

The Screams

Earplugs.  I wish I could wear earplugs.  Some of my students will. not. stop. yelling.  They are driving me insane.

My poor nerves! (Pride and Prejudice, anyone?)

Recently the number of unreasonably loud classes has risen exponentially. While “genki” students can be wonderful, dealing with many yelling children is tiring.

Some teachers are great in these situations, some are ok…some are…let’s say passive.  This is difficult for me, as discipline is not something I am supposed to do.  It would be similar to disciplining a child with their parent standing right there…inappropriate and awkward.

Although I enjoy genki students…it can become problematic if they get so wild that no one can hear me.  But I can cope with most situations.

What I can’t cope with is a room full of thirty 4^th graders not listening, talking to their classmates or just screaming. In this particular class, there are (thank God) two good students.

The educational systems of Japan and America vary drastically.  There is hardly anything the two hold in common.  One of the biggest differences is that-even though it is illegal-some teachers still use corporal punishment.

I knew this was true, but had never witnessed it nor did I think I ever would.  I was wrong.

I don’t believe corporal punishment is ever appropriate in school.  From what I have seen, it makes the students behavior worse.  And it certainly doesn’t help them learn respect. But in these situations, it doesn’t matter what I think.

All I can do is stand by and watch. 

Photosynthesis to the Rescue

We all have things that we need to work on and improve within our lives.  One thing I try to be aware of is uncalled for complaining and not taking anything for granted.  I realize how incredibly fortunate I am for my current circumstances.  I count my blessings everyday!

But… I really miss having a yard.  A lot.

All through college I lived in dorms or apartments.  I think I moved a total of five times during college…it was a lot.  The only time I had a yard was when I briefly moved back home to save money during my first senior year (I was on the five year plan).  But even then, it seemed like I never had time to enjoy it. 

I really love green things.  If I could conjure up a genie I would ask for: 1) A yard. 2) A greenhouse. 3) A grand piano.  (That last one I would want to be black though.)

Alas…I have a blacktop parking lot. 

But when life gives me lemons, I make lemonade. (Or lemon chicken. Or lemon bars.  I like lemons.)  Fortunately, our apartment has lots of windows and a balcony that faces the southern sun.  The balcony is primarily meant for hanging up laundry.  (Nobody has dryers, only washing machines.)  But I have sneakily usurped the space for a container garden-we hang the laundry up inside now.  It works.

Around a month and a half ago I decided I was going to plant a container garden.  So I got right to researching.  I discovered that the zone we are in is excellent for growing peppers and tomatoes.  Hooray, salsa!  Unfortunately, the Japanese don’t really do cilantro as a spice for food.  So I will have figure out some way around that.  

The tomato and pepper plants in mid-April

 I have three tomato plants, three pepper plants, two parsley plants and a basil plant.  Plus some flowers.  I planted them about a month and a half ago now.  I am taking advantage of living in zone 7, and got started early.  I am hoping that I will get fresh tomatoes all through the summer. 

And then, they were giants. 

Inside, I have a couple bonsai trees, orchids, and other standard houseplants.  It always amazes me how much more livable a space is when you have plants.

So for now, I am pacified. 

Except for that grand piano thing…

Vending Machines

Good morning!

This is a perfectly normal thing to hear in the morning.  In fact it had never occurred to me that I might be surprised to hear this during the morning.  But yesterday, I was.  And that is because of the “speaker” from which it came.

A vending machine.  I was greeted by a metal box full of drinks. In my own language. In Japan. 

As I exiting Hachigata train station, I noticed some vending machines and decided to get some water.  In my somewhat bleary state I scrounged around for some change and proceeded to shove it into the machine.  As soon as the first ¥100 clinked down through the machine, a chipper little voice proclaimed: “Good morning!”

I stared at the vending machine. I know technology is advancing at a fast clip…but being greeted early in the morning by a vending machine will take one by surprise.  Especially because it was speaking English in Japan. 

Weird.

When my water dropped down, the vending machine thanked me for my business, wished me a nice day and asked me to come again. 

I have purchased many a drink from vending machines in many different countries, but this was the first to talk.  I also know that stranger things have happened.  But sometimes Japan really is just…odd.  Odd to my North-Midwest American raised brain, that is. 

A bit more about the vending machines in Japan.  They can be very odd.

When we were last in Tokyo, we ran across a vending machine full of whole bunches of bananas.  Right outside a bookstore.  Japan is, in fact known for having bazaar contents of vending machines.  Check this out.  They have everything from eggs to umbrellas.  Also, if you have heard about the alleged "panties" vending machines in Japan, it's no lie according to Snopes. 

Besides the bananas, I have only seen the occasional strange drink.  Like pancake flavored drink.  Please don’t ask me why this drink exists.  I haven't the foggiest idea who actually purchases these things.  It's a mystery. oh-I have also seen beer vending machines. This one here is about a five minute walk from our apartment.

 Living abroad and experiencing the roller coaster of culture shock (and reverse culture shock when you move back home) can make a person feel a bit like Alice in Wonderland.

Curiouser and curiouser. 

How about dinner in half a minute?

Man.  She really isn’t kidding either.  Watch this.

Since I finished reading Julia Child’s memoir, I have been obsessed with watching videos of her on YouTube and learning how to cook French food.  I realized that I have made lots of different ethnic foods before: Chinese, Japanese, Indonesian, Mexican, German, Italian, Indian, etc.  But my cooking had never before ventured to French cuisine.

I wish I could get my hands on a copy of her first book: Mastering the Art of French Cooking.  I would go nuts.  Oh well.  At least I have the internet to search for websites devoted to information about French food.  Fortunately, some kind souls have uploaded videos onto YouTube of some complete episodes of The French Chef.

YAY!

So I tried the omelet.  Not bad…definitely room to improve, but delicious all the same.  

I also found and tried a recipe for French fish soup this week.  I found it here.  It was good.  I tweaked it a bit by not adding scallops and using milk instead of cream and it still turned out fine.  It was very tasty, in fact. 

More cooking adventures coming soon!

Treasure

Treasure.  That is what is felt like. 

My Grandma Minor’s back room in her little house on Elm Street was f-u-l-l of books.  She figured she had somewhere in the neighborhood of 2000 books in a room the size of a modest bedroom.  It was like a giant treasure chest. 

Sometimes, Grandma would let us go back there and pick out a book to * gasp * take home!  This was an exciting thing.  One thing my siblings and I have certainly inherited from our grandmother is the love of books and reading.  I remember living for the day we went to the library.  I would pick out the allotted number of books set by Mom, (she couldn’t let us get too many-it would have been crazy.) bring them home, and devour them like watermelon on a hot summer day. 

Last weekend, Karl and I found a treasure chest akin to my grandma’s backroom: a used English bookstore in the heart of Tokyo.

We had just hit the jackpot.

At least that is what it felt like.  We were thrilled and spent waaaay too much time and money in there.  But we didn’t care.  We perused the overflowing shelves of books in search of gems.  And boy did we ever find some. 

We found (and bought) novels, guidebooks, dictionaries, how-to books, and more.  It was like Christmas. 

To keep the book love flowing, I and thinking about setting up a monthly brunch/book exchange. 

Now if I only had more time to read…