Turning Japanese

I have a huge problem...I'm addicted to Japanese culture.

Yep, I said it.  One day, I hope to speak Japanese.  Until then, I keep myself happy by cruising bento box communities (oooo, punches for seaweed!!), frequenting kanji online lessons, and drooling over my one weak spot...sushi.  MW and SL know my problem with sushi, as does Atreus.  It's a huge issue, and unfortunately one that I have passed on to my kids (well, the one who eats solid food).  He, at 6 years old, can out eat me at sushi.  Which is no mean feat.

I learned about Japanese stuff from a young age; my father grew up in Hawaii, so the huge impression that Japanese culture had on the islands was passed on to me.  I don't remember a time that I wasn't able to use chopsticks, nor when I didn't eat sushi (gods, what I would do for a simple tuna roll right now....).

I've always loved all things Japanese, except the attitudes towards females there.  That's a whole other post.  But a friend went to Tokyo when I was pregnant (a trip that I was planning to make with him, but no, I had to fall pregnant).  I was disgustingly jealous.  He kept sending me pictures of his sushi.  The knife stores.  The architecture.  

So, one day, I shall make it there.  I will see the cherry blossoms in bloom, I will enjoy a hot springs spa.  And I will gorge myself on sushi.  And maybe pick up a few more bento boxes in the process (yes, I know I don't work outside the home.  I just like 'em, OKAY?)

Busy busy busy

It's almost Thanksgiving.  Yep, turkey day in the US.  We celebrate it here, cause..well, why not?  It's Christmas Lite, really.  No ham, but most of the same recipes.  But we have a fun new way to do it.

Remember, I have (minor) food allergies.  Our oldest son has more severe ones, and now we've found out the younger (11 months) has 'em too.  This is now our list:

raw onions

raw carrots

raw celery

green Skittles

dairy

eggs

shellfish

strawberries

nuts

potato 

wheat

Just think what our breakfast table is like.  Forget that...we can't really do much takeaway anymore!

So with Christmas coming, at least I can test some recipes for Thanksgiving.  Since we're still learning how to bake with soy flour.  It's a whole new world, let me tell you.  I thought dairy and eggs were hard...HA!  

Anyway, Turkey Day is coming, and I have turkey. Will brine it tomorrow.  Now I need to hunt down fresh cranberries and sweet potatoes.  And make marshmallows.  What am I doing posting all this, instead of doing it?  Procrastinating :-D!

Good child/bad child?

Apparently we have good kids.

My mother has said this.  Many others have said this too.  I think I'm starting to get it.  

The baby doesn't really fuss much, and is just kinda there.

The older one is relatively obedient, and will eat almost anything put in front of him (except banana).  I'm learning, during our lovely playdates with others in his class, that this is exceptional.  As in, he's the exception.  All others come with codicils..."I don't eat soup."  "I don't like crusts."  "I won't eat cucumber." "I don't like sandwiches." "Ham is yucky."

Dear lord in heaven.  I made a nice carrot and red pepper soup today (it's an Avoca recipe), mainly cause we needed to use up the peppers, and I have a cold, so hello soup!  This lovely playmate walks in and announces "I don't eat soup."  We don't have much else in the house that I can throw together, so I ask if he wants a ham sandwich.  A jam sandwich.  Plain bread and butter.  Pasta.  Tuna.  We end up at chocolate spread on bread.  Great.  Wait...what kind of bread? "I don't like brown bread."  AAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH.  I don't like having white bread in the house (not cause I don't like it, but cause I like it TOO much).  We happened to have a hot dog bun left over from yesterday, and there we go.  This took about 20 minutes.  

I'm looking at his plate (he continually got up and played with things while the rest of us sat and had a nice soup lunch, including said son, who had 2 bowls of carrot soup), which has one-half of one half eaten.  /headdesk 

Yummmyyyyy

Our Christmas dinner, for as long as I can remember until we found out LittleBoy had food allergies, was lobster.

Yes, I can see the shock horror on your face. What, no turkey? No ham?, you ask. Nope.

My most treasured memories are of my grandfather, an immigrant from Austria who taught himself English, struggling with a nutcracker to get the better of the lobster.

I do worry that my son (or both of them) might never try this luscious food (best served with Homard wine).

It is still a treat, as we now have a killer brined turkey every year for Christmas, and get lobster over the summer when we're in Maine, straight from the lobstermen who have pulled them from their lobster traps that very morn. The smell of the ocean in the house from the lobster pot brings me back to many many meals, all of which were accompanied by newspaper on the table, a baked potato each, green salad, and blueberry pie. Mmmmmmm

Kinda not keeping up with the memories tonight, but the tub of chocolate frosting with the spoon in it next to me is making my tummy happy anyway...

One interesting tidbit, might be too much info. When still nursing LittleBoy, and before we knew of the allergies, we had a lovely lobster meal. I had to pump that night, as I was leaking milk, and put the pumped milk in the fridge. When getting up the next morn for brekkie, I opened the fridge to see the breastmilk with a layer of butter on the top from the lobster meal. The bubs *slurped* that bottle down in a wink.

Natural?

Okay, around the table a few days ago, we mentioned the jellies that were put out for the kids (and what little the adults left for the kids). They were from the Natural Confectionery Company, which I realized is quite interesting. Why, in our little circle of school and other friends, do we all serve up these jellies to our kids, compared to, say, the Haribo line? Cause they're *natural*? It's still freaking sugar and glucose syrup and flavoring. It's still crap! But in our little world, the natural part is the one we cling to, maybe to make ourselves feel better about buying candy for the kids?

There's just something funny about it, to me. We're the generation that is supposed to save the world. Are we starting with jellies and bring-your-own-bag shopping?