Ramen from 7-11

For lunch today we stopped at 7-11.  Here that is a convenience store and not a gas station.  We all chose our own food and I chose a bowl of ramen (real ramen, not the packages of dry Maruchan ramen with a flavor package).  It was actually really good.  Even though it was was a package from a convenience store, it was real food and tasted just as good as the homemade ramen I've had here.   For dessert I had a matcha daifuku filled with anko.  That was fantastic as well.

Miniature Food Art

After breakfast we went to the home of a woman who has been making miniature food for seven or eight years.  She had many fantastic displays around the room.  Asuka and I each made a different set of food.  She made breads and I made sweets.  There were a lot of steps and it was very difficult to hold some of the pieces.  The blueberries were especially difficult to hold.  I also kept dropping all the pieces of clay just as I had finished making them.  Thankfully I only had to remake one piece.  The whole project was actually simple but only if you know what you are doing.  The teacher was really good at making the miniature food and also great at teaching.  I had a lot of fun ad I am very happy with how my project turned out.

starting the first piece

the teacher showing me how to make something

detail work- a blueberry

all eight blueberries

the finished pieces compared to a 100 yen coin (a little smaller than a quarter)

final board compared to a quarter

the length of the whole project is less than the length of a dollar bill

finished

Bread for Breakfast

We had a selection of different types of bread for breakfast this morning.  I had one cream-filled and one melon flavored.  I also had one more which was a "melon twist."  I had the energy drink because I wasn't able to fall asleep until 4:00 this morning.  It tasted really weird and had the consistency of jello, but it was worth having since I have been awake and alert since then.  All the breads I had were very good.

Japanese Calligraphy (Part 2)

I went to a calligraphy class with Shinsuke this evening.  The teacher let me try writing some different kanji and also hiragana.  She showed me how to write my name in katakana as well.  The first thing I tried was the kanji for "peace" (平和 - heiwa).  That was really difficult for me so she wrote out the hiragana (へいわ) for me to practice.  That was easier, but still difficult and nearly impossible to make perfect.  I asked if she would teach me how to draw 愛 (ai - love) since I already knew the stroke order and approximate shape of the whole character.  It was really difficult.  I had a really hard time making my penmanship consistent and a different stroke would be off each time.  I finally made one that was okay, so I signed my name (in katakana) and put it between two pieces of newspaper to take with me.  My host mother purchased the brushes I was using and gave them to me as a gift.  I plan to practice writing Japanese calligraphy once I return home.  It was really fun and it would be a cool skill to have.

the teacher showing me how to draw the kanji for heiwa

my version of heiwa (with my signature on the left)

this boy gave me his version of "hinoyojin"

me signing my drawing of "heiwa"

the teacher correcting my calligraphy

the teacher showing me how to draw "ai"

me with the whole calligraphy class and the teacher

Gnocchi for Dinner

To represent my Italian heritage, I made gnocchi for dinner tonight.  Mashing the potatoes was hard work and my host mother actually had to go out and buy a potato masher!  It ended up not working very well, so we put the potatoes in a strainer and used spoons to push the potato through the mesh.  It took a little while, but those were the finest mashed potatoes I have ever seen.  When we made the gnocchi I apparently didn't use enough flour and all the individual pieces re-combined into one huge piece.  We all worked together to separate the dough as quickly as possible so we could have all the gnocchi finish cooking at the same time.  It turned out really well and was quite fun.  We also made salad and tamago gohan to go with the gnocchi.  Everything was really good and everyone seemed quite happy with the meal.

kneading the dough

rolling it out

cutting the rolls into individual pieces

taking the gnocchi out of the pot after it had been cooked

Matcha Shop

After lunch my host family and I went out to do some shopping for things I want to bring back to America.  My favorite place we went was a matcha shop, あいや (Aiya).  They had a lot of different tools for making green tea in the traditional way (whisk, tea scoop, bowls, etc.) as well as many flavors of green tea and sweets.  While we were at the shop, my family ordered a tray of tea and sweets for us to try.  Everything was really good, especially the matcha chocolate which was about the same consistency of fudge.  This shop is actually in a town which is famous for green tea.  The sign welcoming you to the city even has a matcha bowl and whisk on top!

different varieties of matcha powder- one was about $30 for only 20 grams

matcha bowls- some were over the equivalent of $200

my host family and me about to drink some green tea

the green tea

the sweets tray

Asuka, me, and Oba-chan outside the shop

Kikuko, Asuka, and Oba-chan in front of the sign welcoming people to Nishio

the back of the sign with the matcha bowl and whisk on top

Lunch with the Handa Rotary Club

For lunch today we went to a Handa Rotary Club meeting.  The event started with their official song and then people started giving short speeches.  We were mentioned and stood up for recognition then we had our meal.  Waitresses brought out three different items individually.  First there was a bright yellow soup.  I was expecting it to be warm and spicy, but it was actually a little cold and somewhat sweet.  The main course was steak with potatoes and broccoli.  For dessert we had a slice of pineapple, a strawberry, some kiwi, some orange, a slice of matcha cake, and a citrus-like syrup on the side of the plate.  I tested it many times but I couldn't figure out what it was.  (Whatever it was, it was good.)  During dessert Scout, Nick, and I were asked to give short speeches.  All of us thanked the club and expressed how wonderful this opportunity to visit Japan has been.  After our speeches the chairman gave each of us a bag of gifts.  It included a scarf, a Japan Police coin purse, a chirimen (type of fabric) carrying cloth, a pair of chopsticks, and a sensu (folding fan).  In return for these gifts we presented the chairman with a Midland pin after the meeting.  I'm glad that I got to have lunch with the Handa Rotary Club today.

scarf

chirimen carrying cloth

chopsticks- they say 豊川閣 (Toyokawa Pavilion)

sensu- it has the kanji for "soul" (魂)