Learning to Cook.

It’s Tuesday evening and I am in my apartment. It’s cosy in here and outside it’s raining cats and dogs. No wonder the country is so green and beautiful. I took these photos from Toshiko’s balcony. The usual mountains are hidden in rain and cloud. But even when there is no sun, the greens are amazing.

After Tai Chi, we had “Chanpon”,  at a very old restaurant. Chanpon is a traditional meal from Nagasaki - delicious and nutritious. 

This afternoon, I learned how to prepare daikon, a root veg I have seen at Arnold’s in Wodonga, but didn’t know what to do with it.  We sort of shredded it with carrot, let it stand with some salt. Next I squeezed out the water and added rice vinegar and a spot of sugar. Gave it a stir and that was it. A bit like sauerkraut and I ate it because it’s good for me. Actually it was quite nice.

We also made one of my favourite Japanese foods - yam with egg, and any additions you have in the cupboard. You grate the yam into sticky gooey stuff, add egg, shoyu , sake (I think), give it gentle stir and put it under the grill. It’s yum. 

A new dish for me was a mixture of tiny tiny fish (raw, I think, but I tried not to think about that) with grated daikon. Again, it was yum. 

I’m learning so I can cook these things in my apartment. I have already cooked a couple of dishes that I could contribute to Toshiko’s table. 

Enough for tonight. Tomorrow it’s recorder class and “chorus”. It’s good to sing, and the teacher, Yoko, knows what she’s doing. It’s great fun. 

Tomorrow, I’ve been here for one week. (明日は ここに 1週間 います)。

I wonder if that is correct. Toshiko will tell me tomorrow.