Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday, but, as a young Sansei, I didn’t believe there was any connection between my Japanese family and the Mayflower pilgrims who colonized New England.
I don’t know how to begin this story, but I know it starts with my grandmother—the Japanese one. Actually, she’s Japanese American. More specifically, she’s nisei. Not only was she the best cook I ever knew, she was also one of the most creative people I ...
My 17-year old, Brazilian-born son currently attends high school in Florida, and he spends all his time playing competitive golf.
My favorite large Japanese market is about 30 miles away, which feels pretty far away when there’s a nice family-owned JA market just down the street. But at times like this, it’s definitely worth the journey. This week they had their Hokkaido food fair. I love going to ...
My earliest memory is a black and white image of my young, round face peering over my parent’s dinner table. I can still smell the sweet and endless aromas that swelled from the kitchen and made their way into the dining room that anchored our family home.
I remember when I was a kid I preferred milanesas (breaded meat cutlets) with mashed potatoes to the Japanese meals that my mother prepared everyday—along with omisoshiru that my father consumed religiously and that we kids rejected. Perhaps because we were sick and tired of consuming it, or it ...
A recipe that will take you back to old places and times—even if you’ve never been there
I am a townie, and grew up as such, though I have scattered memories of long weekend drives in the old white Impala. We ended up one time on an empty ...
I see in the Hawaii Tribune-Herald newspaper that novelist Lois-Ann Yamanaka is reading at the Kinoole Farmer’s Market. “Jean Yamanaka” is the contact name, so she must be in town visiting her mom or other relatives. I love her work and plan to go, excitedly gathering up all her ...
日本のおふくろの味といえば芋の煮っころがしとかお煮染めが想像されるかもしれないが、家ではまるで違っていた。朝食の懐かしい味といえばオートミールだ。
I was nurtured, body and soul, by the food of my mother and grandmother.
Junko, my mother, always health conscious, made eating fun when my sisters and I were young. She would point out the bright colors of perfectly cut and steamed vegetables, bright as jewels with a light, crisp ...
