ChanomiTalk

Last week I finally was able to start giving blood again. I have not been able to do so for about 6 months so I was very happy to be back at the blood center again! I originally started giving blood way back in 1977 and have been a fairly regular donor since then but it was only in the last 2 years that I went from giving blood to giving platelettes.
About two days before I gave blood I received a call from the blood center saying that there were 2 children in the hospital that needed my blood type very badly as they were undergoing a serious operation. It is a very nice feeling to know that I am able to help somebody in that way. Hopefully I will be able to continue donating every 2 weeks.

Yesterday, I got invited by my coworker to watch a pro soccer game with the Chicago Fire playing the New York Red Bulls.  This was actually my first pro US soccer game and it was pretty fun. Even though it was a little cold, the sun was out and it was a beautiful day. Being that I use to live in Italy (where soccer is sacred), I was wondering how the level of play was going to be for the MLS (US Major League Soccer). I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a pretty good game. I noticed that there were a lot of international players on team so the MLS is definitely picking up a lot of popularity. I had a lot of fun and will definitely try to see another game.

Last week, I experienced my first St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago and I have to say there is nothing quite like it. For this occasion, my friend and I decided to join a pub crawl… that started at 8:00 AM! So basically to start off the day, we ate pancakes, hash browns, bacon and sausage while drinking green beer haha After a couple hours of drinking we headed down to see the dyeing of the Chicago River, which was pretty interesting. I learned that they use about 50 lbs of eco-friendly vegetable dye to make the river turn green, which lasts about 5 hours. After the seeing the river, we saw a bit of the parade before heading back to the bars. I have to imagine that St. Patty’s is the biggest money day for alcohol establishments because all of the bars were packed. I’ve never seen anything like it… but despite the crowd, the energy and excitement of the city made for a great day. We decided to call it quits at about 8:00 PM. Even though I had a lot of fun, I’m not sure if I would do it again haha Might be one of those once in a lifetime experiences.

目下、メキシコ料理というか chile （chili 唐辛子ではなく、ピーマンの仲間達です）料理に凝っています。アメリカ大陸に住んでいるのだから、ぜひ、ここの、いわば西半球、の料理を手がけてみたいとは思っていましたが、最初に住んだのがアイダホ州、そして今はネブラスカ州と、南の国々とは離れすぎているためか、これまで延ばし延ばしになっていました。きっかけはどうもはっきりしませんが、２週間前にPoblano chileを味わってそのおいしいのにびっくり。以来、Poblanoはむろんのこと、 それを干したAncho を使った料理をせっせと作っています。慣れないと笑い話がつきものですが、Ancho chileとばっかり思って買ったのが、Guajillo chileと気がつくまでかなりの日数がかかりました。しかし、黒っぽいAncho chile にくらべて赤みががかったGuahillo chileを使った料理は色鮮やかで味もよろしく、今後も両方を使っていくつもりです。Poblanoはピーマンに決して劣らぬ味なのにどうして日本で余り見かけないのか不思議です。中華料理の酢豚にはパイナップルとピーマンが必ず入っています。ピーマンの代わりにPoblanoと使ってみるつもりです。

So it’s March and winter doesn’t seem to want to leave. This past Monday people were expecting to celebrate St. Patricks Day watching parades on the warm sunny streets of Maryland but were instead suprise to be stuck indoors watching snow fall. Yes, it’s mid-March, and we are still getting snow. Despite the yearn for warm spring, the snow still looks beautiful. I drove around the neighborhood and found some pretty scenes near the golf course. It is now Saturday, and the snow is nearly all gone. However, the weather calls for the possibility of more snow next week! I guess we’ll keep our snow shovels out for a little while longer.

私たちの活動する藤沢市善行に、グリーンライフ湘南という特別養護老人ホームがあります。
１２月に初めて招かれて、ヴァイオリンコンサートをしました。
今日も呼んでいただいて、弾いてきました。

皆さんがとても喜んでくださって、私も励みになりました！
また、介護士さん達、職員の皆さんがとても明るくて、素晴らしいと思いました！

「また来月も来てください」、ということです。
スケジュールを調整して行けるようにしたいと思います。
中村美智子


There is a nursing home called Green Life Shonan near my town, Zengyo, in Fujisawa city. In December I was invited to perform violin, and today I performed again. Everyone enjoyed my performance and their response was very encouraging for me. The staff was very warm and helpful. It was great. After the performance they asked me to come agian next month. I hope I can find a spot in my schedule…


– Japanese by Nakamura Michiko
– English by Sam Morrison

I have eaten many types of food in my life. I’ve found that the food I like most to eat is Japanese food. Japanese food is my favorite food to eat for a few reasons. First, I like the nutritional value. I like healthy eating. Second, the small yet frequent portions. Easy on the digestive system. Third, I like sushi. Mostly, salmon, tuna and shrimp. Finally, I like a beautifully colored plate. Whenever I go to a Japanese restaurant I am served such delicious colorful foods that satisfy my stomach as well as my eyes. What’s your favorite food?