ChanomiTalk

２００７年から、アレルギー専門医から減感作療法という治療を受けています。
私　「私が１００歳になったら誰がこの治療をしてくれるのですか？」
Dr　Kuo Sr　「ハッハッハ、私がします！」と、実にいい加減なお返事です。
信頼できるからこそ続いています。クリニックのスタッフも謙虚で素直です。

帰りは、何でもないこの道を、ゆっくりと歩いて、小さな表情の変化を楽しんでいます。
今日は、お昼どきに歩きました。ランチカーやアイスクリームカーのお出ましです。

We had our first mochi pounding in Japan on December 31st. When I lived in Hawaii, we did it every year on December 30th. A few years ago, my family stopped making mochi as my grandparents got older and the cracks in our wooden usu became unrepairable. Our wooden seiro for steaming the rice also started falling apart. The flavor and texture of mochi made by machine cannot compare to that of handmade. So as my family now buys machine-made mochi from our local temple, my friends and family in Japan started up the tradition again on our own.

We bought a stone usu with a wooden stand, two sizes of kine for pounding the mochi, aluminum seiro for steaming, steaming cloths to hold the mochi rice, commercial propane gas burner and regulator for boiling the water, plastic containers for holding the mochi and a non-stick pad to lay on the table as we form the mochi into round patties. It’s a big operation starting from scratch. However, with several home centers in the area, Amazon.co.jp and a helpful propane gas company, we were able to get everything we needed.

The day before mochi pounding, we had some preparation. We had to soak the rice one day ahead to soften it, changing the water at least once. We also soaked the wooden kine in water the night before.

On the day of, we cooked the rice in 20 cup batches. 10 cups of rice, about 1.5 kg, is measured as one shou. So, each of our batches were two shou, the same capacity as our stone usu. Our seiro had a capacity of three shou so, we had room to spare in cooking the rice. We started around 09:50, hoping to start 40 minutes later, but the rice wasn’t ready till around 11:10. My Grandma had always prepared the rice back in Hawaii. I was just the pounder. I asked her about it later and she said the first batch of rice always takes extra time to cook, but after that, it’s fast. She sometimes pours hot water over the rice if its taking long. Another tip we used from the internet, was to make a divet in the center of the rice to help it cook faster.

We mashed the rice together with the kine so that it wouldn’t fly apart when we started pounding. Once we started pounding, we had no problems. The rice was soft, but not mushy. It appears harder than regular rice, but it blends very smooth. There’s different techniques to pounding such as using two people pounding alternately in rhythm or speedy guys turning the rice while another furiously pounds. We’re a little more old school. One person pounds in a steady rhythm while another pulls corners of the rice to the center in time with the pounder’s rhythm. No rocket science. Just pound until you can’t see the grains of rice. The turner will use water on their hands so it won’t stick on the rice and will add some water so the rice won’t stick to the usu. However, you don’t want to add too much water to the rice or it’ll have a hard time sticking to itself and will form cuts.

In the end, we had wonderfully soft mochi. We put anko in some, ate others with kinako, and made kagami (or kazari) mochi to put in our houses. Plain mochi is still my favorite. I love ozoni on New Years’ Day morning and also pan frying it and eating it with shoyu and sugar as a snack. Not all people love mochi as I do, but I think everyone has fun making it. If you can make a show of it, all the better. I’m looking to continue making mochi with family and friends as long as I can. It’s a tradition I hope to pass on.

This morning, for the first time this year, everything is covered in snow. They said about 5cm would fall. I think they were right. It looks pretty, but now I have to clear the snow off my car and leave early for work.

　最近、私の日本語の最も大きな問題点は、言葉の抑揚、即ち、イントネーションやリズムにあると云う指摘を受けました。一般的に、アメリカ人が日本語を話す時、適当でないところで、声の調子を上げたり下げたりする悪い癖があります。一方、日本人が英語を話す時は、妙に単調で、平板な話し方をします。一本調子です。ふと、そんなことが、心に浮かびました。

　日本は、地球上で、山や谷が多く、最も、起伏に富んだ国の一つです。そんな事実にかかわらず、日本人の話し方は、単調で、平板です。恐らく、日本人は、実際に、険しい山や深い谷を持ち過ぎたので、私達、アメリカ人が作り出そうとする、比喩的な山や谷、起伏に富んだ音の世界が堪え難いのかも知れません。しからば、日本の人達は、限りなく広がる、広大で平板な大地に住むアメリカ人が、ゆらゆらと揺れる話し方をすることを非難することが出来ますか。私達は、その国土を交換する方が良いのかも知れませんね。