21 Years in Japan ...and counting

Today (with a lot of help from a pro) I made soba noodles from buckwheat flour, wheat flour, and water. The noodle-making process involved various implements, strength, sensitivity, and heart. When I am away from Japan, the meal I miss the most is zaru soba : cold soba noodles and dipping soup--delicious in its simplicity. Until today, I didn't fully appreciate how this apparent simplicity hides many generations of perfecting soba's creation and the hours that go into making each batch.  Such is the essence of Japan.

Hakusai (not to be confused with Hokusai) is a popular winter vegetable in Japan. Also called napa cabbage or Chinese cabbage, it grows here in Kanto during the winter months (which are warm enough to grow certain vegetables but cold enough to feel the bite of winter). It has lots of umami and is great for soups. It was the key ingredient in last nights cream stew.  Recipe (serves 8): 1/4 hakusai 3-4 onions 1-2 carrots 1-2 turnips (or potatoes) 800 grams of chicken breast 200 ml of water 1 L of milk (or soy milk) 40 grams of butter 50 grams of mozzarella cheese 4-6 cubes of consome (or chicken bullion)

  In Japan, my home away from home, we have a saying: "千里の道も一歩から" ( senri no michi mo ippo kara ) which translates to, "Even a thousand-mile journey begins with a single step." 21 years ago, at Chicago O'Hare airport, I stepped onto a plane that would bring me here where I would begin a new life as an assistant English teacher at public elementary and junior high schools. I had no idea that I would still be here today, still teaching English (albeit now at the university level). I did not know that I would marry a Japanese woman and that we would have two children and buy a house here, nor had I any inkling of the many joys and occasional frustrations that awaited us as we built a life in this country. Japan is a land of great beauty and tradition. It is evident in even the most mundane objects from everyday life. This little tray is a perfect example: I found it lying on top of the microwave at my in-laws' house where no one, including me, had paid it any m...