Thanks to cooking teacher Akiko (who will be getting pictures and a pressie tomorrow) this very British woman from Putney, south-west London managed to cook up, decorate and serve a Japanese New Year dinner to an old lady who was once a Wonder Cook.
And she ate it.
And she said it was good.
AND...she was surprised I'd made some of it!!!
So, what we have here is (starting at Noon): Assorted sweet bean paste filled sugar things from a shop; a glass of wine; the browny/grey thing is simmered-by-Oyomesan root veggies and chicken; then clear soup with a melted gooey rice dumpling; marinated smoked salmon, and finally a plate of pink and white fish paste, Oyomesan-made fishpaste/omelette, shop-bought seaweed with fish roll and shop-bought sweet blackbeans!
Only taken me 4 years to get the hang of this.....
Okaasan was in fine form tonight. She and I chatted about how it was the Year of the Snake, and what year she is, and her husbanmd, and the boys, and then we got onto blood types (she claims that her AB type is smart people...) and then why does the calender have a rabbit on it for January...and Snakes, and blood types...and on ...and on.
I reminded Dear Son at the ski resort to call her and wonder of wonder - the OTHER son, the Really Useless One...he apparently also called Okaasan today.
So, all round successful start to 2013. Hope it goes on this way.
I got out early, left Okaasan's lunch in flasks on the table and went out to my fave ski resort for 3 hours of steamin up the slopes. No photographs cos every time the sun appeared it took me so long to fumble for my camera with all my gloves, that I kept missing the beautiful shots. But I had a great time and remembered past New Year Days when Dear Son and I skied here together...but was just very, very VERY grateful that now my knee is strong enough to do many runs at almost my old speed.
The little blue renta-car is a nice drive - up and over the snowystorm mountain pass and I got home mid-afternoon to veg.
I got loads of New Year cards from students...this year I was so shattered by December I gave up completly on sending cards...bad of me I know...but something had to give. I sent Christmas cards to all my school students and friends galore...but the community center students slipped off my Must Do list this year.
Okaasan? Maybe she got one card from someone, I could see it on her table. She bought cards recently, but I don't think she sent any. Does she know anybody's addresses? Every year I think it is something I should help her do, but I fail - because I run out of energy in December.
But today - skiing and cooking up the Osechi. A good day :-)
2013 - let's be having you. All Powerful Oyomesan is Ready!
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