Illustrations by Kaki Okumura (*No Zoom calls are required) It’s been about 4 months since my friend and I baked together. In April I left the United States to be with my family, and she flew back to California to be with hers. But when we still lived on campus together, we would often meet […]
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How To Listen, To Understand Each Other Better
Where disagreements can make our relationships stronger It seems that recently there are more claims of “I’m listening”, yet many of our arguments surrounding political and social issues are ending in frustration, polarization, and in the most unfortunate of cases a refusal to communicate with those who differ in opinion. Even in the household, our […]
Friends Described as Fruits
A poem about a strange fruit basket We make up a pretty strange fruit basket. Different colors. Different backgrounds. Different interests. Different tastes. Well at least we’re all fruits. Blueberry is easily likeable. She’s vegan, but only sometimes. Maybe 70% of the time? She’s adventurous, and many of my favorite memories were her ideas. She […]
How to Make the Softest, Most Comforting Oyakodon
Cooking through my first year away from home When I moved from Japan to go to college in the U.S., I was excited to start my new adventure and to meet new people. Going to orientation and participating in events, somewhere I thought I would quickly find a group of friends and feel instantly at […]
I Tried Making the Trending Pancake Cereal
It reminded me that sometimes happy is healthier It was a rare Mother’s Day for our family, because usually this time of year I wouldn’t be able to celebrate it with my parents. But because I was home this year, my little sister and I decided to do something a little special for my mom. […]
Who Do I Want To Be in Times of Crisis
The way communities have shown support for one another still never ceases to amaze me. I was on an early morning walk with my younger sister when we passed by one of our local stores, and they had this posted up on the window: It’s really a small gesture, but when you think about the […]
Otoshibumi: The Art of Naming Japanese Confectionery
“Do you know why it’s called otoshibumi?” I unwrapped the little Japanese cake from its pink-white washi paper, a simple brown and custard-yellow confectionery. It smelled slightly sweet, but like burnt caramel than simple sugar, or a honeyed aroma. I took my small wooden fork and let it sink into the soft, pillowy dessert, and […]
The Taste of Spring, My Fondness for Sakura-mochi
What is Sakura-mochi? Sakura-mochi is a type of wagashi, or Japanese confectionery, made with sweet azuki bean paste wrapped in sticky pink mochi rice and a salted sakura leaf. Unlike traditional wagashi desserts, sakura-mochi has a slightly herbal aroma to it, and the salty-sweetness from the leaves is said to pair well with sake. The […]
