Nagashi Somen & Fondue

We have had some great times this summer with the "blue table group" from my Survival English A class (in "Survival" we learn English and practice using it in situations that help with surviving life in America). Our class finished in May, but we got together twice in August for some fun activities.

Our first event was "Nagashi Somen" (the noodle slide!). It is a tradition in Japan, though not extremely common. So some of my Japanese friends were trying it out for the first time with us. Probably about 5 years ago, one of my dear friends, Katsue, first introduced this to me. Her husband, Mokoto, went to Home Depot and engineered his own home-made version of the slide using PVC and rain gutters. The result was a sturdy, easy-to-use noodle slide! When Kastue's family moved back to Japan, they gave me the noodle slide as a gift. I've used it at least once every summer - and others have borrowed it as well. We've gotten a lot of mileage out of Mokoto's creation!

Somen noodles (like thin spaghetti, served cold for this purpose) are put at the top of the slide with water flowing to push them down. Participants gather along the sides and try to catch the noodles with chopsticks as they come down the slide. It's a great way to practice using chopsticks!

Once you catch the noodles, you put them into a cup or bowl filled with mentsuyu, a delicious brown liquid. And there are add-ins you can enjoy as well - green onions, sesame seeds, Japanese mustard, or wasabi. This time Masayo also brought along "shiso," a Japanese herb. It was my first time to try it - pretty good stuff.

Tomoko, my somen teacher

Tomoko brought the somen noodles for us - and gave me a lesson in the process. She had three different kinds of somen (I didn't know that there were different kinds). You really could taste the difference in each one. Later, she sent me a link to see how somen is made. It's all in Japanese, but you can still get the gist of it from the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUnydThgy_A&feature=related

Micah also experienced a "first" with this event. This was his first opportunity to eat noodles - and my first try at feeding him using chopsticks. He loved the somen! He did really well with slurping the noodles into his mouth. I, on the other hand, need a little more practice feeding a baby with chopsticks (good thing we were doing this outside!).

I am so thankful for our Japanese friends who like to share their culture with us. Also grateful that God gave us beautiful weather to enjoy that day out on the back deck.

Our second event in August was to gather for an afternoon of fondue. This was my first attempt at making cheese fondue... and I think I need another gathering or two to perfect the recipe (too much chardonnay!).

But still, we had a good time. It was nice to get together again and practice English (sometimes a challenge to do during the summer). :)

Micah wore his jinbay this time - a Japanese summer outfit (a gift from our friend Keiko). He enjoyed watching the big kids play all around him and is working hard at getting fast enough to keep up with them (he's getting good at cruising these days - recently made it all the way to the kitchen sink and into the cupboard under the sink... which prompted Daddy to put the child safety locks on).

Thanks to Masayo (middle) for the photos!

I loved my "blue table ladies" this year. Hanging out this month has made me look forward to when classes start up again in September. I can't wait to meet the next blue table group!