Anticipation

As the final move date approaches, the anticipation increases.  There is still much to be done.  The shipment of our things from the US is expected to arrive in Japan tomorrow.  It has to go through customs, which will take a few days.  I had to take some paperwork to the shipping company today, as they deal with getting our stuff through customs.  They asked several questions, mostly about how long my husband was in the US and why he was moving "so much stuff" to Japan.  They needed this information to share with customs.  The questions that we have had to answer have been interesting.  Some people have been great at explaining why they are asking.  Although they didn't say this, I assume they want to make sure he isn't trying to bring stuff into the country to sell without paying appropriate taxes. 

The office was in Tsukiji, home of the famous fish market.  We didn't go to the fish market today.  Maybe another day.  But while walking through the streets toward the office, I was struck by the beauty of some of the really old buildings.  One thing that I've always loved about Japan (and the European countries I've been to) is the integration of old and new.  The preservation of some of these buildings is incredible and offers a level of beauty not often found in the US, which is so young of a country.  I really couldn't comprehend comments like this until I started traveling in college. 

There's a lot of things that I love about Japan, and it's old architecture is one of those things.  When I am wandering and I see an old wooden building with sliding wood frame windows and doors, it just intrigues me.  The stories that home or building must possess.  And not just the stories from within, but also from watching the community evolve around it. 

As I wrote here, two days ago, my friend's dad gave me some beautiful produce from his garden.  It was such a wonderful gift and I wanted to honor it with a truly delicious meal.  Although my son did try to eat most of it raw (one of his favorite things to do back home was eat right out of our garden), I was able to make a meal with the beautiful peppers, eggplants, and green beans. 

Bell Peppers: I started by finely chopping onion, carrot, bell pepper, shitake mushrooms, and eggplant.  I sautéed them with some ground beef and ground pork, only adding salt, pepper, and soy sauce.  I filled the raw bell pepper halves until level and spooned beaten egg over the top.  I melted some butter in a skillet over medium heat and put the peppers in face down.  I put the lid on and cooked the peppers for a few minutes before turning them over.  After flipping them, I once again put the lid on to finish cooking them. 

Eggplants: I sliced the eggplants pretty thickly and scored them on one side.  I salted them and left them in a strainer in the sink for a few minutes.  I mixed a little bit of sugar and water with some miso paste.  When the eggplants were ready, I rinsed them and spooned  the miso mixture on top.  I buttered the roasting pan, laid the eggplants on it with the miso on top, and stuck the pan in the oven until it looked soft and glossy on the top.

Green beans: I tossed the freshly washed (still wet) beans with salt and Penzey's Bankok Blend seasoning.  I threw some butter in the hot pan and then the green beans.  I added a bit of water and covered them for just a short time (so they would still be crisp).

My family raved about dinner.  I can't take all the credit, because I really feel it was the quality of the produce that made this meal what is was.  My husband asked me what recipe I followed and I just smiled and said "My head."  I usually follow recipes or at least start from one, but today I felt like I really didn't need to.  That made it even better.  The best part though was when he said his mother would have loved this meal.  It was a heartfelt compliment.