But a little (or a lot) of rain never stopped us. My son and I went for a walk today in search of a festival. We passed by several local farms/gardens that were lush and green. The cabbages, broccoli, onions, and carrots were happily drinking up the rain. We even saw some kiwis growing on a tree. You don't see a lot of kiwis in Seattle, so I always feel a bit of a thrill when I spot them growing around here. But to be fully transparent, seeing almost any food growing gets me excited - especially on a small scale. When you see someone's garden, it is like looking into their heart. You must share love and caring in order to be successful at growing food and flowers. Without tending, things would go haywire. I find the saying "you reap what you sow" to be very true.
We followed the GPS to the location of the festival, but didn't see the school where we were supposed to be. So, I asked a woman walking past and she kindly walked us to the entrance. It was around the block.
The festival was more like 7 tents, each selling something. It wasn't really a festival. But we bought some yakisoba and (what I assume to be) local veggies. I carried the carrots, orange cauliflower, daikon, and cabbage home - in the pouring rain, with an umbrella, and a coaxing a 4 year old to keep up with me.
Back at home we dried off and made vegetable soup. A simple mix of onion, carrots, daikon, orange bell peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, ham, chicken broth, and miso were tossed into the pot and simmered. My son helped by peeling veggies and using the food processor to slice them up. Just before serving, I added some pasta letters for fun. There's nothing like a big bowl of soup on a rainy day.
While we ate dinner, our doorbell rang. The man my husband has been waiting for finally arrived. His TV was being delivered. If I sound less than enthused, you would be right. We have very different feelings about TVs. My husband loves to watch TV and thinks of it as an essential item. He often has it on even when he isn't watching it. I find it to be an annoying addiction that I get pulled into and waste way too much time with, then feel guilty about not getting more done. I've never been able to find a balance with it, so I prefer for it to not be in my house. We haven't had TV since moving in to our house two and a half weeks ago. For me, it has been refreshing and I love not having the TV fight with my son constantly.
I suggested we didn't even have to turn it on, which didn't get a very good reception. So, we agreed to have movie night. I walked to the convenience store for popcorn and other junk food while my husband set up the TV. There was a brand of chips without helpful photos on the packaging, so I pulled out my Google Translator. One said "salt" and another was something else pretty standard. But another read "cows sum of the enchanting." What the hell was that supposed to mean? I was so curious, I bought a bag. Luckily, my translator at home informed me that I bought grilled Wagyu beef flavored chips. They actually weren't half bad. I don't need to buy them again though.
As I checked out, the clerk indicated to pick a card out of a box. This is very common promotion technique here - thanks for your purchase, pick a card and we'll give you something for free. Usually I get the dreaded one-ply uber thin tissues. But today, I got a free beer. I might not drink the free beer, but it was exciting nonetheless. And I will use it - just probably in bread and not as a beverage.
When I returned, the boys were ready to start movie night. The first movie to be played on our new TV was "My Neighbor Totoro," an old favorite. I was first introduced to the movie in my first really bad bout with homesickness/culture shock the last time I lived in Japan. I've been a dedicated fan ever since - it makes any day, rainy or otherwise, a bit brighter. And now that our son has gone to bed, my husband is watching his ultimate feel good movie "Thoroughly Modern Millie."
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