My Japanese Family

So it's been just over a month already since I've been in the land of the rising sun and our little family here has just been adopted by a local Japanese couple. Apparently (or so the legend goes) this couple became friends with a foreigner who was on the JET program about 10+ years ago and since then loves all foreigners. We were invited over for dinner on a Tuesday night. Our Sempai (Toby) warned us that we will never experience the sensation of being so full like we will after that dinner.

So we met up with Koji and followed him up a windy road to their house. Inside Yaeko had cooked up a storm. With no exaggeration necessary, there were about 7 dishes to eat. Just after I finished eating, I thought I had escaped the overfull sensation. Wrong. Up comes Koji with a huge plate of Yakisoba and the biggest bottle of Shochu (Whiskey like alcohol). I was then served a plate of yakisoba but was able to escape the Shochu. Then came out some more chicken...where that came from...I have no idea.

I was full. Beyond full. Over full.

Not over yet.

Dessert. There were blueberry cakes, carrot cakes, Marie-Antoinette cake, 2 kinds of tart, pear, apples, figs.....the list goes on.

Now I was so full that I'm pretty sure had I eaten any more I would have hurled.

Given this experience I've met a lovely Japanese couple who've opened their homes to us. Yaeko is a chef, with her own cooking school and cooking show on local radio once a week. She specializes in cakes. Through our conversations, she's given me her recipe to pear and rose alcohol, shown me her wedding pictures and assured me that I'll be well taken care of here in Japan.

Kampai!