#73 [Words from my parents] Vol.1

Japanese version, click here:https://blog.3compass.net/jbk-itchen/10368

Hello, this is Chi-san.
From today, I would like to introduce episodes and dishes related to your [Words from parents].

Chapter 1:

Chicken and taro simmered in soy sauce

S san says that this dish, which her mother makes with taro harvested from her own field, is his favorite.

We hope you enjoy ✨

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【S san】

Looking back, there are countless words that I’ve received from my parents. Even now, I treasure all of them. Parents are truly great, aren’t they?

One of the words that I often remember and put into practice is this:

“If you like someone, they will eventually like you back. But if you hate or dislike someone, they will naturally come to dislike you too. So first, try to like the other person, even if it’s just one-sided. If you do this, eventually you’ll lead a life where people naturally like you.”

My mother used to say this to me a lot.

There are many different situations in life, so it can be difficult at times, especially when you’re angry with someone. But when that happens, I try to remember these words and stay calm.

【My Mother】

My mother is currently hospitalized. She has been in and out of the hospital and undergone surgery since last November, and there were times when her life was in danger. It was a difficult few months, especially for an elderly person like my mother.

At the time when my mother’s leg was said to have a high possibility of being amputated or leaving her with walking difficulties, a composer sent a piece of music to me immediately. Since the end of last year, the situation has been overwhelming, and time has passed without me being able to relax. When I listened to the music I received, I felt relieved from the bottom of my heart.

I was deeply moved and cried.

It reminded me of the importance of caring for others, thinking about them, and doing what I can to help them.

These things are not always easy to do, but they are essential, especially in today’s society where business can thrive without close relationships.

Although I don’t know anything about piano playing, I can feel the emotion in the music. I will strive to convey the importance of expressing our hearts honestly to those around me.

The composer who can’t play the same song twice was really wonderful. Thank you so much.

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And recently, my mother was finally discharged from the hospital.

When I went to pick her up, everyone at the nurse station saw us off all the way to the elevator, and I was amazed. I couldn’t help but be impressed that my mother’s kind behavior during her hospitalization had resulted in her being liked by everyone. I’m sure she was also well taken care of during this hospitalization.

【Notice】

The small Japanese restaurant that my mother has been running for 26 years will be closing its doors at the end of this month, March 2023.

I think many of you already know this, but my mother has been running a small restaurant for the past 26 years. She has been fighting her own illness while running the restaurant in recent years. However, since November of last year, she has been in and out of the hospital for surgeries repeatedly, and considering her health and age, we made the difficult decision to close the restaurant at the end of this month.

My mother is a very determined person who hates to give up, and she doesn’t like to rely on others. She always kept the restaurant open, even during typhoons or heavy snowfalls, just in case customers might come.

My mom always said, “If we have zero sales, we’ll close the store right away!” like a catchphrase, but it’s true that in 26 years we’ve never had a day with zero sales. Even though there were many difficult times because of the slot machines, which my mother didn’t like either, I am proud of my mother and think that our store was loved by many customers because she hates doing things that are not right.

I have very strong feelings for the small restaurant because it was the community that raised me. There were actually various dramas leading up to the decision to close the restaurant this time, and my mother and I had a few arguments about it.

However, in the end, we made this big decision because my mother felt that we couldn’t inconvenience the customers who loved our restaurant any longer.

Although my mother had multiple surgeries, things miraculously started to get better, and if she gets better, she can’t sit still. So, please take her out to cherry blossom viewing, imoni, barbecues, and other events.

It’s not over yet, but thank you very, very much for these 26 years.

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【After the tale】

When we posted on Facebook that we were going to close the store, we received many responses such as phone calls, emails, and messages on LINE, including from a part-time worker who used to work at my mother’s store in 2001 (currently residing in the UK). It felt like we had shown people the way my mother lived her life.

We are grateful to everyone who was concerned about us and continued to love our store. On behalf of my mother, I would like to deeply thank you, and if we have the chance to meet again, I would like to express my gratitude once again.

Thank you very much.

Please try making ‘Chicken and taro simmered in soy sauce’ that my beloved mother cooks, as it is very delicious.

Ingredients

• 200g chicken
• 20 medium-sized taro roots
• 15g brown sugar
• 50cc soy sauce
• 50cc mirin (sweet cooking rice wine)
• 400cc dashi stock (Japanese soup stock made from fish and kelp)

Adjust the amount of mirin and brown sugar to your liking.

Recipe

• 1. Peel the taro roots and put them in a pot of water. Bring the water to a boil and let them cook for about a minute.
• 2. Drain the taro roots in a colander and rinse them with water.

• 3. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and put them in boiling water. Turn them around with chopsticks once and let the surface cook (this removes excess oil and scum).
• 4. Put them in a strainer and quickly rinse the surface scum with water.
• 5. Put the chicken and taro back into the pot. Add each seasoning, bring it to a boil over high heat, and cook the ingredients with bubbles. Occasionally flip the pot while cooking.

• 6. The trick is to not let it cook too long, but to cook it quickly until a skewer can easily go through the taro. Once it tastes good (it goes well with rice and sake), turn off the heat and let it cool.

Points

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JBK-ITCHEN Vol.73