Haibane-Renmei

I have heard more than one
missionary speak on the fact that in different cultures around the world there
exists certain elements of God’s general revelation within the fabric of their
culture, not to mention within the minds of its people. Amongst the deception
and lies of the world and materialism, there exists seeds of truth that
unclouded eyes can recognize- and that God can use to reach people from that
culture. I have found it incredible to not only experience this in the past
from our own culture, but also more recently in my exploration of Japanese
culture and their animated entertainment. Of course, I would imagine that in
this most recent experience the influence of Western religion and culture had
an impression as well.

The creator of the anime I recently
finished called Haibane-Renmei spoke about how he created the animation.
Unlike his previous works- some of very great repute- he had complete
directorial control over the plot and direction of the piece. Instead of having
to run his ideas by someone else to ask “Is this alright?” he was the one he
asked that to. Likewise, in the creation, while a decade ago some of the
concepts were there, in this work he simply sat down, started writing/creating,
and that was it. He purposely chose not to preconceive any ideas about what
this would be. The anime created itself “on the fly” so to speak. He said that
there was no specific religion that he chose to influence his work so it was
not a religious work in that sense, however he imagined that some of his ideas
about the concept of a entity like “God” and the concept of “life” were the
primary influence of the piece- and of course the use of some images that were
similar to angels with halo’s and wings- it would be considered a religious work.
However, as he stated, it was not intended as a device for one specific
religion- simply an expression of his flow of thought ideas, influenced by his
own conceptions.

I found this very interesting,
because having said that I can see how even if he might not be a Christian,
there seem to be some incredible elements within the piece. This person
obviously is not saved- but there is truth buried within the piece. It is as
though this artist is right on the edge of the discovery of truth- and merely
needs the final pieces given to him. I think this particular anime has elements
within it that could be used to portray a powerful message when connected to
the story of Jesus Christ.

As I begin, be aware that there are
“spoilers” of the end plot in this, necessary to share my thoughts. In this
story, it begins with a dream- the main character, Rakka, is falling from the
sky. She is rather scared, and a raven appears flying near her. The raven flies
along beside her, and she clutches it to her chest receiving some form of peace
and comfort. She falls through a cloud, and the ground becomes visible far
away, and she tells the raven to go- that it cannot help. It tries to clutch to
her dress to keep her from falling, but finally is yanked away by the wind.
Rakak continues to fall, towards the earth, before suddenly waking. She is in a
glowing green place, surrounded by liquid- yet can breath.

Later, we see her
hatch from a cocoon of sorts into an old castle type place surrounded by the
haibene- angel like creatures who are basically younger people with halo’s and
small charcoal coloured (basically white looking) wings. They all ‘hatch’ like
she did- having no clear memories of their past except that they had one, and
then their dream before hatching (basically, they were alive- then died- and
are now Haibene). Rakka is lead to a new room, and a fresh halo just moulded
from hot metal in a special mould, is put “over her”. Shortly after this, from
sore spots in her back, wings painfully emerge and she gradually begins to get
used to them as part of her body. They all live in a special place- surrounded
by walls that ‘protect them’ until they are ready, and a town of normal humans
nearby that supports them as Haibene come and go.

We find out that they stay as
Haibene for a time- and eventually, at no specific point, when they are ready
they have their time of “flight”- when the walls decide they are ready to be
safe outside them, and their halo begins to fade in and out. Without telling
any others, they walk into the Western wood to a special rune, and a beam of
light goes into the sky as they ‘take flight’ and leave only their old metal
halo behind and perhaps some feathers.

Of course, when this happens to a
friend of Rakka’s, she has trouble letting go- and suddenly black spots begin
to appear on her feathers. She pulls them out, but they return, growing to
leave the bottom of her wings stained. She cuts them off with scissors in
embarrassment and fear, but they keep coming back. Finally, the eldest Haibene
girl who discovered her cocoon and has guided her somewhat, discovers her
trying to use the scissors and hugs her, forcing her to stop. She gives her a
special medicine designed to bleach her feathers to hide it- and it comes out
that she knows of this medicine because she, unlike Rakka, was born that way
and other Haibene were afraid of her. They call it “sin-bound”, and Rakka asks
“Does that mean I am a sinner?” The older girl, Renmei I believe (I think),
tells her not to be afraid- that she will always be there for her, just as the
older Habenei who discovered Ren had said to Ren herself. Of course, likewise,
the Habenei had taken flight to leave Ren alone- and Ren felt as though
everyone ended up leaving her alone. Rakka is lead by ravens to the dead body
of a raven- and remembers her dream (for part of what makes a ‘sin-bound’
habenei is that they cannot remember all of their dream for some reason- the
one they had in the cocoon)- and later we find she received forgiveness from
the raven. After that, her wings become clean again. Ren, however, privately is
shocked- and somewhat jealous. An elder, the “communicator”- the one who
basically guides them from a distance and overseas the whole town and Habenei-
tells Rakka the riddle of ‘sin’. For Rakka, of course, asks if she is a sinner.
He says “One who realises they have sin, has no sin”. Of course, Rakka,
thinking this out, sees the riddle- if you think she riddle is true, and say
“Then I have no sin”, then you don’t realise it so you might have sin. But if
you realise it, don’t you no longer have sin- it is what the elder communicator
calls it being trapped in the ‘circle of sin’. The only by figuring out the
answer can Rakka truly be free and ready to fly- her sin bound issue was taken
care of because she was forgiven by the bird. But the final step was to
understand the riddle.

As the end of the work nears, we
discover that Ren has been a Habenei for many years and never flown. That while
sin-bound, she cannot fly for she is not ready- she feels she will just stay
and care for the Habenei as she has, but the communicator tells her that her
time is almost up. If she does not fly by the new year celebrations, then she
will remain forever. But not as a habenei- all others will forget her, her halo
will vanish and her wings disappear, and she will dwell isolated in the woods-
growing old like the rest of the humans. A quiet, but lonely existence, until
she passes away. Meanwhile, she is a painter, and has painted her flashes of
her dream in a room that she lets nobody see. Rakka is told this by the
communicator too, and wants to help- even though it means her dear friend will
go away. She receives a gift with her “true name” on it- which is part of the
name she was given when she was born a Habenei (Rakka, which means “falling”)
combined with the rest. Ren’s name means “little stone”- and he gives Rakka the
wooden box to give Ren on the new year with her true name in it.

After the new year, Ren has
disappeared, but Rakka finds her- in the room of her painting never before seen.
She has painted the whole room, and it looks almost like the outdoors with a
red moon. It is somewhat dark and frightening- and Ren is looking out the
window from it. Rakka gives her the package- and inside is a letter from the
communicator, telling her that her true name is another interpretation of the
character used for “little stone”- it means one who is torn apart. Her dream,
she had thought, had been about walking down a stone path- but she suddenly
remembers, upon hearing that, it was actually a road with rails on it. A
railroad. She had died because, lonely and feeling nobody needed or wanted her-
laid herself on a railroad track, and a train ran over her. Yet, even at the
end, part of her was hoping someone would save her- but she never asked anyone
to, so nobody did, and she died.

In her grief, her wings become
fully blackened, and she says that just like that night she realises now that
she is truly lost and unsavable. Rakka tries to disagree, but she turns on
Rakka and tells her that while Rakka thinks she is nice- it was really all for
her own selfish reasons. When she saw Rakka’s cocoon, she made a ‘bet’ with
herself- that if she could help and win the feelings of the one inside, she
would be forgiven, freed from being sin-bound. “It didn’t matter who it was,
whether it was you or not”. Rakka, after trying to protest, finally left the
room in grief and stayed on the other side of the door. The time has come- and
suddenly the sound of a train is heard, and in the distance out of the painted
room the image of a train coming is seen. A younger version of herself appears
and asks her why she won’t ask for help, why she won’t save her. She confesses
finally that she never asked for help because she was afraid, terrified, that
if she actually did- what if nobody answered? The fear of asking, but not being
saved, was greater than the fear of being silent and not being saved- yet if
she never asked, she would never be saved. Ren tried to hold the younger
version of herself- but her younger self crumbles into dust- and the train is
coming closer, and she knows when it arrives, it will be too late. But she
cannot call for help- she simply stays there.

Rakka, however, looking at a
painting in Ren’s room, finds Ren’s dairy- and reads about when Ren found her
cacoon, and about how she sat by it and spoke to the one inside. She realises
that the raven she dreamed of- the “presence” that protected her and kept her
safe- was actually her vague half conscious memories of Ren sitting outside her
cocoon, tapping it, and talking to her with comforting words of love and
emotion. Ren, sharing how she would protect her and always be there for her,
like her own older Habenei was there for her. Rakka realises that Ren really
did care for her- and that she will be there for Ren. So she enters the room-
and suddenly she is there, outside, on the railroad while a train is coming
towards Ren. She tries to run to her to push her off the tracks, but Ren’s
younger self appear and holds her hand- not letting her run. “She can’t hear
you- she’s made her choice to be there.” Rakka wants to help, but cannot go to
her, and yells “Just call me… I want to help you!”

The train is almost there, and with
tears in her eyes, Ren whispers “Rakka…” and a few moments later, the sound of
the train crashing and loud, she says louder, “Help me!”

And Rakka is suddenly freed, as the
younger Ren disappears and the stone with Ren’s true name on it “torn apart”
cracks- later to be replaced by her original name, now her true name, “little
stone”. Rakka pushes her out of the way, and they are again on the floor of the
room. Ren’s wings- are now clean. It comes out that part of the riddle of
forgiveness is that you cannot forgive yourself- someone else must do it. But,
as Ren showed, she had to be willing to ask.

Of course, Ren is going to leave,
but she- as usual, being the eldest- says it is tradition for nobody to see the
Habenei leaving to fly, so she asks Rakka to close her eyes. And so Rakka does,
and then she walks away. A time later, the other Habenei come looking- outside
this time- and see from the woods the light flash into the sky, of Ren taking
her flight. Instead of being shocked or sad, those who knew about her sin-bound
wings are relieved to know her time had come. And, as the series ends, just as
it began with Ren finding the cocoon of Rakka in a room by itself- so too does
Rakka suddenly find, in a room similar to the one she had come into, two little
cocoons sprouting, “Twins”. And like Ren, she stumbles over herself to run to
find the others- excited that now she, too, can be to them what Ren was to her.

Hopefully many of you, too, can see
the parallels to Christian beliefs all throughout that. It is just incredible.
While, of course, it is not another normal PERSON we need to forgive us- Jesus
is the one we need to ask, to accept, his sacrifice meant to save us. Yet, just
as in this story, while Jesus has already paid the price- if we cannot simply
ask for it, we too will pass our time sin-bound and end up unsavable for all
eternity with our final chance having passed. Like the story, we are all
sin-bound to begin with- and we cannot save ourselves or forgive
ourselves, rather the only solution is to be forgiven by the only one capable
of offering complete forgiveness for our sins. Also, oddly enough- there is
another small parallel. The raven, the ‘bird’- who she found in the well. It
originally was alive, trying to get her attention. They are not clear about it,
but it seemed to represent someone also in her life- when she was alive- who
cared about her, and she had hurt. She did not know who- but this person had
died, still caring for her, but never being acknowledged back. In the end, the
raven had died in a well- and other ravens lead Rakka to it- and it was by
climbing down to find its remains that she had the dream again, and remembered
what she had forgotten. The raven sacrificed its life in order to do this- and
when she awoke, she buried its bones and wept for it, and obtained its
forgiveness.

While very obscure, one could
perhaps even see some symbolism in this about Jesus- how he died on our behalf
to save us.

The creator shared that unlike past
anime he had worked on, this was created without any devices to try to elicit
strong emotions or take the person through a certain plot- the goal was to let
the person just experience it, and take from it what their personal experiences
bring into it. I must personally say that of all the anime I have EVER watched,
this is perhaps the only ‘religious’ one that has ever come close- not to mention
this close- to expressing Christian truths amidst the rest of everything.

Dear Friends, Family, Believers, and fellow Xangans,

Yes, it is that time of year. And, for me- finally- it is THAT time. Two years ago, at this time or so, I came back a few days ago and met with my faculty advisor and the head of my Intercultural Studies program to find out that I was failing my internship of two months. As a result, in less than a week, I would not be graduating. Oh, I could walk if I wanted to- but I would not be graduating. I knew, just as I did years before when I faced suspension in High School that if I pushed forwards it would only hurt more. Now, two years later, I am here again. I still have to finish my one credit reading course- just finish one last book next week, journal on it, and that is done. Then, the week after next, I have one full week mini-mester of the three credit class Theology 2. I finish that class- and do the necessary work in the following weeks/months- and I will be done and receive my diploma in August.

So, there is still work ahead. At first it felt more stressful than anything else- however, I now feel after practice today enouraged and exhorted to finish well. This is, and for the last two years, the final stretch of this segment of my life. We are told to "run to win", to finish the race well, by God's word. I do not know why these final four credit hours have been so hard to finish for me. I finished over 120 credit hours, smoothly, and yet this last bit has pulled at me like a weight. All I would have to do is finish the WORK, even poorly, and if I did it all I would at least get a C and be done. As it is, I know I will not just "barely finish it". I will do it, and do it well, and finish well.

As you pray for our financial situation (see my previous post) consider prayer for me and my family that I would finish well- especially since I am caring for our infant son at the same time.

This is my first graduation. I have never graduated from anything before, not in any official sense. I did not graduate from high school. Rather, I got my GED through a test. Now I will walk and receive the representation of the B.S. degree I will receive finally and completely in August. It will not really feel "over" until then- but, I hope I can truly experience the joy this time is made for like everyone else. My class, my friends- most are gone, though I sitll know a few people who are graduating- some are friends, and that is a nice thing.

I am twenty six- I have a six month old son I care for, a Wife, and I am going to graduate college with them by my side, finally. For Katrina, she'll just be glad it is over. Me? I think I will miss CIU and try to stay involved. Just going to the Bacheloreate (sp?) and then practice revived the beautiful feeling of the Spirit's presence through powerful men of God who are present at CIU. While God allows us to live here, I hope to take advantage of it's nearness.

Sincerely,
Patrick

Financial Difficulties

I would sincerely appreciate the prayers of every born again Christian we know on our behalf. Recently, Kat's car had some problems- and it turned out that to fix it would take a lot of money. As though this was not bad enough, yesterday I found out that it was worse than that: not only was it that amount of money, but apparently this shaft (I forget the exact name) that runs through the length of the car and that the belt (which broke) is connected to- well, when the belt broke, it stripped other things off the shaft, and even welded some things onto it with the heat. As a result, there are two options: 1) buy a new motor (!!!! Worth more than the car- ie: we would have to buy a new car). 2) (this is the option they will try) weld a bolt or such onto the shaft thingy, and if they can get it just right, and the belt runs, then the car should work and according to the mechanic it would not decrease the length of the car's life or cause problems.

Obviously, the cost of things so far is already more than half a grand- we may have to draw some from our credit card (we are presently debt free- but unable to save much) and hard to handle. If we had to buy a new car... I have no idea how we will handle it. Obviously, the 'easy' (and by easy I mean easiest that we can imagine on our own) idea is go in debt- major debt- to buy a new car. As missionaries, this is a bad, bad thing since we must pay off all our debts before going into the field. For us, this is bad, since we can JUST afford to handle life as we are- we cannot even afford to save, much less make payments.

Please, please pray that God would guide the hands of the mechanics, and in his grace and mercy allow Katrnia's car to be fixed for now. Also pray that He would provide financially- as He has promised- for our needs, be it fixing this car or a new car whenever necessary. IF the car is fixed, we will be trying to save as best we can so that if another such incident comes up we might have enough to handle it without going into debt- so, pray we can begin to find the resources to save more than we are at present.

Tithing

I believe that God gets the first fruit of our labour- He is above governments, above all the Earth, and everything we own on this world belongs to Him. Not just our tithe- everything, even the cars, the chair I am in, everything! If we were to put the portion we normally put into tithe into savings- well, we would already have enough to almost buy a new car by now. But- the way I see it, it isn't our money to use. It would be like stealing from God- like walking into the Church and breaking into an office to grab their money, but worse. We give 10%, and always have, always will- as a minimum. God has already blessed us in this- because we are getting counselling (preventative, not "critical"- don't go getting worried like the missionaries in Taiwan did- counselling is to help prevent major problems, NOT just because they are already there) and our Church supports this, they are helping us with more of the cost! We did not ask for this- it was provided for us, and God is blessing us through it.

So, my point is to encourage our friends out there. It does not matter where you are financially- if you struggle to get the food on your table, or save up, or meet the debts you have, to keep a car running, or if you are trying to get that item you really want and all your necessities are provided for. Wherever you are, honour God with your the first of your efforts and He will faithfully provide what you need for you and your family (note- what you NEED, not always what we want ). Through the prayers of our brothers and sisters in Christ, our family will have healthy food to put on our table that I can cook, supplies to handle our first child, a car to drive my wife to work,  and all our basic needs.

To Him be the glory.

-Patrick

Guess what is worse than having a stick up the tush? You know the phrase, "They must have a stick up their *insert word for bottom*". Well, I don't know about sticks, but today I discovered I have a tick on my tush. Yes, a tick. And YES, on my tush. And no, nobody is home to help- so I just have to leave it there until Kat comes home over six hours from now. All day, knowing a blood sucking parasite is enjoying a meal on none other than MY own precious HINEY! The only solution I know of that truly works is to take a match, light it- then, after a moment, blow it out and immediately place it on the tick's backside until it lets go- immediately removing it before it decides to return. However, if you think I was stupid enough to try that in a region I cannot easily see where one mistake would mean... much, much embarassing pain... no, I'm not that stupid. I'm only stupid enough to try a substitute method of sticking my tush under water hot enough to hurt but not burn- of course, the tick is still there, and now I have a sore tush. At least ticks numb you when they feed.

There is something inherently wrong in allowing a parasite to remain on you, knowingly. And you would think they would have the manners to leave some regions untouched. I've had one on my neck before- okay, necks are understandable- vampires bite em, why not ticks? But there are some places you just do NOT go.

At least the tick was polite enough to avoid the worst place of all. I can at least thank God for that.

-Patrick, who is royally TICKed

Edit Update: Kat, after prodding me, poked at it with a hot lighter (we had no matches) and after making me ouch in pain- proceeded to try a hot needle. That STILL hurt, so she decided "It is not a tick, just a tag of skin obviously- a scab!" I told her not to do anything with it, but she yanked finally and... POW, off it came, and YOOOOUCH, I yelled!

She handed it to me, and before even looking closely I said "Katrnia, this IS a tic". "No it's not, there aren't legs or anything." I lookd under the light and said, "Yes, dear, there are little legs, and even if you didn't see the legs it LOOKS like one. They aren't all big!" This one, in fact, was about the size of a sesame seed.

Kat argued, until I got the lamp turned down and showed her- of course, she could not see the legs (she probably needed her glasses) but finally relented. I was worried, of course, and still am- because I do not know if we got the head out or not. If we did not, that means it will get infected. We saved the tic in a ziplock bag in the freezer, maybe I can get it looked at to make sure it does not have limes disease. Of course, my Sister feels that if it hurt like that it means the head came out. Hmmm, I hope so.

So, that is our story. I'm just glad it is over- and hope there is nothing further.

Conor's First Pacifier-placement

I know it sounds strange, but it really is a big thing. Conor was able to, while crying before sleep, return his own pacy to his mouth after it fell out! That is quite a thing for him to do, since until now his ability to manipulate objects has not been so good as to allow him to both pick it up, angle it to his mouth, and then pull it in. Yay Conor!

PS- You do know that Conor is not a mispelling, correct? We actually spell it with one N, because that is how my grandmother said my great-grandfather spelled it. It is a legitimate spelling of the name, if less used.

-Patrick

Wow... just wow!

My wife is doing a hashrbrown recipe for her work tomorrow, and needed two pounds of frozen hashbrowns from the store. I simply could not find them- and I imagine it would have been relatively expensive to get them frozen as well, perhaps three or four dollars a pound. Whatever the cost, since I was driving home with my brand new food processor in the trunk, I went to the fresh produce and bought four pounds of russet potatoes for a LOT less. Why buy frozen, now that we have our processor? Plus, I knew I would love to try it out.

So I did.

And it rocked.

Once I soaped and rinsed all the parts, skimmed the directions to be sure I did not mess anything up, it was incredible. I quicly scrubbed the potatoes clean- since they were large potatoes, I chopped them into thirds or so, and then popped them into the extra-wide feeder tube with the grating attachment in (4mm, or medium, grating- apparently I can buy thinner shredding at 2mm, or a thicker one at 6mm). Not only did it purr like a kitten- I was amazed that it took almost no pushing effort to push the potatoes through. I finished all four pounds in two minutes or so (taking my time, too). It would have taken me fourty five minutes to an hour to do it like I used to, hand grating.

It went so well, Kat had me grate some of our other potatoes so we'd have enough for us to eat some too. The result? A huuuge metal bowl FULL of shredded potatoes for hashbrowns- oh, I had time to leisurely rinse them and drain them, too. We're talking quarts of harshbrowns here. I'm going to look up some harshbrown recipes now- because we're going to be having hashbrown breakfasts a LOT more often now baby!

So, she had me prepare three other things- minced parsley and garlic, and then minced onions. Easy! I used the smallest bowl with the small chopper on the parsley and garlic together- absolutely lovely persilade (sp?) (a provincal term for finely minced combo of parsley and garlic) that took seconds. Then took the two medium red onions, chopped them in half, peeled off the papery skin, and used the large bowl to get a very nice mince. A bit wet, but onions are juicy that way.

Did I mention wow?

Looking at the savings from the potatoes alone- we saved not cents, but dollars. Lots of dollars. Maybe as much as five to ten dollars for all the potatoes we shredded vs. frozen hashbrowns. With the ability to shred cheeses as well, make grated ice (with an attachment I plan to get), thin and medium slice any vegetable or fruit we desire- we'll be able to buy cheaper items and save real money! This food processor will earn its own worth back in a year, I feel. Not to mention time! Time is money, they say- and at my old Circuit City wage, we'll have earned its worth back in only a couple months at this rate. Quick, easy, safe.

I think for a family with children that not only wants to, but seoriusly NEEDS to save money and cook daily meals (again, to save money- as that is much cheaper than other options) it might be worth it to save towards a large food processor- mine costed me $179 on sale, and it was worth far more. I would pay far more over again, after only one evening. It may look like a high cost- but I promise you'll save it all and more.

Baby Food Stuff

So, we'll also be saving a ton in baby food. We had a nice portable tool for making baby food already- great for eating out and such. However, with the processor now we are going to be preparing large quantities of pureed fruit and vegetables. Kat has a lot of apples, and we'll use our old apple peeler-corer-slicer deal (Kat got it- don't blame me. She loves it... it's just a hastle in my opinion, but I am good with a kitchen knife) to prepare the apples, then just toss 'em in to puree them all in a minute or less. She'll freeze it all for future baby use. More money saved, right there.

As you can tell, I'm quite hyped, but I think over time we'll continue to put our processor to very good use.

-Patrick

EDIT: By the way, I was getting hashbrowns for a large recipe my Wife was making for work the next day. So we used ALL the harshbrowns I made in that recipe, and the extra in another recipe for us to eat at home. They were actually VERY good. No waste.

Hamburgers...? Or hanbagu?

The last dish I introduced you to had a rather complex part- the duck- and was in general something of a tougher introduction to foreign cooking. I promised you something relatively inexpensive (ie- not gourmet), international, not overly challenging (unless finding unique ingredients is too challenging- a good Asian/Japanese market is all you need), and I also promised something that would be fun and do-able with kids! Well, I am here to deliver! I found a website specifically for children's recipes in Japan, and on this site you can find a clear step-by-step guide for making "hanbagu". This is a recipe you can do with your children/other children, or by yourself- but either way, it is demonstrated by this young lady.

She looks to be younger than ten at the oldest, perhaps seven or eight? Either way, she is not very old and seems to handle these recipes fairly well. Perhaps your children will not be as competent as her right away, but with your help I am sure you can have a delightful time making this recipe on your own or with child help!

What is hanbagu? Well, I thought after having a dose of "authentic, traiditional, gourmet Japanese fare" you would enjoy trying their version of our hamburgers! Yes, this whole meal is basically considered- get this- "western" (ie- American). However, like our Japanese steakhouses, they certainly stretch the definition of American a long ways! Imagine serving this dish to Americans as hamburgers and the reaction they would have?

Some Tips

You should have fun with this recipe! There are, of course, some unique ingredients that might surprise you. First of all, their measurements are different- grams, CC's, etc. You should find a good translation table either in a cookbook, or look online- should not be too hard. The hamburger itself is more complex than ones you've made, but the ingredients aren't too hard to find.

What is more complex is the sauce- yes, Japanese eat their hamburgers without buns, often with rice, on a plate and they often dip it (ie- serve it with a bowl to dip the meat in) in a sauce like the one provided here. Also, yes, their children not only cook with open flame at ages eight and below/above, but they also cook with alchohol.

Sake is a rice wine- we could compare it to our white cooking wine- and you will probably find it at a good quality liquor shop (not a grocery store since the nature of the beverage, at least in SC, requires it be sold at an ABC/etc store). You CAN substitute it with water- but for the authentic taste, it's worth trying it out. Also, remember, all the alchohol IS cooked out. If you have kids helping, it might be interesting to teach them that the proper use of alchohol is for cooking- and, if it fits your beliefs, either 1) not for consumption otherwise, or 2) not for unwise consumption once an adult. Sake is an ingredient used as frequently in Japanese cooking as white wine is used in ours- more often, sometimes.

NOTE- substituting the sake for water in the sauce might be a bad idea, since it really is crucial to the flavour and would make it very bland. If you have a child helping but do not wish them to handle the sake, just pour it in for them.

Soy Sauce- Again, look for a Japanese soy sauce (I got one yesterday- the owner of the asian market said it was their nicest, and it was Japanese style (not Chinese style), and large, but only cost me about $3.00. Lower quality soy sauces cost MORE at a usual grocery store).

Grated Ginger- By this, they mean FRESH grated ginger root. You can find it pretty easily at a decent supermarket like Publix, or even a nicer Kroger or such. Just peel off the outer skin of the root, grate what you need, zip-lock and FREEZE the remaining ginger root and it can last a LONG time. You can grate/slice it while frozen and keep using it for a while- ginger root does not keep long in the fridge, but will keep VERY well frozen and retain its taste provided it does not freezer burn.

Dried Bonito Shavings- This is something you can find in an asian market or section, but it really is up to you if you use it. Why? Because this is basically shavings of dried fish. As someone who dislikes fish, it makes me go "UGH!" You could replace this with some powdered chicken boullion (or beef, if you'd prefer) to get a little flavour- just change the amount to your preference. The idea is basically seasoning the spinach with some meat flavour.

The Stew

The stew, after these recipes, is another meal and an option for you to go the "next step" and try something even more authentic and Eastern. Some tips for this recipe.

Dashi- You can substitute vegetable or other stock for this. However, if you want to go authentic, either look for pre-made dashi in the asian market (easiest option) or make it yourself "your way". Dashi is basically a traditional method for making Japanese soup stock using dried kelp and bonito (yes, those fish flakes again), you can find the traditional "old style" recipe here.

The Japanese like to use a lot of smaller plates/bowls for one meal as opposed to one big plate and/or bowl like we do. This is a fun and neat way to introduce your children to another culture and sytle of eating. Don't forget to have some fun with chopsticks too (with forks/spoons as a backup!). To eat these meals "Japanese style", you would sit cross-legged or kneeling on the floor with a short tray to eat on (one that isn't that high off the ground)- or by stacking something (I've seen towls used in Japan, for "poor college students") and covering it so food won't mess it up. Have a family dinner on the floor eating exotic food- or home food with a Japanese twist!

-Patrick

Convert to the Homemaking Way of Life

Yes, it is official- sadly, I have been converted a step further into a homemaker and stay-home Dad, or FTD (Full Time Daddy). Of all the things I could spend the $130 I have saved up from gifts and "fun money"- a certain amount each paycheck that Kat and I split and we each can use however we desire- I chose to spend it on a food processor. Not just because we need one, which honestly we do and it will help a lot- but because I actually will enjoy having one. Not just to save effort- I'll actually like it. Is there any hope for me left?

Actually, since I loved cooking even before marriage, this is something of an extension of it. Plus, the timing is good, since my Mom knew we wanted/needed one and was planning on- as a graduation present- insisting she buy it for me. So I made a crafty deal since she would NOT accept anything less than paying for it. I said this- "I tell you what, if you let me spend my money on it, and then you simply cover the rest- that way I can get a nicer food processor than I otherwise would have, and you will probably end up spending less than you would have if you'd bought it all yourself. I get a nicer processor, you spend less money. Win win." So, that was the only way I got her to agree to put less in- and we both end up winning anyway. I was really blessed- not only do I have her help, but I also found an excellent deal on Amazon for the exact kind I wanted, but with a tremendous savings.

My Food Processor and Me

After careful consideration I chose a Kitchenaid food processor- as the cuisinart are not only the most expensive, but their more affordable models are often of poorer quality and cost the same as the nicer Kitchenaid models. I am getting a large 12-cup (or so) model with two smaller bowl inserts, a citrus juicer insert, a top shredding blade and a slicing blade, a whipping attachment, etc. It also has the largest feeding tube (its 'mouth') available- so I can easily stuff in whole potatoes, or large cuts of fruit without cutting it up a lot first. And yes, I am excited!

Why, you ask? I have the top quality chefs knife and pairing knife out there, so why a processor? Well, I'll tell you. Do you know, even with my decent skill and nice knives, how long it would take me to chop up a blend of celery, carrots, and onions (called a mirapoix, often used in a variety of recipes to flavour dishes, soups, etc), enough to make at least a quart of resulting mirapoix? I would estimate about fifteen minutes, perhaps ten if I was really booking it- do go faster would be unsafe, at my present skill, lest I risk loosing fingers. I do it pretty fast, anyway.

Now, take my food processor- a smaller one would mean potentially multiple batches for large amounts. With my twelve cup bowl, I could combine all three veggies into it at once with just a few chops- we'll say that takes two minutes to set up. Then, I pulse it to get them more manageable- and finally run it a few more times to get them to "chopped" size. We'll give that about a minute. Now I take off the blade, empty the bowl into wherever I want, another minute. Finally, I put the dirty items into the sink to soak.

How long did I just take? Four minutes or less to do what would normally take me fifteen minutes to do. Oh, some activities done with the processor would save more on effort than time- but in this case, it saves BOTH, as well as safety. And hey, that is just a mirapoix- if I was doing a recipe that required a mirapoix, which is only a FLAVOURING, I'd probably have a LOT more chopping/cutting to do than just that! So I wouldn't even have to spend the extra two minutes that washing the processor vs. washing a cutting board and knife would require just for that- I'd be able to rinse it and do even more! Shred veggies, slice up potatoes into 4mm or 2 mm slices- even make julienne veggies with the chopping tool and a little skill. Also, one thing I've had trouble with is we have a cheaper, low powered egg-beater we also use a whisking tool with to whip things up. It takes a LOT longer to beat/whip small amounts (much less LARGE amounts!!) with! With the whipping tool, I can whip cream and eggs- HUGE amounts- very, very fast.

Boring?

Hey, for a lover of cooking like me, it's exciting. I cannot always afford to do fancy recipes, but they are a lot more affordable when you do things from scratch- which is easier when you have this kind of help. Why buy those pre-shredded cheeses (which cost more, btw, than the blocks) when you can pay less and shred it quickly yourself? (otherwise, you do it by hand- which I've done- and it takes five minutes or more of sweaty work that makes your hands feel like they are about to fall off- and has resulted in more than one cut, too, when the cheese slips on the grater) Also, no more oddly cut uneven slices of things like potatoes- nice, even, easy, thin slices.

I'll use the cheaper, hard work way without complaint- after all, I like the experience and skill it builds in me as a chef. Each 'boring' task gets my knife speed higher, my accuracy better, my safety increased. But with a baby and family, and the fact we've been blessed with what we need to get it, we'll be able to afford to eat better- and have the time to do it. After all, why spend $6.00 on a small bag of pre-sliced and cooked potatoes and cheese when you can spend $4.00 and get the ingredients to make the same thing- only about five times as much!

Hey, you folks out there who wanna save money and feel you cannot cook- learning how to do it saves! I've also been told that food processors, good ones like the one we are getting, can last up to twenty years of regular use before going. Let's pray this one does too!

-Patrick