As life get’s louder the Tip of the Tongue seems a bit quieter. I wanted to at least say hello before my Saturday was completely over. Spent the day catching a breath, taking an overdue stroll in the evening after staying in the house all day, the rain flapping its tongue at me. I thought all day that I owed you a post, but as much as I love y’all, I needed a break.  I ended up snatching some treats from Bellette before wandering into Café RRRoom. (Pics to come.)

Missed you earlier this week but I think its okay if I talk to you at least once a week. Here’s to a minimally edited, casual “Wassup”.

With Thanksgiving upon us, I debated a bit whether I’d jump in the traditional line of turkeys dripping with gratitude- menus, tips, and dishes or lists of reasons to be thankful. Thanks ought to be a continual state of mind though. Nonetheless, we’re gonna just wing it.

Throughout the week, you may see a mix of it all. I’ll be sure to share with you, though, some of the extended branches of my family that have sprouted especially during my time in Japan. Just some good times to remember.

You’ve probably met the Sasaki Family already. We’ll talk about them some more later. In the meantime, let’s wave at the Mercers!

Okay, that’s not actually the Mercers (except one) but it’s their kitchen- if I remember correctly, the first Japanese home kitchen I’d been in. In the pictures above we were making yakisoba- one of my favorite Japanese dishes- for a beach picnic. Fried noodles, pork, peppers, onions, chikua (fish cake or fish stick), tossed in yakisoba sauce and showered with green onion and bonito flakes. What I didn’t know is that it would later be stuffed into a bun, making those pre-packed offerings in 7-Eleven a bit more understandable.

We also made onigiri!! I mentioned this in #MyKinjo post on 7-Eleven, the rice ball- well usually a triangle, stuffed with one of many fillings, wrapped in seaweed, and- in my typical 7-Eleven encounters- wrapped in a 3-step wrapper (peel the top, then the left, then the right). But here I was, making it myself!

By instruction of Mama Mercer- Satomi-san, the triangle mold was loaded with the rice; the rice was unmolded and stuffed with salmon or seaweed, and then wrapped in the nori wrapper. Take that 7-Eleven!

We also made water balloons but I think you can handle that yourself!

Thanks for having me Mercers! (We’ll catch the Mercer men some other time. I’m not sure the kitchen is there place but they’re more than welcome to prove me wrong.)