What the Hell...Vol.1

Sorry for my potty mouth.  I don't usually indulge in such language as the title contains but occasionally that very  thought flits through my head...does that happen to you or is it just me?   I tend to wonder what kind of family has come forth from my loins.  It is bizarre to realize sometimes how different they are from me.  Not that it isn't good - it is.  I am lucky to live in a multicultural family.  It's just, I think, you have preconceived notions of what your family will be like and then I sometimes get caught off-guard by my reality.  Not in a bad way but in a "What the hell..." kind of way.

It happened today while unloading groceries after shopping.  Looking at my bounty my thought was, "What the hell kind of family am I living in?"  Yes, that is what I thought. You see, I am from the South but am married to a Japanese Samurai Warrior and living in the Northwest.  I sometimes feel displaced up here and my sweet family doesn't help. 
I am putting away groceries and this is some of what I have bought:

Would your children fight over who gets the most of this?  No?  Huh...

This seaweed wrapped rice cracker is our most popular snack next to shrimp chips - yes, that's what I said, Shrimp Chips.




Lychee I love.  They remind me certain people - rough and prickly on the outside, sweet on the inside  with a core of steel.  We love lychee season.





This is Ochazuke. My kids will ask for this over French Toast for breakfast.  Crazy, right?    I don't even know what those long brown things are!  I have found it is often best not to ask.  This is my son enjoying  his lunch today - it's a little hot.  He did a happy dance when he found out  he was having ochazuke for lunch.  In case you were wondering, I had a delish turkey sandwich on whole wheat.

Does this look like the makings of comfort soup to you? No? Forget Chicken Noodle or Pot Roast.  This is Oden.  Again, not sure what most of the pieces are but I think the term "fish cake" covers most of it.  The good news is we put hard-boiled eggs in our oden and I make extra for yummy deviled eggs - for me...I don't even offer to share anymore.

And what is weird is that I know my family will be crazy excited to see all this.  They will act like it's Christmas.  Like they have entered Nirvana and as long as they have some dried fish heads they will stay there.  They love Uwajimaya shopping day.  I sadly don't enjoy the seaweed, dried fish heads and most of the fish bits (I have tried so hard but it just isn't in my DNA to appreciate seaweed).  In this way I am very alone in my family.  I am the only one who melts at the sight of fried okra and deviled eggs and always will be.  I accept that (sort of).  I find joy in bringing these foods to my family who enjoy them so much.  But there eventually comes a time when I experience surreal moments of eating my scrambled eggs in the morning with chopsticks and I find  that the need to make the universe right again is overpowering and this is how I do it:

Food of the Gods



Nectar of the Gods



Can I get an Amen?

"The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are."  Joseph Campbell

My Sunday evenings with Peter...

"There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won't cure, but I don't know many of them. "
Sylvia Plath 


Peter Sagal and I bathe together every Sunday evening.  It brings me great joy.  It's a pretty special relationship - I feel we really connect, he and I.  He does most of the talking; I do most of the laughing.  It really works for me.  I hope it works for him.  He comes to me after I have prepared a perfect bath setting: candles, wine glass with ice water, great bath products (http://www.dedicatedtojoy.com/)  and my ipod player.  And then...then I invite him in...by pushing to play button, he's easy that way.  Yes, I am talking about "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me" on NPR.  For 45 minutes it is him and me...ok yes there is also Karl Castle, a panel of hilarious judges and hundreds of audience members but in my mind it is all for my entertainment.  It is relaxing, it is lovely, it's mine.  It can also be yours!  The entire experience.

This is my bathtub. 

Nothing special - at all.  Most of the time it isn't even clean. 

These are my candles. 

This is my ipod and my yummy bath products. 

Individually they may not amount to much but come Sunday night...



Magic...