Authentic Japanese Cooking -
This is the second dish Hiromi and Mikako taught me how to make when we mt in December. I do not have many Japanese dishes in my cook book but ths is one of my favorite. Some of you may recognize these from the states where they are known as "pot stickers". I am not sure how they got that name other than they will stick to the bottom of hte pan if you do not put a little oil in the pan before you begin steaming them.
These gyoza, as they are called in Japan are one of my favorite foods. I liked them in the state where we bought them frozen from Costco but now that I can wrap my own and put extra ginger in them, they are the best! My whole family loves them and they are really pretty easy to make just like most good food, they take time to prepare.
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| Gyoza prepared and ready to cook |
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| Can you hear them sizzling? |
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| The table set by Steph - food is all about the presentation. Oh how beautiful! |
Temple –
We visited a temple over the News Year’s holiday. A fellow teacher at the school told us this time of year is great to tour the temples because they are decorated beautifully and filled with people. He noted any other time of year the grounds are usually empty and not nearly as beautiful. This particular temple is in our prefecture and we spent the evening as a family touring the grounds, taking in the cultural experience and eating dinner from street vendors.
You can see from the pictures there are many temples on the grounds and the landscape is beautiful. Really makes for some great discussions with the kids when we interact with the culture like this and note the differences from our own personal experiences in the states.
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| Outside a large temple entrance - Nara, Japan |
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| Beautifully decorated temple for the New Year's celebration. |
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| Traditional Japanese decoration made out of bamboo and a cabbage type flower. |
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| One of many stair cases throughout the temple areas. |
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| Buddhist priest worshiping at the temple. |
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| Another temple entrance. |
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| I am still not clear about the meaning of these statues or why they have caps. |
Sunday Afternoon Hike in the Sunshine -Just a few pictures we took on a Sunday afternoon hike. Still strikes me funny how we can be so close to the city and in very little time be in the woods, traipsing through bamboo forests, meandering along streams enjoying the outdoors of Japan. |
| Leaf covered path along bamboo forests. |
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| Small brook near hiking trails. |
We appreciate all of our friends, family and supporters who continue to bless us with care packages from home as well as kind words and prayers. At the risk of saying it too often...I hope you know how much we appreciate your support in its many forms. There is a direct link between our ability to be here and your financial support and prayers. We hope you know you ARE partnering with us in this great adventure. Thank you and God bless you for your generosity and faithful prayers.
In Christ,
K. Chadduck
