Dinner with the Endos and Kozue's Family

We love when we are invited into a home for a meal.  It is always a delightful and cultural experience.  Japanese people are gracious and giving and are excellent cooks.  We always are treated like we are a king and queen. 

In a traditional Japanese home, everyone sits around a low table in the living room.  Cushions are provided for sitting on.  During the winter, the table is covered with a blanket and everyone puts their feet and legs under the blanket as there is a heater under there for warmth.  Most Japanese homes don't have central heating, so that heater is important.  There is usually a toyo heater going in the room, too.  Below is a picture of one.  The homes are not well insulated, so the rooms are cold.  

Dinner at Sister Endo's home

Sister Endo is a wonderful sister in the branch.  Her son is our young branch president.  She had them and all of us missionaries to dinner a few weeks ago.  It was a delicious and delightful cultural experience.  They made sukiyaki for us.  Sukiyaki is made right at the table.  Meat and vegetables are cooked in a delicious sauce. 

I love, love these dear people.  Sister Endo is a kind and good person.  We discovered that she and are just a few days apart in age, so I call her my Japanese twin.  She loves that!  The young Endos are expecting their first baby any minute.  We are so excited!!!

Frying the meat.

This is a picture of Ken and  the very common little heaters that are in nearly all  Japanese homes. 

Adding the sauce.

They use chopsticks to stir and serve the food

Itadakimasu (said "eat a dockie moss") is always said after the prayer and before you eat.

Each person has a little bowl.  You crack a raw egg in it and whip it up with your chopsticks.  Then you put some of the hot sukiyaki in the egg and eat it with some rice.  You can see there are other side dishes, too, but I couldn't tell you what they were.  They tasted good!  The whole dinner was delicious!!  Good food with dear friends!

The highlight of this evening is when we asked everyone what their hobbies were.  Each told of something they really enjoyed doing.  When we got to President Endo, he turned to his wife and said that his spare time now is spent in preparing for their baby and planning how to be good parents.  It was just such a sweet and non-Japanese response.  Theirs will be a Christ-centered home.  What a joy it is to see the gospel in action in a non-Christian nation!

Kozue's Family

You know Kozue.  She was married recently and I reported her Sweet Honey Pancake Party.  She lived with her parents before marrying.  They live over an hour from Tsuruoka.  She and her husband came home for the weekend last week and they invited us to dinner on Saturday night.  She is the only member in her family.  She longs for her family to have the gospel.  They used to be opposed to the church, but have softened lately, especially after they came to their daughter's reception.  They are such nice people.  We thoroughly enjoyed the evening with them. 

The drive out to their beautiful home in the countryside was absolutely gorgeous!

Kozue's Dad.  He went deep sea fishing Saturday morning to provide much of our meal.  He caught squid and fish.  Koz's mom fried the squid to perfection for fried calamari.  It was just delicious. 

The morning's catch

Koz's Dad made that fresh fish into sashimi (raw fish- a delicacy in Japan)  It was delicious.  They serve it with soy sauce and wasabi.

Koz and her mother cooked delicious tomato soup right on the table.  It was a tomato-based soup full of delicious things: chicken, wieners, and lots of vegetables.  She also made a delicious green salad.

Another of the morning's catch.  You can see the heater in the background.

This is Koz's delightful family: Koz, Ken, her mom, her very cute and funny sister, Chika, her dad, and her husband.  I brought cream puffs for dessert.  What a fun evening we had!

At the end of the evening, we were sent home with gifts -(you always leave with gifts!)  A beautiful head of cabbage cut that day from their garden (cabbage survives the snow and cold.  It's amazing) and a Costco box of brownie mixes to use in our missionary labors.  When you leave a Japanese home, they don't just say goodbye at the door.  They all (every one of them) put on shoes and come out to the car with you.  Then they bow and wave and bow and wave and shout Goodbye until you are out of sight.  It is a royal send off. 

We feel honored to have been invited into each of these homes.  The meals were delicious and the company, even better!  Itadakimasu!!!