My family moved from Japan to the USA  in the 1970s because of my father’s work as a surgeon. This is the story of my cooking life in Japan and USA and back to Japan. We lived in Minneapolis, Minnesota for two years. While there, my father often invited his friends, fellow doctors, and nurses to our home for parties. This was often an American-style lunch, the result of my mother studying American cuisine. For example, she liked to cook roast beef with gravy. That was really delicious. My younger brother and I waited for it in front of the oven in anticipation.

After we returned to Japan, father hosted home parties there as well. Mother was the chef and her three sons were the assistants and waiters. We enjoyed it a lot.

Mother cooked heaping amounts of food because of her three boys. We ate a lot and the dishes she cooked soon disappeared. She was a dietitian, so she cooked healthy foods very well. She retired from her job after getting married, though. She excelled at traditional Japanese dishes as well as Chinese and American foods. I usually helped mother cooking, which allowed me the privilege of sometimes tasting a morsel with my fingers, a privilege I found very funny.

Cooking Life in Japan

I began cooking in earnest when I was still a primary school pupil. I belonged to the cooking club at school. These days, boys cooking is no longer anything out of ordinary, but at that time most club members were girls. There were only two boys in the club, and about thirty other members were girls. The first recipe I mastered was rice-flour dumplings. After club hours, I cooked them to share with family and neighbors. Forty years later one of my aunts remembers my cooking and how much she enjoyed it.

My mother cooked, but on the other hand, my father loved cameras and taking photos. So, I began using a camera in junior high school. I belonged to the photo club in our junior high school. We used film cameras, because digital cameras didn’t exist at that time. I took some photos around the school and developed them at a science room and that was the beginning of my camera life.

Now, I’m in charge of dinner because my wife works far from home. I come back earlier than she does, so I cook dinner and wait for her. Recently, I’ve become interested in Thai cuisine, because there are some Thai restaurants in Yokohama where I live, and we can easily get necessary ingredients such as for num pla: fish sauce and coriander.

About six years ago I began taking photos of the food that I cooked. Today, I cook meals and take photos that I post on social media. Sharing my creations tells the story of my cooking life in Japan and USA. The joy and happiness in them are my pleasure.

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