Illston on the Hill WI
Illston on the Hill WI invited Yuki Dixon to talk about and demonstrate Japanese food. What a very charming lady! Moved from Tokyo to USA, back to Tokyo, met her Welsh husband and moved to England some nineteen years ago. Although she has lots of academic qualifications, her great love is Japanese food.
This was reflected in her enthusiasm for her native country, with its beautiful mountains, volcanoes and surrounding seas. The temperature can vary dramatically from the north at 1˚C and the south at 23˚C– all on the same day! It was interesting to hear that junior schools in Japan have ‘dinner ladies’ who give each child a selection of foods. The children then take them to an area where there is a pie chart including protein, fat, sugar, vitamins, etc. The children then match up their lunch with the chart, thus achieving healthy and balanced diets. I wonder how this would go down in the UK!
Yuki asked for a couple of volunteers to demonstrate – with her – the making of sushi. Sue and Jane were our guinea pigs. After a layer of seaweed, then rice, vegetables are added (in layers) as well as salmon and tuna, seasoning etc. It is a very time consuming and exacting process and our girls achieved wonderful results, all of which were sampled by the onlookers. Mixed reviews, some liked it, some not so keen on raw fish, but the end results looked quite beautiful. Yuki talked about her beloved Japan and has inspired us to visit. Very tempting.
As usual we enjoyed cakes and tea afterwards. Next month we welcome Canine Partners.
Jane Shute
Nature Notes – Kibworth Starlings
