Flavor Boulevard

We Asians like to talk food.
Subscribe

Summer Festival in Concord

August 17, 2012 By: Mai Truong Category: Japanese, Opinions, The more interesting

Clockwise from top left: Master Hideko Metaxas (in blue) and two assistants arranging an example of Rikka Shofutai; a free-style arrangement in honor of the victims and the philanthropists in the Tohoku Tsunami 2011; an Ikenobo sensei arranging a free-style display; Shoka (left) versus Rikka (right)

Learn something new everyday. At the Japanese American Summer Festival in Concord this year, I absorbed an hour of Ikenobo ikebana art, which is really, really, really rudimentary, but at least now I know that the Rikka style involves nine elements, and the Shoka style three elements (heaven, earth and man).

That day was also the first I’ve heard of the “Three Friends of Winter” sho chiku bai (pine, bamboo and plum), and this astonished me because 1. I’d never encountered any old Chinese things that my mom hasn’t told me about, and 2. it involves plum blossom, which is my name. There’s no way I wouldn’t know that my name is part of a trio that appears in Asian arts and folklores at lunar new year time. My memories must have been failing. 🙁 Anyhow, Nancy made a beautiful onigiri box that follows the sho chiku bai theme:

Homemade sho chiku bai onigiri by Nancy Togami: white onigiri with aonori and sesame (sho), yellow onigiri with fukujinzuke (chiku), and pink umeboshi onigiri (bai)

The rice balls, particularly the fukujinzuke ones (soy sauce pickles), go oh so well with the teriyaki chicken sold at the festival. For $5 you get a quarter of a chicken, either white or dark meat. I chose dark meat of course, a big juicy leg and thigh, but the white meat that Nancy picked also looked gleaming. Kenji-san went with 8 skewers of beef teriyaki for $8. We noshed while listening to the taiko drum performance. In the 110-degree heat, I tried not to stare at the kids swooshing their shaved ice, diverted my thoughts instead to the juniper and Japanese maple bonsai.


Mom is an avid believer against potted plants and caged birds, and I don’t even support cutting grass. But these miniature trees are undeniably works of art.

That said, if Mom and I were given one of these, first thing we do is removing the tree from the pot and digging it a nice warm hole in our front yard. 😉

0 Comments to “Summer Festival in Concord”


  1. quick paraswap review

    1
  2. solid tornado cash mixer

    2
  3. handy privacy tool

    3
  4. sell nft ETH live

    4
  5. solid otc nft

    5
  6. I discovered your blog site on google and check a few of your early posts. Continue to keep up the very good operate. I just additional up your RSS feed to my MSN News Reader. Seeking forward to reading more from you later on!…

    6
  7. Have you ever considered about adding a little bit more than just your articles? I mean, what you say is important and all. But think about if you added some great photos or videos to give your posts more, “pop”! Your content is excellent but with pics and clips, this site could definitely be one of the most beneficial in its niche. Good blog!

    7
  8. Yay google is my king helped me to find this great site! .

    8
  9. Really good info can be found on web blog.

    10
  10. Excellent web site. Plenty of helpful information here. I’m sending it to some pals ans also sharing in delicious. And obviously, thanks on your sweat!

    11
  11. It’s in point of fact a great and helpful piece of information. I am happy that you shared this useful information with us. Please keep us up to date like this. Thank you for sharing.

    12
  12. Just wanna say that this is invaluable, Thanks for taking your time to write this.

    13
  13. Great tremendous things here. I’m very happy to peer your article. Thanks so much and i am having a look ahead to contact you. Will you please drop me a mail?

    14
  14. I would like to thnkx for the efforts you have put in writing this blog. I am hoping the same high-grade blog post from you in the upcoming as well. In fact your creative writing abilities has inspired me to get my own blog now. Really the blogging is spreading its wings quickly. Your write up is a good example of it.

    15
  15. easy stablecoin convert

    16
  16. This design is incredible! You definitely know how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Great job. I really enjoyed what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!

    17
  17. Hi, Neat post. There’s an issue with your website in internet explorer, might test thisK IE still is the market leader and a huge component of people will leave out your fantastic writing because of this problem.

    18
  18. Throughout the awesome pattern of things you actually receive an A just for hard work. Where exactly you confused me personally was first in your facts. As people say, the devil is in the details… And it couldn’t be more correct right here. Having said that, allow me inform you exactly what did work. Your authoring is incredibly powerful which is most likely the reason why I am making an effort to opine. I do not really make it a regular habit of doing that. Second, although I can certainly see the jumps in logic you come up with, I am not necessarily convinced of exactly how you appear to unite the points that produce the actual conclusion. For the moment I will yield to your position but trust in the future you actually connect the dots much better.

    19
  19. I’ve read a few just right stuff here. Certainly price bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how so much attempt you put to make the sort of excellent informative site.

    20
  20. Terrific work! This is the type of information that should be shared around the internet. Shame on Google for not positioning this post higher! Come on over and visit my site . Thanks =)

    21
  21. certainly like your website however you have to take a look at the spelling on quite a few of your posts. Several of them are rife with spelling problems and I find it very bothersome to tell the reality however I will certainly come back again.

    22
  22. I enjoy the efforts you have put in this, thank you for all the great blog posts.

    23
  23. Simply a smiling visitant here to share the love (:, btw outstanding design and style. “Justice is always violent to the party offending, for every man is innocent in his own eyes.” by Daniel Defoe.

    24
  24. Aavant produces the best photography, event and theatre backdrops in the world and works for almost all the biggest players in the world. Being in backdrops industry for last two decades it is the largest player in the world, providing highest quality backdrops to every buyer from USA to Australia.

    25
  25. I like this site so much, saved to favorites. “To hold a pen is to be at war.” by Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire.

    26
  26. I needed to put you a very small word to thank you over again with the fantastic advice you have discussed at this time. This has been simply surprisingly generous with you to give unhampered all a few individuals could possibly have advertised as an ebook in order to make some dough for themselves, especially given that you could have tried it if you ever desired. The inspiring ideas as well served as the great way to be sure that someone else have the identical interest the same as my own to see significantly more concerning this condition. I am sure there are lots of more pleasurable situations ahead for individuals who start reading your website.

    27
  27. Would love to always get updated outstanding website! .

    28
  28. I’m impressed, I must say. Actually hardly ever do I encounter a weblog that’s each educative and entertaining, and let me let you know, you’ve got hit the nail on the head. Your concept is outstanding; the issue is something that not sufficient persons are speaking intelligently about. I am very pleased that I stumbled across this in my seek for something relating to this.

    29
  29. WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..extra wait .. …

    30
  30. I like this website very much, Its a rattling nice position to read and find information.

    31
  31. quick swap stablecoin guide

    32
  32. swap stablecoin wallet solid

    33
  33. I very happy to find this website on bing, just what I was searching for : D too bookmarked.

    35
  34. Some truly nice and useful information on this web site, also I conceive the pattern has fantastic features.

    36
  35. Pretty section of content. I just stumbled upon your web site and in accession capital to assert that I acquire actually enjoyed account your blog posts. Any way I will be subscribing to your feeds and even I achievement you access consistently fast.

    37


Leave a Reply