Don't Drink the Kool-Aid

Matthew & Christopher June '09

Japanese junior high is a bit like prison.  Both institutions strive to maintain order among their “inmates” by implementing strict dress codes and rules of conduct designed to keep natural impulses in check.  The food shares similar attributes:  lots of volume, with no flavor, dressed up to be quasi-palatable. 

After our oldest son, Christopher, left for Winter/Spring semester in a California high school last January, the heart sort of went out of our house.  Around that time, our 14-year-old son, Andrew began making noises about attending Japanese school.  Until now, our kids have always been homeschooled, though I often used teachers from my English school to help out with the process.  Matthew was (at the time) still holding out for living with my older sister and going four years to a new high school in Gilroy, CA.  But Christopher coming back to Japan in June put a stop to that idea.  Christopher had plenty of stories to relate about American high school life and none sounded good to Matthew.  On an about face, he joined Andrew’s appeals.  Finding no other workable solution, we agreed to let them enter the local junior high in September…with certain stipulations:  they needed to continue their English on-line course, they needed to read English books and they needed to prioritize the family.  They would still accompany me on trips and they would find time to continue pottery and jujitsu.  Andrew also had to arrange an evening time he could intern with Kanchan, at Soba Ro.  School was not going to become the most important thing in their lives.

And I told them one more thing:  “Don’t drink the kool-aid.”

Perhaps our home-centered life seems strange to most people.  Perhaps it is.  But strange does not necessarily mean bad.  And one other thing I told Andrew and Matthew: “You are different.  There is no escaping it from the way you look and the way we live.  You will always be different no matter where you are, Japan or the U.S..  Learn to live with that and don't try to be like everyone else.”

Christopher experienced a lot of frustration in American high school life (both public and private).  Despite knowing that he came from Japan, most teachers viewed him as American.  Because he walks and talks like one.  But he’s not.  I explained to the teachers at length how truly Japanese Christopher was.  They still expected him to be more forthcoming.  To raise his hand in class and be talkative.  Christopher finds this to be unseemly or show-off behavior, so he hid behind letting them think him “shy.”  So much easier than trying to explain.  This August Christopher attended summer session at one of the most respected prep schools in the U.S..  Half the kids were foreigners, and Christopher found himself able to not only negotiate both the American world and the Japanese friends’ world, but he also found himself a go-between.  His new friends looked to him for clarification and elucidation regarding cultural differences.  Christopher came back visibly reflective and newly perceptive of his unique position in the world.

So, we’ll see what happens with Andrew and Matthew.

Matthew & Andrew September '09

Even without enrolling in the almost mandatory club activities, they now spend 7 or 8 hours a day at school.  The kids in clubs don’t come home until after dark, only to leave again quickly for (the almost mandatory) cram school.  Dinner?  Probably something picked up at the local convenience store.  Family life?  Non-existent.

Hmm.  Who’s bringing up the kids?  No big surprise that disaffection and young people killing family members is on the rise in Japan.

At our entrance meeting with the Vice-Principal and teachers, I explained that family life is just as, if not more important, than school.  Our children are not only Japanese, they have a whole other half that needs to be cultivated and explored.  The teachers nodded, surprised that I wanted the kids home.  I suppose many parents are happy to have the schools take over the difficult job of raising teen-agers.  I slipped in about the February trip to the U.S..  Their eyes glazed over.  More head nodding.  More conflict to come.

The town office education section had already told me that bringing lunch to junior high was a no go.  Unless your kid has allergies, he has to eat the school lunch (kyushoku).   Not one to give up, I explained (with much passion) about how food is deeply imbedded in our life and how important it is to us that our children put “clean” food into their bodies.  Food grown and prepared by us.  The vice-principal told me the school lunch was delicious (ha).  He assured me that he and the principal taste the food each day before giving it to the children.  Frustrated that he had completely not understood my words, I laughed, and said that was not my concern (not really, but food safety is an issue in Japan now).  Knowing when to retreat, I slipped him the Slow Food Japan magazine featuring my article on school gardens and school lunch.  I asked him to read it and said he might learn something.  Education is a trust and being open-minded makes for effective educators.  Junior high didn’t look promising.

As suspected, the food was inedible.  Andrew and Matthew choked it down, but had to clean out their systems with some “real food” when they got home from school.  Matthew, not wanting to make waves, at first said it was “OK.”  He missed the first day of meatballs, but had some “sweet” udon noodles the second day.  Day three was curry rice.  Matthew is a curry rice connoisseur, so it was painful to eat the one at school.  He drew the line there and agreed to bring a lunch. 

I bought the boys some bento boxes and thermoses for our local grass-fed cow milk.  Andrew had reported the milk tasted like nothing.  “How can milk taste like nothing?” he asked me.  On reflection, he continued, “No, it tasted like shit.  Really.  You could taste the cow shit.”  His not very eloquent, yet nonetheless heartfelt assessment of the first day lunch: “the rice tasted bad, the meatballs were disgusting, the vegetables ‘crap’ and I couldn't eat the soup.”  Hmm.  Sounds good.  Monday, September 7^th is Time for Lunch—a day dedicated to Slow Food U.S.A.’s call to put “real food” back in the schools.  So today, Andrew and Matthew are taking “real food” to school for lunch. 

With a note.

Late Summer Pizza

This dough recipe is adapted from Gourmet—it requires only a 1 3/4 hour rise time, but you can easily cut that down to 1 1/4 if you have faith and a warm environment.  The crust in the photo turned out a lot thicker because of the humid summer weather and an over long rise time.

Dough method:  Stir together 1 pack dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp), 1 Tbsp best quality unbleached flour and 1/4 cup warm water in large bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.  Then add 1 1/3 cups (200 grams) unbleached best quality bread flour (i.e. King Arthur), 1/2 cup (120cc) warm water, 1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt a d 1/2 tablespoon good quality olive oil.

Knead on a marble surface (if possible) dusting as needed with flour—this is a wet, sticky dough, depending on the flour and weather.  Keep adding flour judicially until the dough is not a mess and can be successfully kneaded for about 20 or more turns.  A pastry scraper is helpful for this task.  Mid-knead, put a little flour into your mixing bowl to clean out the lingering dough and incorporate that into your pizza dough.  After successfully kneading the dough for about 100 turns, then return dough to the large bowl and place a damp non-terry kitchen towel on top of dough.  Place bowl in a warm spot (i.e. on flour heating, near oven…not in sunlight and not in contact with direct heat blast).

Cooking Method:  Heat oven (preferably gas or wood burning) to 500F+.  Use convection if you have it.  Make sure you have your rack positioned at the bottom of the oven.  One pizza will feed 2 hungry adults, so plan accordingly.  Cook and eat as you go so that everyone (including you) is getting piping hot pizza when they’re ready for the next slice.

Constructing Method:  Line the inverted side of a heavy baking sheet with parchment paper and dust generously with semolina flour. Stretch your risen pizza dough carefully into a largish oval (you want it to be thin but not have holes) and lay on parchment paper.  Drizzle a little olive oil on the dough and smooth it out the outer edges.

Sprinkle on grated organic mozzarella cheese, thin sliced red onions and green peppers, halved cherry tomatoes and a little fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake:  15+ minutes until crust is crispy and top cheese is bubbling a bit but not browning.

Optional Egg:  We have some double eggs on our farm, so I thought they’d be good for the pizzas.  For the uninitiated, quite large eggs are usually double yolk eggs and come from older chickens.  Make a little nest in the center of the pizza and break an egg in there before you slide it into the oven.

Anchovies:  You can find pretty good ones in large cans from the Italian deli’s.  Though salting your own is really worth it and very easy.  I served the anchovies in olive oil on the side for this pizza because I wasn’t “feeling them.”  As they say, sometimes less is more.

Comments

[Brandon martin]

I think twinkies should be included in the time for lunch menu!

[joanne godley]

Wow--the cultural issues you raise in this article almost trump the food (in terms of interesting topics)!
How dare the school Vice Principal try to go 'toe-to-toe' with you on the issue of 'clean' food!
I guess he didn't know with whom he was dealing . . .!

[preeva tramiel]

I suppose you could say your children are allergic to preservatives, artificial flavors, refined sugar,and dough conditioners--you don't have to say it is because they know better, just that they are allergic.

[Rodney Fong]

There are so many thoughts rambling through my frazzled brain right now that I don't know where to begin. The topics you relate in your latest "thoughts" are tied together with a lot of what I have posted previously. Hawaii is like a midway point between Asia and the U.S. Here people have their foundation in culture in Asia, but add a bit of America, and then make everything almost uniquely what we term "local", because it's not really Hawaiian, which is another cultural experience altogether. Your children would fit right in here as far as their looks go. They look a lot like my brother's kids, as he married a girl from Oregon. They are "hapa", that is, half one race, half another. It seems like everyone is hapa something or other. Even my son, who is half local Chinese and half local Japanese, (as opposed to your kids, who would be half "Japan Japanese"), has acquired different cultural things from each of us, as your children have from the two of you.

The school lunch topic is a separate thing, as well. School lunch, varies, but on the whole, my son enjoys it, while my wife, who teaches at the same school, abhors it. A lot has to do with budgetary constraints, with some attention to dietary ones. The staff there ironically are good cooks, some working for the nearby hotels in Waikiki, and often exhibit their culinary talents with some donated foods they have prepared for the staff and students. But there have always been differences wherever you go. My school lunch experience differs from my wife's, and even going back to our Stanford days, it was night and day for the quality of the food service cuisine compared to the Eating Clubs. I remember when Matt and Erik invited me to be a guest at Los Arcos for the first time that I decided that I couldn't go back to eating at the University Food Service.

So much more to talk about, but that is enough for now. A very thought provoking piece.

[Patrick E. Martin]

Man, I wish I had real lunch when I went to high school; I mostly ate pizza bagels made with canned marinara, processed, pre-shredded "cheddar" and some store brand bagel. Microwaved.

[Nancy Singleton Hachisu]

So, not to keep you all in suspense...Monday afternoon the Vice-Principal called Tadaaki to let him know they would let the boys bring bentos. Victory! Thanks for the vote of confidence Joanne, I was ready for a fight. As luck would have it, I had one of the newspapers visiting that day for a feature on our school lunch and garden program at SSU!. I was ready to drag the reporter over to the school if they called about the bentos.

And to Preeva, thanks for your advice, I ended up evoking the Basic Law on Shokuiku (see below). Essentially, I again explained how important growing and eating our own food was. Furthermore, our kids haven't ever eaten convenience store food, fast food or even "family restaurant" food. Since our life and eating habits follow the spirit of the Basic Law on Shokuiku, I felt it important that my children not take backwards steps into the world of prepared foods. And I also pointed out that our children help in the growing of the food, so they are deeply aware of the work involved in producing it and the origin of our food. But to give credit where credit is due, Tadaaki said he crafted his "translation" of my letter in such a way that they could never say no. I'm sure he's more diplomatic than I.

[The Basic Law on Shokuiku (the 63rd law in the year 2005) was enacted in June 2005. What is “Shokuiku”, then ? The Basic Law difines Shokuiku as acquisition of knowledge about
food as well as the ability to make appropriate food choices. Behind the law, there’re a
variety of food and nutrition issues such as a lack of proper concern for food; an increase in
irregular and nutritionally unbalanced meals; a rise in obesity and lifestyle-related diseases;
an excessive desire for being slim especially among young females; outbreak of a series of
incidents related to food safety; over-dependency on food from abroad; and, loss of traditional
food culture in a globalization movement. Some might criticize that eating is such a personal
thing that government shouldn’t regulate by a law. However, Japanese situation over food has
already reached to a crisis point, and that a law had to be enacted in order to address these
issues.]

I don't see much (if any) change in the eating habits of the general public or big improvement in school lunches, but at least there's a law. And that's more than we have in the U.S..

Patrick brings up a really important point (something I've been thinking about a lot as well after Christopher's experience at private school this summer). Patrick went to an excellent boarding school and you can see what kind of food he had to subsist on while he was there. Christopher didn't have anything positive to report about his summer dining experience as well. Considering the high standards of education at these private schools, you have to wonder why they can't hire someone to design a food program offering simple but delicious fare from local ingredients. Worse than the swill is when they try to gussy it up. Oh my god that is just gross and what a huge amount of effort wasted on mediocre food stuffs.

Ok, off the soap box. A nod to my other nephew Brandon with his off-beat comments. Thanks for keeping it light. By the way, in regards to the ankimo sandwich comment from way back...you should know that we just had the best ankimo I have ever had in my life at Soba Ro the other night. The flavor was delicate and slightly nutty with subtle overtones of the sea...yum. They also cut it into thicker medallions than usual. Christopher says that it's rare to get a really good one and Kanchan often just throws away the liver when he gets monkfish because it's not up to snuff.

Thanks for the thoughtful comments Rodney. Start thinking about the mother-in-law subject as that's coming up soon. Potatoes are next, though. We were lucky to have the Eating Clubs, but I remember eating around the food and then eventually surviving on rye bread toast with smashed avocados sprinkled with parmesan cheese (Kraft) if I wasn't cooking. And I have to say the food at the reunions is way above par (though Chez Panisse, it's not). The dinner on the Quad was excellent (and still warm...how do they do that)?