Monday night we hosted a Japanese family for dinner. When we planned the meal, the wife offered to bring some homemade-green-tea ice cream. She arrived with it and several othe foods she'd prepared: home-prepared pickled carrots and celery plus a platter of fruits, All was delicious, but especially the fruits.

As Collin, Sheri and I took segments of grapefruit from which the bitter membrane had been removed, "Junko" said, "American people love grapefruit with the peel gone." And we did indeed, taking one piece after another, plus slices of sweet, fresh peaches.

Before this, I'd always cut my grapefruit in half, then used a knife, or a sharp grepefruit spoon, to loosen the flesh from the membrane. Each piece I scooped out iwth a spoon was small.

Eating it as Junko prepared it was a wholly different experience. The pink flesh shimmered and glistened on the black platter, inviting us to eat it. We could plop a big, juicy piece in our mouth all at once. What a joy!

I appreciated the labor Junko had put into this fruit presented us. Perhaps it even took an hour to wash fruit, remove the peach skin and slice, plus prepare the grapefruit. She wanted to bring delight to us, and she did.

Prior to their arrival, I had put into a bowl some tangerines from our tree, whole, with peels on. I didn't bother to bring them out.

What Junko did reminds me of what my allergy/asthma doctor said about her holidays. "I prepared Indian food for my kids, It's about all I can do for them now."

My thinking about food preparation oscillates. How much should a woman should give time to that or expect her family or guests to do it themselves? Feminism, Asian culture and just plain old experience with my own family affects me.

Some thirty years ago, I was astonished to see a guy remove from his brown paper lunch bag an orange that had already been peeled. His wife had done it. I was vexed that she would waste her time doing something he could have done himself.

This morning I removed the peel from two oranges: one for Collin, one for Sheri. I was glad to do that today; I can't say I'll do it tomorrow. Priorities shift from day to day as I try to listen to my heart and submit to the Spirit of God.

Comments

[Daniela DeMatos]

I am enjoying your blog. Even though I live in Tokyo, I am far from immersed in the Japanese culture, as I live in a privileged expat community. Reading your blogs from the perspective of a Christian who understands both the Japanese culture and American culture has been very enlightening.
Enjoying your posts,
Daniela