I AM ONNA ! Hear me ROAR !

Kanji practice ...livelier than you'd think.

But how can you tell the difference between onna no squid-hats and otoko no squid-hats?

Migi. No, HIDARI, HIDARI! Your OTHER hidari ... STOP STOP TOMARE!!

After learning some basic "direction" words, we took turns guiding a blindfolded partner
through a maze. Using ONLY Japanese.

Class dinner at Matsuya

On Thursday February 4 we all met at Matsuya Japanese Restaurant in Florence. Those who'd been there before knew what a treat they were in for. Newcomers to Japanese cuisine now have an idea what at least SOME Japanese food is about. We missed Angie, though.

Matsushita-san and his staff served up a tasty kaiseki meal featuring:

- Appetizers of konyaku and gobo, tamagoyaki (omelet) and shumai (dumplings)

- Sushi, including ebi (shrimp), maguro (tuna) and tako (octopus)

- Nimono (simmered lotus root, bamboo shoot, potato, carrot and other veggies)

- Tempura

You might call the formal kaiseki style "high end" cuisine. When we meet for the noodle-tasting, we'll take a taste of the other end of the scale. Inexpensive but delicious noodles of different types.