Artist Allen West

This week I had the opportunity to attend a presentation given by artist Allen West. He is an established painter of traditional Japanese art (Nihonga in Japanese). More specifically, his style is from the Kano school and he has been referred to as the last remaining painter of the Kano school in Japan. Interesting given that he’s gaijin, a foreigner from America. His work is mostly commissioned and large scale, often Japanese folding screens called byobu, or hanging scrolls called kakemono. His demonstration revealed the arduous nature of his work. He spends most of his time kneeling on a wooden plank he’s placed on top of the piece on which he’s working, which is lying on the floor. He communicated it takes about two to three months to finish one screen. The materials are pricey as they contain bits of coral, precious stone, or gold or silver leaf. Well worth it since these characteristics cause the art to magnificently radiate in sunlight. His work is stunning and I hope to make it to his studio, which is an old car repair station with walls of glass, or visit his exhibit that will be in our neighborhood in May.

NPR's Health Care For All

Since I just did a post relating to health care, I'd like to share the link for reports I've enjoyed reading produced by National Public Radio (NPR). They've assembled a series that captures how countries in Western Europe have managed their health programs. They are insightful and varied. They encompass Germany, France, Netherlands, UK, and Switzerland. If interested, follow this LINK and scroll down. As an American, I find it helpful to read about more than just Canada's national health care since it's reputation is tainted with long waits and delayed access. Sure the reality is less than utopia, but some countries have achieved reasonable success, which is encouraging.

Hospital Bill

Our assignment to Tokyo includes global health insurance provided by Ryan’s employer. We are not participating in the Japanese National Health Insurance but can receive services from doctors, clinics, or hospitals that are part of the national program. We pay the expenses ourselves and file a claim for reimbursement with our US based health insurance company. This is what we’ll do for Roo’s recent tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. Going into it, we had no concrete information about the cost, but we did have a general gut feel. We initially thought we’d have to pay the bill prior to the hospital discharge, but while we were standing around waiting for someone to tell us where to pay, an English speaking nurse kindly explained that since we’re being discharged on a Sunday the bill will come to us in the mail. Today our curiosity was put to rest and we received a bill for 453,420Yen. At today’s exchange rate that is $4,944.16. I looked online and from what I can tell, this procedure in the United States would cost about $13,000. I understand without the detail of what’s included it’s hard to make a fair comparison. What I do know is that our bill includes a four night hospital stay in a private room in a modern facility that gives the impression everything clicks like clockwork. In the US we were told to expect the procedure to be outpatient requiring zero nights in the hospital. As America embarks on it’s journey towards a national health policy, I feel fortunate to have had the exposure to what success looks like. It can be done, and it can be done well.

Spinach & Basmati Rice Soup

I’m always looking for tasty ways to consume more vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables chock full of micro nutrients. So, this evening I’m relishing the taste of a surprisingly pleasant dish I prepared for the first time, Spinach and Basmati Rice Soup. What’s made me even happier is that I didn’t follow the recipe from my Moosewood Restaurant New Classics Cookbook to the T. Instead, I improvised to fit my families’ preferences, using the recipe as a suggestion. For some, this might not be an accomplishment worthy of a blog post, but for me it signifies progress in my quest for culinary skill. I learned to cook from a book. Oh, and I mustn’t forget seventh grade home economics. I don’t recall watching my mother cook and I’ve always been a little jealous of stories, real or in novels, where families convene in the kitchen for hours chopping, dicing, talking, creating. And, as a chemist I tend to value precise measurements. This helps to explain why my goal to cook more off the cuff is a bit of a stretch and why tonight’s sensation was a surprise. I don’t have any photos of the soup to entice readers. It’s difficult to make pureed green look appetizing. But, if you’re inclined to try, below is a rough guess recipe I‘ll use when I try to repeat.

Spinach and Basmati Rice Soup, served with naan
1 T vegetable oil
1 c chopped leeks
1 T garlic grated*
½ t cumin
½ t coriander
¼ t paprika
½ t salt
Pinch of cayenne
1 potato, peeled & diced
3 c water
2 vegetable bouillon**
1 large bunch of spinach, washed
½ c basmati rice, uncooked
1 small box of coconut cream***
Pepper to taste
Naan, warmed in oven
Saute leek and garlic in oil for 2 minutes. Stir in cumin, coriander, paprika, cayenne, and salt. Add water, bouillon, and potato. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook until potato is tender. Add spinach, stems and all, cover and cook until wilted and stems are tender, it only takes a few minutes. Allow to cool slightly. Puree in two batches in the blender. Return to sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Stir in coconut cream. Add rice and more water, if needed, to achieve preferred consistency. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add pepper to taste. Serve with warm naan.
* I use a wasabi grater to grate cloves.
** I used a no salt added product by the German company Natur Compagnie.
*** Could probably use standard size can of coconut milk.

Volcano experiment

With no school this week we decided to tackle our volcano project that I had intentionally set aside for after our visit to Mt. Kilauea in Hawaii. Waiting several days for the paper mache to dry was a test in patience but well worth the excitement. Friends were at our home during different stages in the project and Roo was anxious to share. “Pretty cool” according to Roo.

Roo building the cone shape with paper mache. It took several days to dry.

Yoshito helped to paint the cone dark brown. Later that night, Roo added the red for the hot lava look.
The next day he and Kieran played scientist and created fizzy eruptions with baking soda and red vinegar.

Then they dressed up as super heroes.

The kit was from a New Zealand company called seedling.

The Children's Castle

Today we visited Komodo no Shiro (children’s castle) with some friends from the neighborhood. This is an awesome, inexpensive, enormous, public play building for children. There are seven levels, including the two underground. We spent most of our time on the rooftop which has two large ball pits and a tricycle riding space. We made our way to the art room where the craft for today was cellophane vegetables. Roo constructed a carrot, which was quickly reclassified as a “rocket”, and Yoshito kun made a daikon radish. Another favorite is the art wall at which the children paint freely. No visit to the castle is complete without a stop in the music room to experiment with quality instruments including drums, pianos, and wooden xylophones. We didn’t even make it to the audio room, the open gym, or the pool. A day at the castle definitely ends with exhaustion, but the good kind that comes from playing hard.

Yoshito's mommy, Haruko, was a good sport in the ball pit.

Roo on a tricycle.
The painting wall.

Notice the look on Roo's face as he's pretending to eat the carrot.

In addition to these drums, there are several varieties of African drums.

Roo on the xylophone.

Our visit to Tsubasa's home

This week there is no school for Roo, and Ryan had off Wednesday because of a national holiday. This gave us a chance to make our way to near Chiba for an overnight visit with Roo’s friend that attended the same preschool, Tsubasa. Tsuabasa’s family has moved to a new home they built on property that has been in the family for many (at least ten) generations. It’s very unique in that it’s surrounded by acres of trees that have survived pestering developers. Buildings remain that were constructed during the edo period. Their home, designed by Tsubasa’s father, is bright and modern, two elements both Ryan and I love. We had a wonderful visit and enjoyed much delicious food prepared by Tsubasa’s mother. Of course the boys enjoyed playing. Roo was hesitant to trek through the forest, but soon became distracted by the abundance of sticks and dirt to dig, or “jack hammer” as he called it.

Tsubasa & Roo happy to see each other and play with toys.

A walk in the forest.

Digging & "jackhammering".


Delicious Japanese nabe and shabu shabu.

The boys chasing Tsubasa's papa.

Roo playing with Tsubasa's little brother.