I'm writing a book. It's about mochi.
5/22/18
It all started from a simple question. I was living in Columbus, Ohio at the time, and I had just started a hobby food blog, one of those blogs that your friends follow and comment on, to give you support. It was nothing big, but it was fun, and it was mine :). I was studying to become a masters in English teacher, and cooking at the same time. Little did I know that as soon as I graduated and started teaching, I would not be using my $20,000 masters degree. Instead, I would be cooking, and even more than cooking, I would become a business woman. Never in my life had I imagined it would turn out this way. I loved cooking, but only started cooking for myself in college, and out of necessity. My first love was baking, especially baking scones and macarons. My first cooking class I took in Rome, Italy, which I organized for myself and the other students who were studying abroad with me. When I was taking that cooking class, I never thought about the mechanics of organizing a cooking class; the prep, the structure, the cleaning, etc...Now, it's all I think about, and especially about how to streamline a class, making it as smooth and fun as possible for guests. Let's get back to the question: I asked my mom, "How do you make mochi?". For what reason did I ask this? It sheds light on where I was at the time, in my career, and in my interests. I didn't simply ask my mom this question so that I could make mochi for myself or for my friends. I actually asked it for deeper, and greater things than simply having mochi for myself. I asked because I knew what this skill could become. I had a feeling that learning how to make mochi, a cooking class I had never seen before, was going to lead to greater things in life- and oddly enough, it did. After I learned how to make mochi, which was a lot simpler than I thought it would be, I hosted a mock cooking class with friends; and they paid to be there! Maybe it was to learn how to make mochi, or maybe it was just to support me, but it was the start of something new. We were all standing there, cornstarch covering our aprons and our faces, with satisfied smiles conjured from the taste of purely simple and sweet red bean covered in a chewy yet supple layer of sticky rice. And that was the moment I thought- mochi is going to become more for me than just a dessert. |
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