As the water shortage issue worsens in California amid multi-year drought conditions driven by climate change, the state is exploring more ways to encourage water conservation. Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state legislature have invested $5.2 billion over three years “to support the immediate drought response and built water resilience,” his Website states. He signed […]
THE GOCHISO GOURMET: Portable food
April 28, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Although I technically now have all the time in the world since leaving the productive workforce, it seems that sometimes I’m still pressed for time. Maybe it’s because I have stepped up my exercise regimen from one hour of cardio on my bike once a week to three times a week, as well as finally […]
THE GOCHISO GOURMET: Waste not, want not
March 31, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Earlier this year, I decided to make that move to the next chapter in life, namely I retired. Though I’m eligible to make withdrawals to my retirement savings accounts, I decided to hold off until Ms. S also retires, as most of our retirement savings are in standard retirement accounts that are fully taxable once […]
THE HEART OF KANJI: Adversity is a good master
March 31, 2022 by Leave a Comment
逆境 (Gyakkyou) means “adversity.” The left side of the character 逆 represents a path and the right side represents a person upside down. The left side of the character 境 indicates soil and the right side indicates the sound of footsteps. For the character 良 (yoki), the top lines indicate a box and the lines […]
FINDING YOUR NIKKEI ROOTS: Are you my cousin? (Part one)
March 17, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Understanding relationships is an important part of every family history journey. However, understanding relationship terminology can get a bit confusing. Half, first, removed, great, grand, step, foster, adoptive, genetic and fictive. These are just a smattering of kinship terms used in genealogy. Let’s start with “cousin.” First cousins share a set of grandparents. In other […]
THE GOCHISO GOURMET: Layered and baked goodness
February 17, 2022 by Leave a Comment
I’m sure everyone has sampled that classic dish that layers flat sheets of pasta with a meat-laden tomato-based sauce interspersed with ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheese that’s then topped with more cheese and baked until bubbly and golden. Yes, I’m referring to lasagna. It was first mentioned in a poem in Italy in the 13th […]
THE GOCHISO GOURMET: Liquid soybeans
January 20, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Though I reach for that penguin shaped bottle with the almost black liquid on a regular basis, I never really looked into the origin of shoyu … until now. In the 50th, especially in the Tatsumoto household, the only shoyu on the table was Aloha Shoyu. No Kikkoman or other shoyu that was created in […]
THE GREAT UNKNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN GREAT: Rediscovering artist and political activist Chuzo Tamotsu
January 6, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Chuzo Tamotsu, a colorful figure, was one of the most skilled and visible members of the circle of Issei artists in New York in the 1930s. Chuzo Tamotsu (aka Tamotzu) was born in Japan on Feb. 19, 1891, and grew up in the village of Toguchi. During his school years, he began studying both Japanese […]
THE GOCHISO GOURMET: The seafood of Oshogatsu
January 1, 2022 by Leave a Comment
I grew up with a mixture of Oshogatsu (Japanese New Year) traditions in the 1960s and 1970s. But for the most part, I didn’t know the significance of these traditions. Though Ojiichan (Grandpa) was Issei from Hiroshima, his only tradition was serving scalding sake from Mom’s gold anodized tea kettle just past midnight, as it […]
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THE GREAT UNKNOWN AND THE UNKNOWN GREAT: Comic strips as vehicles of social and political commentary
One area of 20th century popular culture that is fascinating for historians to interpret is the comic strip. The first strips were introduced in the United States at the turn of the 20th century. They quickly attracted mass readerships and boosted newspaper circulation. (The term “yellow journalism” was even coined in reference to the lowbrow […]