A feast!

My friend Melissa goes to a family's house for dinner every Tuesday, and ever since I met them, I get invited every once in a while. The family has three children- their two older sons attend college in America, and their high school daughter is studying English. The mom is interested in learning English and LOVES traveling to New York to go shopping! I love getting invited over to their house because it is not a traditional Japanese house (it's big, comfortable, has carpet, and is homey) and because Motoko, the mom, is an AMAZING cook! She prepares so many delicious dishes- every week is like Thanksgiving! I always try to bring something to share, but my meager cookies or brownies look so pathetic next to the feast! So, a sample menu (last week's) was (and everything is homemade-the bread, everything!) potato soup, baked tomatoes with cheese, shrimp and banana fritters, mushrooms and cucumbers sauteed in pesto sauce, a big green salad, a HUGE plate of pasta with tomato sauce, cheesecake with strawberries, kiwis, and whipped cream, apple slices, and a box of See's chocolate. It's seriously some of the best food I've ever eaten, and the presentation is awesome! Needless to say, these dinners last quite a long time, (usually 3-4 hours!), and are filled with awesome food and conversation. Motoko's cooking is so good that she on a Japanese TV program a few weeks ago! I think her friends notimated her to participate in this cooking show that challenged people to cook a big meal for under 500yen (about $5.00). Apparently a TV crew came and followed her around ALL day (17 hours!) while she shopped and cooked. She said it was exhausting! Melissa and I watched the show with them, and saw the whole family and their house on TV. It was pretty cool!