The Mother Business
The Mother Business
Like many foreigners living in Japan, I bring home the bacon by teaching English. As the owner/operator of Learn & Grow, days are often long, depriving us all of quality “family time”. On the heavy days, Izumi might as well be a single mother, for I’m out of the door before they’re all awake, and home just in time to see the kids to bed. It’s a far from ideal situation, tough on us all, but teaching English remains The Mother Business.
Kitchengardenjapan brings in some income, but it’s beer money really. The financial returns on the time put in are far, far lower than the main gig, but harvesting crates brings other rewards.
Seven sorts. Can you see them all?
Watching the kids scoff this safe stuff down is one, and feeling liberated, free like a kid, brought about by being largely self-sufficient is another.
That feeling peaks every year in late September. The hard-fought, blazing-sun, frantic summer pickings segue into whispy-cloud, cool-breeze stroll, where one can enjoy the harvesting, let one’s mind roam, remember the past…
“Beans, beans, good for your heart,
The More you eat, the more you fart,
The more you fart, the better you feel
So let’s have beans for every meal…”
Certain folk from a certain country and of a certain social standing will surely remember this infamous playground chant. It resurfaced the other day, back from a 30-year hiatus. Here’s why:
Good for the heart...
String beans, wing beans and soy beans, all in one go. An hour spent, like a kid in a candy store, playing hide-and seek among the vines.
Then to home, triumphant, to Izumi, full time wife and mother.
“What are we gonna do with all these???” she said.
“I dunno” I replied. “That’s your business”.
There ya go.
omg thats great. i wish the soil on my land woul be better
It’s mainly due to chicken poop, Ines. So when you get your cows, you’re gonna be rolling in it!
T
you and yer bloody safe vegetables. meh!
seriously – great stuff, good job done. you seem to have got this farming lark down to a fine fart….er….art.
btw what’s the prize for identifying all seven veggies?
Cheers, Julian
No need for you to guess, though. We’re bringing goodies for you to The Moot.
Give it a whack, though. Why not?
Cheers,
T
7 sorts, spotted ! Noice work.
I can report that that chant made its way across the Atlantic at some point, because I remember hearing it when I was younger, too Recently though, as I’ve left most of the bean growing to my j-mom this year, my gas comes from the aigamo duck that lives in the garden. More like a {pfft}, and less like {toot}. He !
ken
And Grandma’s gas, Ken? Thass what we *all* wanna know…….
T
KC – Nicely done on the beans. Re: Cheese. I love cheese, I was thinking of using goats to clear the land we’re looking at and letting them provide us with the raw materials for some lovely soft, spreadable goat cheese. We’ll see how that one goes. You know how it is, all sunshine and rainbows behind these rose tinted glasses.
Cheers IB
We’ll be your first customer, IB. I think I’ve seen one goat in the past nine years…
Cheers to sunshine and rainbows!
T
Haha i hope so. My land is mainly rocks and trash i think…..
Disclaimer: I am still inebriated as I compose this response to your latest mini-masterpiece.
First things first, the seven sorts challenge: upper left corner-something in the jicama family, wing beans, long beans, okra, nasu, green beans, and another pepper, perhaps serrano or thereabouts.
That done, second order of business: the rhyme. The American (the midwest variation is all I can personally vouch for) goes:
Beans, beans, the magical fruit. The more you eat, the more you toot. The more you toot, the better you feel. So eat beans with every meal.
Third, the picture of Izumi-chan is comical, as her hair is swept in such a manner that it appears she has a moustache, which I know is not true.
And in closing, even though we have only met once, maybe twice, and even though I am fairly certain I have said this in one form or another, I thoroughly enjoy your posts: it keeps me connected to one of the single best years of my life.
Keep on carrying on,
Tavis
Tavis, wot to say? I’m glad you like the blog, am glad it reminds you of good times, too. It was sad timing that we met each other just before you left for home.
Thanks very much for your comments. Good to hear that true poetry is intercontinental;) I shall not tell Izumi about the mustashioed bit, though. For your ake and mine.
Keeping on carrying on. You too, I hope.
All the best,
T
Love it Tom, the combination of including your family life with food. What do you do with the soya?
Hi Sis,
The soya is just boiled and then either eaten or frozen. You’ll have eaten edamame before, I’m sure…
T