cooking FOR fun
WITH SAM BOZZO
Sakahara-Gonzales Families
Starting the
New Year
Right!
Sakahara-Gonzales Family (l-r):
Kaiden, Gena, Bode, and Fortune
Gonzales with Kathy, Gene, Makena,
Tim, Shea and Karisse Sakahara.
J
udy and I have enjoyed many meals with the
Sakahara-Gonzales families, and each was a great
experience! But for the last few years, New Year’s Day
has been extraordinarily special.
A fabulous feast of Japanese delicacies adorns the dining
room table, prepared by three generations of the family.
Kaiden and Bode (grandsons), Fortune Gonzales (son-in-
law), Gena Sakahara-Gonzales (daughter), and Kathryn
and Gene Sakahara (parents). And from Hawaii, Tim (son)
and Karisse Sakahara (daughter-in-law) along with their
children, Shea and McKenna, visited Gilroy for the holidays
and participated in the cooking.
This year, Tim’s family prepared a special edamame
dish, with garlic, of course. Gene said, “when you get
one Sakahara you get the whole family.” Gene notes that
celebrating New Years is very prevalent in Asian culture
and has history in the Sakahara household. He remembered
as a child, his step-mother and his sister, Alice, prepar-
ing traditional dishes before the clock struck the New
Year’s hour. Then on New Year’s morning his father would
take Gene and his younger brother, Dale, to the homes of
relatives and friends wishing them a “Happy New Year!”
Back at home, the New Year’s morning would start with
rice cake and o-zoni (soup). It was made from mochi (rice
cakes) before the arrival of the New Year and eaten only for
that celebration. The mochi was made from a sweet, sticky
rice steamed, pounded, and molded by hand into little
round pillows. I recall eating the mochi while traveling
through Japan. Gene loved it too, especially with soy sauce
and sugar.
Not only was our experience eating the New Year’s
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Japanese delicacies wonderful, but we’ve also learned to
appreciate the time, the preparation, the traditions and the
symbolism. Here are some examples: Prawns (ebi), shaped like
an elderly person and represent longevity. Red pink or white
fish cakes (amaboko) represent the successfulness of the rising
sun. Lotus root (renkon) has holes in it so that we can see to
the year ahead. Taro (satoimo) represents an important person.
Carrots and white daikon radish when cooked with other
vegetables represents the colors of happiness.
On New Year’s Day, the family participated in cooking
chicken teriyaki, shrimp and vegetable tempura, sushi, and
noodle (somen) salad. Check out two of the recipes that
were made on New Year’s.
Judy and I and the Sakahara’s were pleased that J Chris
and Larry Mickartz from
TODAY were able to
experience the feast and to appreciate the gathering of family
and friends. A special thank you to the Sakahara-Gonzales
family for opening their homes for both the preparation and
the holiday feast.
When Gene was younger, he thought the New Year’s
celebrations was just about eating good food and bidding
good cheer. He now recognizes the celebration has family
and traditional significance. As a third generation Japanese
American (Sansei), the New Year’s celebration and mak-
ing the traditional foods continues with his children and
grandchildren and hopefully …for many future generations.
It should be noted that while Kathryn Cooke Sakahara’s
ancestry is from Sweden, she also has mastered the art of
Japanese cooking and fully accepts the values and traditions
that goes along with it.
And remember, “cooking is fun.”
gmh
APRIL/MAY 2018
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