back to Umai with lavender brownies

I have two days left of my 13 day break from teaching, and I could list some things I had hoped to do...

But I want to talk about doing something. Friday morning as I wrote my post Obama speech post, I was baking lavender brownies to follow up on what I wrote of two weeks ago.

I hit Umai Japanese restaurant in Lansdale with a small Tupperware of brownies and sat down at the sushi bar, another exposure for the introvert.... I could have left them on the doorstep with a note ;') But then I would have missed out on getting to know those two guys who shout out the greetings as folk walk in the door.

I was remembered, which helped, as I handed over the brownies. They smiled. I was handed a menu and saw they had lunch boxes. I smiled. I ordered the shrimp teriyaki box. They ate the brownies. The waitress ate a brownie. The waitress forced my waiter to try a bite of the brownies. My Tupperware was handed back to me. Cleaned and filled with Japanese Fish Balls. I ate one, then another, before I put the lid back on.

I chatted and watched as they made sushi. Turns out his cucumber plants also performed terribly this year. common ground. I asked where he had learned his skill. Wondering about such a thing as sushi school, but was pleased to hear his answer. "That guy (pointing to his right) and that is why he is there (in front of the seafood) and I am here."

Yes, that old fashioned way of learning a trade, apprenticeship is alive and well. I have thought about how much better teacher education would be if we were assigned to master teachers for a few years instead of sitting in classrooms more than practicing teaching. I consumed the miso soup.

The box came with the teriyaki, a green salad, some California roll, two dumplings, and a salad which I would have had to asked, "what am I consuming?" to tell you now. When the meal was over I was given an unasked for piece of deep fried banana. Have I ever told you I love bananas...

I had one last question and as a shy introvert it was eventually asked. What does Umai mean? I was told, "great." Good answer.

a web translator tells me..." delicious, appetizing, skillful, clever, expert"

an hour later rain stopped my harvest of green beans at the school, so I did another thing on my list of things needed to be done. I went through some piles of papers in my classroom, as I snacked on fish balls.

gray haired guy

Looking at myself on the big screen, I was amazed at how the camera had really changed my hair to being quite gray. Oh well.

It was a video highlighting the clubs at my school this past summer. For years I have run a horticulture/cooking club and there I was twice in 20 seconds telling one individual student to stay away from the lavender brownies. Then asked what my objective was, I heard myself say something about food and being adventurous. I have created a mass of people who love lavender in brownies.

Today it was blue potatoes from the garden combined with our garlic and green beans. The student who loved the brownies was hesitant but was also begging for a green pepper (to eat raw). So I told him to eat a blue potato.

Tonight sitting at Umai Japanese Restaurant (another cool thing about Lansdale, PA), I got my payback. We chose to get sushi and Mosaic Woman was not in a decision making mood, so looking away from the menu, I said "3, 7, 8, and 10." And they were all made with raw fish, which we don't do. Number 10 was axed for a veggie option but we went for it. How could the man who forced blue potatoes into the mouths of his students not eat some raw fish. I figured it was most likely safe for I had heard few stories of sushi deaths, except for that one fish.

The last time we were at Umai I actually talked to the folk after being handed Kosugai Flower's Kiss Candy. I found this rating of its texture---

Texture: Flower's Kiss is a round hard candy that's a little bit bigger than Starburst hard candies. Be careful not to cut or puncture your mouth on the shards if you bite down on the candy. Rating: 5 out of 10.

Anyway I asked about the flowers and they knew nothing, just as much as I know after a quick web search. The staff at Umai were intrigued when I told them about cooking with lavender. I do need to let them become part of the grand adventure and stop by the next time I have some brownies.

Maybe my desire to pass on my passion for food will make me immortal, I don't know what else will. Surely not my garden for I am sure one day nature (or bulldozer) will win back the land. However, the joy of eating lavender in brownies, that should last for ever. Looking at that old guy on the big screen, well he looked old anyway with all that gray hair, maybe it is time to really get serious about becoming immortal. Or maybe keep living in the moment and see where that takes me and those who happen to come along.