Batayaki

While I was in Utah, Dad and Elaine hosted a birthday party for one of my step sisters and her husband. I had never experienced a batayaki party before and I didn't know what I was missing. This is what I love about learning different traditions. You find wonderful things to add to your life that enrich it so much. For those of you who are like I was two weeks ago - ignorant about batayaki - here's what you do: Everyone who comes brings different items of bite sized meat or vegetables. These are then cooked in butter on electric griddles right on the table. Everyone cooks their own choice of food to perfection and eats it hot and sizzling straight from the griddle with rice and a sauce made from soy sauce, rice vinegar, and horseradish. Yummy! I shot a video from my place at the table so you could see what I mean.


Also at the batayaki birthday party, this darling little girl tried out a bouncing baby thingy for the first time ever. There were lots of cousins at the party having fun together. Kids are so much fun! We hope we adopt soon because if we do, our child(ren) will have six cousins all the same age. By next April, there will be two cousins from Laura's side of the family and four cousins from Jacob's side of the family all born within 16 months of each other. Even more amazing is they're all girls.