"Making Umeshu is a simple endeavor requiring just three ingredients: rock sugar, ume and high proof alcohol. Well, four ingredients if you include patience."
I'm so grateful to whatever universal/magical/algorithmic forces that made my humble Substack blog present on your account. After reading your latest post, I immediately subscribed. I was smiling when I read it.
You have a kindness to the way you write, a tone of kindness I feel I have yet to achieve. Reading your present and future posts will help me to become a better writer, I'm sure.
Like you, I prefer watching shows in languages foreign to me subbed as opposed to dubbed. I have long felt dubbing shows rubs off some of the art intended by its makers. Like you, I too am watching Midnight Diner: Tokyo Series at an incredibly slow pace. The show is surely not meant to be binged. I loved watching the first, the taxi episode and I'm about to put just a sentence about it in one of my future posts. The plum episode was actually the last episode I watched. I need to revisit that series soon, I think.
If you watch Animé, try Mushishi. The pace, artfulness, and episodic nature may remind you of Midnight Diner.
Wonderful writing.
Sending friendly love and admiration from the Philippines.
I believe we have a mutual admiration. Similarly, I subscribed after reading just one post on your newsletter, I recognize in your writing a thoughtful, earnest and authentic voice. It is no easy thing to do what you are doing. I am glad to have come across your work and to have the opportunity to read more. Please continue to write!
And thank you for the kind words - your comments really made my whole entire day!
And yes, I watch animé. I'm watching Attack on Titan now. I'm also impatiently waiting for Jujitsu Kaisen to return. I will definitely try Mushishi. And will report back. Thank you for the recommendation.
Thank you We. Sending friendly love and admiration right back to you :)
Thank you Jade! I'm glad you liked it. Funny I just realized this is the second muppet reference I made in recent writing. A few newsletters back I made a reference to my childhood metal muppet show lunchbox. Clearly I need to watch a muppet movie or something stat. 🐸
This is wonderful! Umeshu is so delicious and I wish I had access to ume too, so I could try my own. I have fond memories of my grandmother keeping big vats of it in her kitchen. I prefer it over ice too, and cut with soda.
Thank you Chihiro! I'm always so amazed by the memories that food evokes and how quickly they can transport us to a time, person or relationship. And they're almost always accompanied by strong emotional responses. Also nice to think that you share a connection with your grandmother whenever you are able to enjoy umeshu. My Japanese language teacher and I were just talking about all the things to make this time of year and along with ume, she encouraged me to try making pickled Rakkyo. I brought the ingredients but I haven't yet jumped in.
Also loved listening to the that time passing reference from A Tribe Called Quest that you dropped in!✔️💯💥 Thanks for putting in the link to the show. Looks like a great show from the short intro in the link. Definitely going to check it out.
Homemade plum wine 🍷 sounds like a beautiful, relaxing and sweet treat. Thank you for sharing these experiences! Reading about your explorations into things there that may be either very old traditions, or may have recently become a part of everyday contemporary life, has been and is so enjoyable to learn about. Very much enjoying these short glimpses of your life there. Love the analogous reflections on your own young life growing up, other time periods and related cultural references.
Yum yum! I can’t wait to try this recipe. I felt like I could smell and taste it just from reading this. Pickled ume are my favorite. Everyone gives me theirs when we go out for ramen.
happy Pride month indeed! I Love Facts of Life....obsessed over baby dyke Jo for years! And I sing along with M*A*S*H too....but you might not be old enough for that one! Guess what I am doing for lunch on Sunday....going to Kokoro Resteraunt so we can have beef bowl and Plum Wine! Seriously, already planned and now you teach me about it...how cool is that!
I Love your descriptions of how you make it and how slow it goes...your writing paralleled that and made it totally delicious! Thanks again!
I didn't realize, or maybe I forgot, that the Facts of Life was a spinoff of Different Strokes. I watched a lot of TV as a kid - and I feel like M*A*S*H was on the air years after they stopped producing it. All in the Family, the Jeffersons, Good Times and the theme music for TAXI are also older ones I remember well.
Dear Ms Spalter,
I'm so grateful to whatever universal/magical/algorithmic forces that made my humble Substack blog present on your account. After reading your latest post, I immediately subscribed. I was smiling when I read it.
You have a kindness to the way you write, a tone of kindness I feel I have yet to achieve. Reading your present and future posts will help me to become a better writer, I'm sure.
Like you, I prefer watching shows in languages foreign to me subbed as opposed to dubbed. I have long felt dubbing shows rubs off some of the art intended by its makers. Like you, I too am watching Midnight Diner: Tokyo Series at an incredibly slow pace. The show is surely not meant to be binged. I loved watching the first, the taxi episode and I'm about to put just a sentence about it in one of my future posts. The plum episode was actually the last episode I watched. I need to revisit that series soon, I think.
If you watch Animé, try Mushishi. The pace, artfulness, and episodic nature may remind you of Midnight Diner.
Wonderful writing.
Sending friendly love and admiration from the Philippines.
I believe we have a mutual admiration. Similarly, I subscribed after reading just one post on your newsletter, I recognize in your writing a thoughtful, earnest and authentic voice. It is no easy thing to do what you are doing. I am glad to have come across your work and to have the opportunity to read more. Please continue to write!
And thank you for the kind words - your comments really made my whole entire day!
And yes, I watch animé. I'm watching Attack on Titan now. I'm also impatiently waiting for Jujitsu Kaisen to return. I will definitely try Mushishi. And will report back. Thank you for the recommendation.
Thank you We. Sending friendly love and admiration right back to you :)
Love this! "Verdant like a glow-up Kermit the Frog" -- Excellent. Personally, I think all analogies should have to be in terms of muppets.
Thank you Jade! I'm glad you liked it. Funny I just realized this is the second muppet reference I made in recent writing. A few newsletters back I made a reference to my childhood metal muppet show lunchbox. Clearly I need to watch a muppet movie or something stat. 🐸
This is wonderful! Umeshu is so delicious and I wish I had access to ume too, so I could try my own. I have fond memories of my grandmother keeping big vats of it in her kitchen. I prefer it over ice too, and cut with soda.
Thank you Chihiro! I'm always so amazed by the memories that food evokes and how quickly they can transport us to a time, person or relationship. And they're almost always accompanied by strong emotional responses. Also nice to think that you share a connection with your grandmother whenever you are able to enjoy umeshu. My Japanese language teacher and I were just talking about all the things to make this time of year and along with ume, she encouraged me to try making pickled Rakkyo. I brought the ingredients but I haven't yet jumped in.
Also loved listening to the that time passing reference from A Tribe Called Quest that you dropped in!✔️💯💥 Thanks for putting in the link to the show. Looks like a great show from the short intro in the link. Definitely going to check it out.
I love that you know both the original The Last Poets and ATCQ ✔️💯💥. Should add the link to the TLP: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlccSXuSRuU
Homemade plum wine 🍷 sounds like a beautiful, relaxing and sweet treat. Thank you for sharing these experiences! Reading about your explorations into things there that may be either very old traditions, or may have recently become a part of everyday contemporary life, has been and is so enjoyable to learn about. Very much enjoying these short glimpses of your life there. Love the analogous reflections on your own young life growing up, other time periods and related cultural references.
Yum yum! I can’t wait to try this recipe. I felt like I could smell and taste it just from reading this. Pickled ume are my favorite. Everyone gives me theirs when we go out for ramen.
Tiffany I know you’ll knock making all things ume out the park and never look back! ☺️
When I read this your voice comes through, loud and clear. I love hearing your voice!
Thank you Ed!!
LOL M*A*S*H is STILL on
happy Pride month indeed! I Love Facts of Life....obsessed over baby dyke Jo for years! And I sing along with M*A*S*H too....but you might not be old enough for that one! Guess what I am doing for lunch on Sunday....going to Kokoro Resteraunt so we can have beef bowl and Plum Wine! Seriously, already planned and now you teach me about it...how cool is that!
I Love your descriptions of how you make it and how slow it goes...your writing paralleled that and made it totally delicious! Thanks again!
I didn't realize, or maybe I forgot, that the Facts of Life was a spinoff of Different Strokes. I watched a lot of TV as a kid - and I feel like M*A*S*H was on the air years after they stopped producing it. All in the Family, the Jeffersons, Good Times and the theme music for TAXI are also older ones I remember well.